Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel could not hide his frustration after watching his side suffer a 2-1 defeat to Southampton on Tuesday night.
It all seemed to be going to plan for the Blues after Raheem Sterling continued his brilliant individual form and put them ahead in the 23rd minute. The lead did not last long though as the Saints levelled matters five minutes later after teenager Romeo Lavia grabbed a stunning goal.
The game took a different turn just at the stroke of half time, after Adam Armstrong’s deflected effort crept past Edouard Mendy to complete a turnaround for the hosts.
Chelsea tried all they could in the second half to grab an equalizer but they lacked a bite in attack and deservedly lost the game.
Thomas Tuchel has now hit out at his side’s mental focus, after seeing them lose their second away game of the season.
Tuchel blasts ‘soft’ Chelsea
The German manager has taken a swipe at his side’s mentality, questioning their ability to win games away from home.
“Obviously we are not tough enough to win matches away. It is a bit the same story as Leeds [who beat Chelsea at Elland Road nine days previous].”
“We need to show a different mentality,” he said. “It has not been enough to win at Leeds and Southampton. There’s no shame – we are humble enough to know we can lose matches. But it was too easy to knock us off track, it was too easy to bully us.”
When he was further asked about the goals conceded from Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong, Tuchel said: “Soft, soft, soft defending. You know what stops that? Pure mentality. There is no superiority for the opponent. Just toughen up and show the mentality. I don’t like to talk about it normally because you can’t prove it. You can’t prove it with data or body position or tactical possession. But both goals are cheap goals, soft goals, and should not happen.”
He added: “The line is so thin between excuses and explanations. I better not go down this road because I don’t want to give any room for myself for staff or players to make excuses. We need to find solutions. What will help is the closing of the transfer window. We will know who has the full commitment and what role everyone will fulfil. Everybody, including myself, has to step up to a new level of performance because these are okay performances – not a disaster – but okay can never be enough.”
Chelsea’s inconsistent start continues
Despite spending significantly this summer, Chelsea have suffered a poor start to the campaign, only winning two out of their first five games and claiming seven points from a possible 21.
Chelsea will now look to return to winning ways when they welcome West Ham to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
