Thomas Tuchel believes his players must run harder after three heavy home defeats but has denied that Chelsea’s recent struggles at Stamford Bridge are down to laziness.
Chelsea, who have conceded 11 goals in their past three home games, are under pressure to raise their level before hosting West Ham on Sunday. They made more defensive errors during their 4-2 defeat to Arsenal last Wednesday and Tuchel, who also saw Brentford and Real Madrid run riot at Stamford Bridge this month, has been forced to consider whether the European champions have grown lazy.
“Maybe … then it comes back to me because I should push them and make them alert,” he said. “It’s human to be tired, human to be more alert in a knockout game than a normal match. Sometimes it’s also good, the foundation to be able to play 60 games.
“I remember at Mainz with one game a week and every game was like a cup final. On a Saturday, we gave 150% physically but also mentally, the players were drained until Tuesday. Once I stepped into being coach at Borussia Dortmund, I saw that players gave everything physically on a normal match but mentally it was not the same stress level as for players at Mainz. They were capable of playing more games.
“It’s a thin line in judging – that’s why lazy is the wrong word. But it’s OK to feel less tension in a normal match in the Premier League and a home match than if you go to the Bernabéu. It’s normal because it is maybe less tension, less excitement, less pressure. But it cannot lead to being less alert. This can never happen.”
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Chelsea, five points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham, are ninth in the Premier League’s home table. “I don’t know what it is,” Tuchel said of his side’s disappointing form at Stamford Bridge. “If it was just the one thing, we would switch dressing rooms or take another hotel or something like this.
“But that would maybe be more superstition than anything else. I have no solution but it’s also not the level that we want to produce in home games.”