Chelsea’s Champions League defence is all but over – Tuchel

Thomas Tuchel has all-but admitted defeat in the Champions League after Chelsea slumped to a 3-1 first-leg loss to Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge.

Karim Benzema’s stunninghat-trickhandedRealtotalcontrolatthemidwaypoint of their quarter-final with the defending champions. And a deflated and angry Blues boss Tuchel effectively conceded Chelsea are now odds-on to relinquish their Champions League crown.

Tuchel took responsibility for the tactical set-up that allowed Benzema and Vinicius Junior to terrorise Andreas Christensen on Chelsea’ s right flank.

But the Chelsea boss challengedhis player store discover their lost poise in Saturday’ s Premier League trip to Southampton to set their faltering season back on track.

Asked if the tie is still alive despite the defeat, Tuchel replied: “No. Not at the moment, no.

“Because we have to find our level back, I don’t know where it is since the international break, but the first-half is a repetition of the secondhalf against Brentford, in a quarter-final against Real Madrid.

“We were so far off our level in everything the game demands. We have to get things ready for Saturday at Southampton and we can’t think about the Bernabeu.

“We face Southampton on Saturday and if we continue to play like this we will not get a point.”

Chelsea have now leaked seven goals in two matches after Saturday’s 4-1 home humbling by Brentford, leaving the Blues battling to find their form.

Tuch el admitted the internationalbreak had dissipated all Chelsea’s momentum and insisted the Blues must forget about Tuesday’s Madrid trip given their weekend clash at Southampton.

Asked if effectively admitting defeat at the halfway stage of the last-eight tie would send the wrong message to his players, Tuchel replied: “If you want to put it on this sentence, put it on this sentence, honestly.

“I worry more about Southampton on Saturday than Real Madrid on Tuesday. If we don’t get our heads and legs straight and our mentality right we will not win. And then this tie is not alive.

“Let’s be honest, we know we are competitive and we need to find our competitive quality and then we can talk.”