Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has defended his side following a humiliating 4-1 home defeat to Brentford on Saturday evening.
After an uneventful first half, the Blues led early in the second period through Antonio Rudiger’s long-range strike, but the Bees equalised less than two minutes later before taking the lead and eventually winning the clash.
Speaking after the match, Tuchel reflected on losing control of the match during a short period after going in front and then being unable to recover.
“We lost control in 10 minutes, conceded three goals in that time, and lost the game from there,” he said after the game. “It’s very frustrating because we had got into the lead through Toni’s goal and we were in total control until that point too,”
“It’s very hard to create chances against Brentford and once we had that first goal, we stopped defending and gave three goals away in 10 minutes, which is very untypical and of course killed the game today for us,”
The German also said his players looked a bit tired after the exhausting international break.
“It was a tough start, which is not the first time it’s been like that after an international break, and it took us a while to find our rhythm and to find full control.
“We lacked energy and we didn’t do the things that usually make us strong. We looked tired, physically and mentally tired. It’s a big challenge to play after the international break but you have to get your results right as the favourite and being at home. We didn’t do that well enough today,”
The Blues’ next assignment is a Champions League clash against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.
