Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said he cannot rely on more potential signings in this transfer window and insisted his squad should have been good enough to win against Leeds United.
The Blues tasted their first defeat this season after a shock 3-0 loss at Elland Road.
Tuchel deployed Reece James as a right centre-back, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek operated as a right wing-back.
James was influential in Chelsea’s attacking plans as a right wing-back last season, but Tuchel often opts to use him in a deeper role to deal with quick opposition forwards.
It was the same decision that the manager made in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur, and many would argue that it highlighted Tuchel’s lack of defensive actions.
Do Chelsea need another centre-back, so James can play in a more favourable role regardless of the opposition? Maybe, but Tuchel wants to focus on what he currently has.
“I don’t know. We need to wait,” the Chelsea manager said when asked about his plan to bring in a new defender in the post-match conference (via Football London).
“The transfer period is still open. It gets later and later, and we need to focus on what we have and what we can do.
“We can obviously play at a high level, but we lost track when there was no need. We were not forced to lose track.
“Everything was going well. We can win with this team in Leeds, everything was going well, and we had goalscoring opportunities.
“It went the other way and I think it was more our fault than anyone else’s credit.”
Chelsea have reportedly been trying to sign Leicester City’s Wesley Fofana and are expected to make a new bid for the young centre-back soon.
However, as Tuchel suggested, a new signing or two would not have helped Chelsea win games if they kept making costly mistakes the way they did against Leeds.
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