Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said the 4-1 defeat to Brentford on Saturday was an undesirable reminder for his team ahead of Wednesday’s Real Madrid clash.
The Blues uncharacteristically suffered a defeat through a series of poor defending at Stamford Bridge.
Antonio Rudiger’s incredible opener, which could have put the game to bed, ended up in vain after Thomas Frank’s men responded by scoring four goals, three of which were in the space of 10 minutes.
While Chelsea will not have much time to sulk in defeat ahead of the upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid, even Tuchel said he has yet to move on from the shock result.
“Losing never helps,” the manager told Chelsea TV after the game.
“It helps if you need a reminder of what you need to put in to be a special team — OK, this is the reminder.
“Personally, I [did] not need it, but OK.
“So, now everybody knows what we have to do, where we come from, and what can happen in football.
“Actually, [the Real Madrid game] is not my concern. It’s not Wednesday. I’m still in this game and I need to understand what went on.”
A few key Chelsea players, especially those who had to travel outside Europe during the international break, might have been not at 100 percent.
Tuchel himself said some of his players were “mentally tired”.
Obviously, the German will have to address his team’s poor defensive performance in the next few days as they will face the highest-scoring La Liga side and in-form Karim Benzema this week.
Keep up to date with all the latest Chelsea news and opinion by following The Chelsea Chronicle’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
