Thomas Tuchel hit out in his post-match interview questioning how he could smile after seeing his Chelsea side lose 3-1 to Real Madrid.
The defeat at Stamford Bridge leaves the Blues with an uphill task ahead of the return leg in the Spanish capital. The defending European champions produced a poor first-half showing as they went in 2-1 down at the break before a catastrophic error from Edouard Mendy gifted Madrid a third second into the second 45.
Karim Benzema was the man to net all three and it means Chelsea will have to win by at least two goals to force extra-time in the Bernabeu. Los Blancos were able to seize on several errors by the home side, which will have come as a huge frustration to their German manager.
He spoke candidly in his post-match debrief on BT Sport and responded emphatically when Des Kelly commented on his downbeat demeanour. Tuchel said: "What do you expect from me? To smile? Of course, I am down.
Tuchel was also keen on focusing on their next match, which is against Southampton, with many trying to turn the spotlight on the return game against Madrid. He added when quizzed on the second leg: "No, we don't have to go to Madrid we have to go Southampton and it is very important to process this. It is crucial that we go to Southampton. If we keep playing like this we will lose at Southampton and then we will get hammered at Bernabeu."
He also said: "It is a heavy loss. It was one of the worst first halves that I saw from us here at Stamford Bridge. Individually and as a team it was by far not enough. It was far from our standards and then you lose games. Passing, where we passed, how we passed when we passed, when we attacked, the ball possession game... first half was so from any standards that we set ourselves that we cannot complain when we lose."
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Carlo Ancelotti masterminded Madrid's win on his return to Stamford Bridge having spent two years in charge of the Blues. Much of his success on Wednesday night is owed to Benzema, who became just the second man to score successive hat-tricks in the Champions League.
The Italian said: "Played well. Good control of the game, good build-up from the back, dangerous counterattack. It was a good night but it is only the first half of this round. It was really good. We showed good organisation defensively. We had a fantastic performance up front from Benzema. A good performance."
Chelsea are aiming to become just the second side to retain their Champions League crown. Europe is also one of only two realistic silverware possibilities for the Blues with the FA Cup still on their radar ahead of their semi-final with Crystal Palace at Wembley.
