Tuchel’s search for answers in Blues bleak midwinter
Thomas Tuchel last night flicked from the injuries to bad luck and wondered aloud if his players might have found it hard to cope with plaudits as he searched for reasons to explain chelsea’s recent results.
In 25 days since their 4-0 demolition of Juventus, the Blues have won only two of six, neither convincingly, and slipped from three points clear at the top of the Premier league to four adrift of leaders manchester city.
‘We’re in exactly the place you don’t want to be,’ said Tuchel. ‘Good performances — sometimes very good — but we don’t have results. a good performance with no result is the worst place.
‘I don’t see where we played a bad game at West ham and I refuse to analyse the everton match from the result.
‘It makes no sense. We were clearly the better team. If you only look at results in football, you can be horribly misled.
‘This is a big danger, a big risk. It can lead to frustration. It can lead to the same behaviour as if you played bad, and I don’t want to end up there so I still encourage my team to go and do it again, and believe. Why should we not?
‘The recent results are not what we expected or deserved. It’s a bit up and down. maybe we struggle also with the praise. I don’t think it’s one reason.’
on that jubilant night against Juventus, injuries picked up by N’Golo Kante and Ben chilwell had an instant impact. mateo Kovacic was already out. Romelu lukaku and Timo Werner were working their way back. Trevoh chalobah joined the casualty list.
Then, just as Tuchel’s injury problems started to ease, a covid outbreak ruled five players out of the 1-1 draw against everton on Thursday.
starting with a draw at home to Burnley on November 6, chelsea have lost only once but taken just 12 points from seven Premier league games.
and, after conceding only three goals in the first 10 games, they conceded nine in those seven.
‘When we concede a lot of goals the confidence drops,’ said captain cesar azpilicueta. city, meanwhile, have won their last seven, liverpool have won the last six. up goes the pressure and draws start to feel like defeats.
anxiety can take hold at stamford Bridge, perhaps the nagging fear of another midwinter collapse when they thought they were set for a title challenge.
Despite all the success, there were boos at the final whistle against everton.
‘Booing happens,’ said Tuchel. ‘I don’t think it was for the performance. They came to support us and, in the end, they were disappointed. We were as well. I refuse to take it personally.’
This is still Tuchel’s first full season in english football, where the unique relentlessness hits hardest at this time of year.
Bodies begin to break under the strain and domestic fixtures crowd in and ask questions, even without the omicron complications.
It makes sense to rest players, rotate the squad but those in from the fringes are low on sharpness and competitive edge, as well as low on morale after weeks feeling unloved and unwanted.
These are tricky waters to navigate even for a champions league winner, 325 days into the job and preparing to face Wolves, his first opponents as chelsea boss.
‘It’s nice we have some victories and even a big title under our belt,’ said Tuchel. ‘But it’s not the moment to reflect. We’ve got to stay positive. There is a lot to focus on.’