Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel criticized his side for not showing hunger or determination in their 1-0 Champions League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday, saying he didn’t see that performance coming after he thought they were past the corner.
It was Chelsea’s third loss in five games and the Premier League side looked weak up front and had a steady foot in defense when they conceded a goal on the counterattack early in the first half.
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A furious Tuchel also blamed himself, but said it was not the performance he expected after Chelsea narrowly beat West Ham United at the weekend.
“I didn’t expect it, obviously I was in the wrong movie,” Tuchel told reporters. “I thought the last game helped us. I thought the team was ready, and I think we know what this is all about.
“I really don’t know where that performance is coming from today. The lack of determination, the lack of hunger and the lack of acuity to do the things we need to do at the highest level. We’re clearly not where we want to be.”
“I’m angry about our performance. It’s not accurate enough, it’s not clinical enough, it’s not aggressive enough on the ball, it’s not defined enough. It’s not good enough individually, it’s not good enough as a team.”
Tuchel said they did not underestimate Zagreb, but added that Chelsea’s loss of focus was “the story of the last few games” as the team started long before conceding goals.
“We started well for 15 to 20 minutes, but after that we lacked grit, precision and maybe even the smell of blood,” Tuchel added.
“We conceded a goal with players on the counter – never before. I don’t understand why it happened today. It’s obviously my job to analyze it.
“We need to be much better. We are not happy with our results, we are not happy with the way we play in general, but I thought we were on a good path. I am a little surprised by this performance today.”
