Thomas Tuchel speaking at a press conference.
Speaking to the media after the game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was angry at his side’s performance in their defeat against Dinamo Zagreb on the opening day of the Champions League football this season away in Zagreb.
The Blues lost the game 1-0, with a goal from Mislav Orsic in the 13th minute. The English side never looked like scoring apart from the last five minutes when Reece James hit the post. The 2021 competition winners lacked the cutting edge and were slow in possession.
Deadline day signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had a forgettable debut, but he wasn’t given much service to make the difference in the opposition box. Having little to no training sessions with the team is another factor.
Talking about the game, here’s an angry Tuchel (h/t Football.London):
I’m angry with myself and I’m angry with our performance. This is a huge underperformance from all of us. It’s not precise enough, it’s not clinical enough, it’s not aggressive enough. It’s not determined enough and not enough individually and not enough as a team and that’s why we lose this game.
After a defeat against Southampton last midweek, Chelsea showed a reaction against West Ham United despite going a goal down and winning the game. The Zagreb game was supposed to be the one where they keep the momentum going. However, it has gone backwards again.
What is striking is that several high-quality players are underperforming in that team. When that happens, the manager generally finds it tough to form a combination that he can put out on the pitch to get positive results on a consistent basis.
Up next for Tuchel and the Blues is a tricky trip and game away at Fulham. The Cottagers have made a great start to the season with an in-form striker upfront. Chelsea need to buckle up and perform better.
With regards to this Champions League group, losing the first game is not a disaster by any stretch of the imagination. But, the next game becomes highly important – which is against RB Salzburg at Stamford Bridge next Wednesday.
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