The Blues have been stumbling a bit lately, having managed a victory in just two of their previous five fixtures.
Thomas Tuchel admits Chelsea’s defensive solidity has deteriorated lately and emphasizes that their recent struggles at the back show “how hard it was” to maintain that defensive solidity previously.
Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard at Chelsea. last January. A water-tight defense and quick counter-attacking football have been two of the most salient features of the German manager’s team, but the former appears to be losing its strength.
The Blues haven’t recorded a clean sheet in almost a month while they’ve let in eight goals in their last three games.
“It shows us that we were spoilt. It shows us how hard it was. It teaches us this lesson. Maybe we over-expect clean sheets,” said Tuchel, per Evening Standard.
“In the last three games we conceded eight goals. This is more concerning than not having a clean sheet, because for a clean sheet in these kind of competitions we play, you need luck, you need an extraordinary goalkeeper, you need a certain momentum.
“This is what we had in the beginning of the season. So, one goal is always possible, even if you do everything right, it is possible. But three, three and two is a bit too much.
“We are on it. It makes you appreciate how hard we worked before and what it takes to be so consistent in not conceding. It shows us how much the details matter. How much individual top level in every situation matters and hopefully we get this consistency in not conceding back into our game.
“Maybe the win and the late goal and luck can help sometimes to get the momentum back.
“I’m still confident that we can get back on track. Sometimes it’s maybe necessary to understand how much we worked and how hard it is to be consistent on that kind of level that we were at.”
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