Thomas Tuchel is worried about the number of "unexplainable" individual mistakes made by his Chelsea players in home defeats to Brentford, Real Madrid and Arsenal but insists his squad must not play with fear as they attempt to secure a third-place finish in the Premier League.
The Blues produced a chaotic performance on Wednesday night against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, and it resulted in the Gunners running out 4-2 winners. The defeat was Chelsea's third in succession at home in all competitions, and in those matches, Tuchel's side conceded a remarkable eleven goals.
West Ham United are next up at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, and Chelsea can't afford another slip up in the Premier League. They currently sit third in the table and hold a five-point advantage over Tottenham Hotspur, which can't be allowed to close during the season run-in.
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"At the moment, we have nothing to lose, there's nothing to lose," the Chelsea head coach stated emphatically during his pre-match press conference. "There is always the excitement to win something, to achieve something. That hunger should always be more than the fear of losing something.
"I'm worried about the number of mistakes, of course. In this game [against Arsenal], they were crucial. The goals were strange that we conceded. We concede far more goals than we allow in expected goals since the international break. In the year 2022, we already had eight big mistakes that led to goals. This is very untypical, very unusual – or maybe it is now typical for us.
"But it's strange, and it costs us a lot. It costs not only a goal, but it costs [a player] self-confidence and belief in what they are doing. But Edou (Mendy) knows that he can do better against Real Madrid, and he normally does do better. Andreas (Christensen) knows that it's the right decision to play the ball back.
"It's not that we take crazy risks in these situations, and that's why it's really hard to analyse. I would maybe be happier if we took risks in situations where it is not allowed, then we can talk to the players about crazy dribbling or crazy decisions and where we should not do it.
"But actually the decisions are ok. If you look at the [Arsenal] third goal, we lose the ball, and they have a counter-attack, but then we win it with Thiago (Silva). Then we give it back with Malang (Sarr), we have it again with Malang and NG, then in the end, it's in the goal. It's very, very strange and very awkward. Sometimes we have to maybe also just accept it that it's unexplainable."
Chelsea's Premier League defeats to Brentford and Arsenal were humbling experiences – and historic, given the Blues hadn't conceded four goals in back-to-back league matches since 1989. So there needs to be a reaction against West Ham. Supporters will not tolerate another meek display.
And while Tuchel accepts and understands that run-of-the-mill Premier League matches may not create the same pre-match buzz as a high-profile Champions League knockout tie, he says that his players can't afford to let that influence their effort or performance levels given a place in the Premier League top four remains at stake.
"It's human to maybe be more alert in a knockout game than in 'normal' matches," Tuchel explained. "Sometimes this is also good because it's the foundation to be able to play 60 games [in a season]. I remember very well when I was at Mainz, with one game a week, and every game was like a cup final. So on a Saturday, we gave 150 per cent physically but also mentally, and the players were drained until Tuesday.
"Once I stepped into being a coach at Dortmund, I saw the players gave everything physically in a 'normal' match. But mentally, it was not the same stress level as for the players at Mainz, and that's why they were capable of playing more games. That is my explanation.
"It's a thin line in judging – and that's why lazy is the wrong word – but it's ok to feel less tension ahead of a 'normal' match in the Premier League and a home match than if you go to the Bernabeu. It's normal because there maybe is less tension, less excitement, less pressure. Maybe it is and let's just accept it. But it cannot lead to us being less alert or having less investment. This can never happen.
"We cannot run more against Madrid, do more sprints, and make more effort. This cannot happen. We have to take care – and I have to take care – that we do not confuse this.
"We saw this in the first match against Madrid and against Brentford, and we addressed it to the team and had the reaction. There were no doubts about it because we read the physical data. It's a little bit like this, but not in the same way against Arsenal. That's why it's tough to really understand the reasons why."
