Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has attributed his team’s performance against Brighton on Tuesday night to ‘tiredness’.
The German watched as his side dropped points yet again in the Premier League, despite leading 1-0 at half-time.
Hakim Ziyech gave the Blues the lead in the first half, but Adam Webster’s thumping header midway through the second half saw the teams share the spoils.
Speaking after the match, Tuchel said he will give his players two days’ rest before their next match, against Tottenham.
“I am so happy that we have at least four days. Look at our last week and you know what I am talking about. Within seven days we had three away games. It’s not only about playing, it’s about traveling, it’s about not sleeping and we don’t do this one week and complain,” he said.
Adding: “They need this rest so badly. You can say it’s an excuse or whatever but it’s like this, look at our schedule. When we arrived at Man City, we had a Carabao Cup game before and they did not. Now we arrive here, they had more days to prepare, they had a whole week to prepare before.
“‘We play since November, the team that plays and plays and plays and plays. We need to recharge the batteries and we need to disconnect.
“This is my feeling, this is why we give the players two days off and then we will prepare for two days. We will use Friday and Saturday to prepare for Sunday because then it’s the next game against Tottenham,”
Chelsea have in recent weeks fallen behind in the English Premier League title, with Man City moving clear at the top, opening an 11-point gap.
