Thomas Tuchel admits his side were not good enough against Real Madrid as he quickly shift focus to weekend’s premier league game against Southampton.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel didn’t hold back as he admits that his side were not good enough against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues hosted Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League as Tuchel watched his side fall to a 3-1 defeat in London.
While speaking with the media after their defeat to Real Madrid Tuchel says is side were not good enough and also claims the first half performance was one of the worse he has seen from his side so far.
“It is a heavy loss,’ admitted the Blues head coach. “It was one of the worst first halves that I saw from us here at Stamford Bridge. At this kind of level you cannot play like this individually or as a team.
“From all of us, we were by far not good enough, we were not doing what we are used to doing. The first half was so far from any standards that we set ourselves.”
Tuchel further stated that everything was wrong with their performance as he claims his side lack the intensity in their challenge and desire.
“Everything went wrong in the first half,” he added. “It was not only about when we pass, how we pass. It was also the intensity in challenges and the desire.
“In the second half I think we had 16 shots to one shot. You can always come back and equalise but if you concede again after 48 minutes it is harder and harder. Still, we had chances in the second half to make it 3-2 and this could have been crucial but not today.”
This is the second defeat in a row for Chelsea since the international break but Tuchel insists they need to find their level back.
“We have to find our level back. I don’t know where it is since the international break but the first half today was a repetition of the second half against Brentford.
“In a quarter-final against Real Madrid, you cannot expect a result from this kind of performance.”
The German quickly shift his focus to weekend’s Premier League game against Southampton rather than think about the return leg at Bernabeu.
“The tie is not alive with this performance. How many clubs in worldwide football won with a three-goal difference? It’s only realistic to answer like this so we shouldn’t think I’m giving the wrong message. We need to find our competitive spirit, our quality, and then we can talk.
“I worry more about Southampton than Real Madrid in the next week, that’s my focus. We have to get things ready for Saturday and not think about the Bernabeu because on Saturday we face Southampton and if we continue to play like this, we will not get a point.
“I think this is very important to process this first, it is crucial. We have to make sure everybody processes this.”
