What Tuchel Said As Chelsea Bounce Back To Pummel Southampton 6-0

Cat:

Related stories

Tinubu Names IBB’s Son, Top Experts to Lead Key Nigerian Agencies

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad...

2027: Labour Party Appoints Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairperson 

By Abiola Olawale  Ahead of the 2027 general elections, the...

Thomas Tuchel said the impact of telling his Chelsea squad some home truths was clear after watching his side eviscerate Southampton 6-0 to bounce back from successive defeats and raise hopes of keeping their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid alive.

Tuchel held frank discussions with his players on Thursday after the 3-1 defeat to Real at Stamford Bridge and demanded a sharpness, which they exhibited as goals from Marcos Alonso, Kai Havertz and two apiece from Mason Mount and Timo Werner routed a subpar Southampton.

Victory marked the perfect riposte after conceding a total of seven goals in defeats to Brentford and Real. Chelsea, who made four changes, led 6-0 after 54 minutes and Southampton moved to a three-man defence in an attempt to halt the scoring. Chelsea play the return leg in Madrid on Tuesday.

“It was necessary that we turned things around,” Tuchel said. “It was not a huge turnaround – it was not necessary to change everything – but it was a moment for us. The feeling was a moment to tell the group the truth, my honest opinion, and tell them as a part of the group: ‘This is how I feel.’

“The message was clear and obviously everybody took it in the right way. I included myself in the message and so it was necessary to step up. It is on the players to live up to what we play. They did it in an impressive manner and it is now a time to move on because we’ve found what makes us strong.”

The Southampton manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl, alluded to previous 9-0 defeats to Leicester and Manchester United and conceded his team appeared lost after 15 minutes, by which point they trailed 2-0. “I was disappointed to see that we fell back into behaviour that I thought was gone,” he said.

“It seems we have to have one game of this every season and it is very hard to take. This team kills you when you have a chance. They show you [your] every weakness.”

Werner scored his first league goals since October and Tuchel said the striker’s statement performance was reminder that he is “still an important player of this club and group”.

The Chelsea captain, César Azpilicueta, missed the game after testing positive for Covid-19 while Tuchel hinted that the record signing Romelu Lukaku would not return from an achilles injury in time for Madrid. “Time is running [out], we leave the country again on Monday,” he said.

The New Diplomat
The New Diplomathttps://newdiplomatng.com/
At The New Diplomat, we stand for ethical journalism, press freedom, accountable Republic, and gender equity. That is why at The New Diplomat, we are committed to speaking truth to power, fostering a robust community of responsible journalism, and using high-quality polls, data, and surveys to engage the public with compelling narratives about political, business, socio-economic, environmental, and situational dynamics in Nigeria, Africa, and globally.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Drama as Okpebholo Tells Peter Obi: Notify me Before Visiting Edo or Else I Can't Guarantee Your SecurityTrump Vows to Sue Rupert Murdoch as Epstein Report Opens New Rift in Their RelationshipTinubu Names IBB’s Son, Top Experts to Lead Key Nigerian Agencies2027: Labour Party Appoints Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairperson Alleged $9.6 Billion P&ID Fraud: Fleeing Briton’s Surety Arrested, Produced In CourtWhy Oil Prices Could See a Significant Upside ShiftPresidency Announces Gov Umo Eno as APC Leader in Akwa Ibom, Sparks ReactionsBreakdown of Buhari’s Family EntitlementsThaksin touts golden visa, higher travel fees to boost ThailandDangote Refinery Halts Fuel Discount Program Over Alleged Marketers Fraud2027: Intrigues as PDP Confirms Move to Bring Peter Obi Back After Atiku’s DepartureAre You Pregnant? By Johnson Babalola2027: Buhari’s exit Cripples APC in entire North as CPC Loyalists Defect in Large NumbersDrama as 16, 17-year-olds Now Allowed to Vote In UK ElectionsSenate passes $9 billion in spending cuts to public broadcasting, foreign aid requested by Trump
X whatsapp