It’s been an awful time for Blues boss Thomas Tuchel, on multiple levels, lately. The day after his Chelsea side was unexpectedly thrashed at home, at the hands of Premier League newbies Brentford, his impending divorce became public. His wife of 13 years, German newspaper journalist Sisi Tuchel, had filed the papers the previous week.
Then came Wednesday night, where his team was once again dominated, at home, but this time in the Champions League. Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema achieved a hat trick on Chelsea, and in the post-match presser, Tuchel let loose.
Chelsea FC at Southampton FYIs
Kick: Sat Apr 9, 3pm, St. Mary’s
Chelsea Preview Material: Starting XI Prediction
After Extra Time Podcast: Spotify Apple Podcasts
PL Form: Chelsea LWWWW Southampton DLLLW
PL Position: Chelsea 29mp, 59 pts, 3rd Southampton 30mp, 36pts 12th
Result Probability: Chelsea win 50% Southampton win 24% Draw 26%
“What do you expect, to stand here and smile?” Tuchel responded to an appropriate probing question about the match result.
“We don’t have to look to Madrid. We have to go to Southampton. This is very, very important to process this first.
“This is crucial that everybody processes this because if we keep playing like this, we will lose in Southampton and we will get hammered at the Bernabeu.”
Chelsea Team News
Ben Chilwell remains a long-term absentee while Callum Hudson-Odoi faces a race against time to be match fit, due to his Achilles and back problems. However, the team did not report any fresh injury concerns after the first-leg loss to Real Madrid.
Finally, we have an update on the situation regarding the club’s impending sale. The Ricketts family made headlines this week, and we have more on that over at this link.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.