“He knows himself” – Tuchel opens up on Mendy’s mistake vs Leeds United

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was not overly critical of Edouard Mendy’s mistake against Leeds United

Speaking to the media after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Leeds United (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wasn’t overly critical of Edouard Mendy for making a mistake that led to the opposition taking the lead in the game.

Tuchel accepted that the keeper made a mistake and there is no need to speak a lot about that. He further went on to say that the player knows himself and is disappointed the most for costing the first goal to the team.

Leeds took the lead through this mistake in the 33rd minute, when Mendy was closed down by Brenden Aaronson. The Senegal international then could not sort his feet out quickly enough and allowed the American to pick his pocket and score into an empty net.

He knows himself. With these kinds of mistakes, I don’t think we need to speak a lot. He knows himself that this was a mistake, and honestly, this has nothing to do with protection or no protection. Everybody in the world sees the mistake. It’s a huge mistake at a crucial time of the match. It does not help, and he’s the one that is the most disappointed because it cost us a lot today.

Chelsea did not recover from that goal and went on to concede two more on either side of half-time to lose the game by such a massive margin.

Mendy has generally been very good with the ball at his feet, playing out from the back often. He sometimes is guilty of taking one touch too many or playing the hospital pass to an outfield player when not needed to. His giving away a goal against Real Madrid in the first leg of last season’s Champions League quarter-final comes to mind when thinking about the latter.

Regarding the defeat, it may be a blessing in disguise that it has come so early in the season. There is still time for Tuchel to remind his players to be at their best every time they take on the field.

For the players also, this can be a sort of early reality check that can wake them up to be ready for the challenges ahead. Next up, they have Leicester City at home to get things right.

More Chelsea News:

• Chelsea could still sign Jules Kounde if Barcelona fail to register him
• Romelu Lukaku is suggesting Inter Milan sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah
• Thomas Tuchel gave his verdict on whether Chelsea need a striker like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Showering criticism at Mendy is not the solution to start with. Goalkeepers these days are told to take risks with the ball, knowing that on odd occasions they would cost goals or chances.