Chelsea news: Blues lacked maturity during Brentford thumping, says Thomas Tuchel
- Planet Sport writer
- 2 April 2022
After taking the lead through Antonio Rudiger, Chelsea capitulated in the second half of their Premier League clash against Brentford, losing 4-1 at Stamford Bridge.
After a goalless first half, the match came to life after the break, with Antonio Rudiger opening the scoring with a thumping effort from range.
However, in a frantic 10-minute spell, Brentford fired three past Edouard Mendy, with Vitaly Janelt scoring either side of Christian Eriksen's effort.
Substitute Yoane Wissa then added a fourth just two minutes after coming on, to lift Brentford 11 points clear of the drop.
The result also ended Chelsea's six-match unbeaten streak, leaving the Blues third, but only five points ahead of Arsenal, who are due to Crystal Palace on Monday evening.
Defeat this afternoon.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 2, 2022
🔵 1-4 🐝 | #CheBre pic.twitter.com/Qyn5kM4cSe
However, with Chelsea enduring enough drama with their off-field situation, manager Thomas Tuchel was keen to not make a big deal of the result after the game.
"After so many wins and so many good results, I will now refuse to make a drama out of it… why should we?" Brentford made a lot of the 10 minutes we gave them.
"After the third goal, we had a disallowed goal, a pressing situation against the goalkeeper, and another big chance from Kai Havertz.
"We missed all three of them and there was a feeling that it wasn't our day. So it's a mixture of everything.
"I don't know why that has happened. We gave a big chance straight away after our goal, and then the next one was a goal.
The loss has somewhat dragged the Blues into a top four battle, with Tuchel's side still yet to play Arsenal and Manchester United this season.
And if Chelsea are to hold on to third this season, Tuchel wants to see his side show more maturity on the field - a characteristic the German felt his side lacked on Saturday afternoon.
"From there, we did not defend maturely enough. We were not aware of the danger in these moments which is also very strange for us," said Tuchel.
"We got punished. They made the most of these 10 minutes which is maybe not normal.
"So it's a summary of strange events but it's on us and it's our fault.
"I would not rely on it being destiny or it happens. We will dig in and try to find out why it was like this."
An honest assessment on #CheBre from the boss. ⤵️
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 2, 2022
Chelsea now have just four days to prepare before a blockbuster clash against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The first leg takes place at Stamford Bridge, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 GMT on Wednesday night.
