On one hand, it is preseason, so nobody is giving it their all, and going full bore. On the other hand, if you’re a world class competitor, a professional athlete, you can never go out there and embarrass yourself. Chelsea essentially did that last night, getting thrashed 4-0 by their London rivals Arsenal in the Florida Cup.
In Orlando, FL almost every player in a Chelsea shirt looked like a ‘Florida Man,’ not a pro footballer. Blues boss Thomas Tuchel is not having it!
The German maintained that Chelsea haven’t shown enough commitment to growth and development on their preseason tour.
“We were simply not competitive,” the Chelsea gaffer said to the media.
“The worrying part is that the level of commitment physically and mentally for this match was far higher for Arsenal than for us.
“It was surely not our strongest lineup. This is a part of an explanation but only a little part… I cannot guarantee we will be ready in two weeks.”
While Arsenal won all three of their preseason matches in the USA, with a goal aggregate of 9-1, Chelsea lost two of three. They bested Mexican side Club America, but lost to MLS side Charlotte FC on penalties.
“I don’t know if I ever lost a match in preseason 4-0. I can’t remember not winning two matches in a row in preseason,” Tuchel added.
“I am superstitious but not in a way that I say bad preseason has to mean a bad season.”
The two weeks away that Tuchel is referring to Chelsea’s season opener, which is at Everton, for a Premier League fixture on Aug. 6. Of course, Everton has their own problems, as they also suffered a 4-0 defeat in a friendly in the USA. It was Minnesota United, who thrashed them the same night that Chelsea lost at Charlotte.
That means the season opener will be a matchup of two sides that lost to a MLS club in preseason.
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 he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.