'The pitch is not in our favour' - Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel blames Stamford Bridge turf after Arsenal loss
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Updated 21/04/2022 at 08:34 GMT
An incredible match at Stamford Bridge saw the two London rivals share six goals with Arsenal taking the win on a night to forget for defenders. The Chelsea manager said afterwards that his players must “face the reality that it's impossible to win matches if you make this amount of mistakes of this calibre”. Chelsea, in third, are five points clear of Tottenham and Arsenal in the top four race.
Chelsea Manager Thomas Tuchel gestures during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on April 20, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Image credit: Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel has suggested the Stamford Bridge pitch was partially to blame for Chelsea’s 4-2 defeat against Arsenal.
The Gunners emerged victorious from a manic game that swung back and forth between the two London rivals, with two of their goals coming through former Chelsea academy player Eddie Nketiah.
The 22-year-old’s opening goal game courtesy of mishit pass by Blues defender Andreas Christensen, allowing the Arsenal man to pounce.
Tuchel hauled Christensen off at half time but afterwards insisted this decision was injury-related and not due to his error, instead blaming the state of the turf at the Chelsea stadium.
"He said he cannot continue, so I think he had some problems,” he said in his press conference.
“I don't take a player out because he makes one mistake. To say the pitch is difficult to play here it maybe sounds like an excuse, but it is a very, very difficult pitch that we have here. It's not in our favour.
“The ball bounces very awkwardly in front of Andreas when he wants to play this ball.
“We had the same mistake against Real Madrid that cost us the next round of the Champions League, and this one cost us the next match. I can't remember when we got two goals like this."
Despite refusing to blame Christensen, Tuchel lamented his side’s overall defensive display and does not believe the absence of an injured Antonio Rudiger was a factor in the Arsenal loss.
"We conceded seven goals with Toni against Brentford and Real Madrid, that answers the question," he added.
“It's not about individual players. A defensive performance is a team performance, and an offensive performance is a team performance.
“You need to have the tactics right, which is doubtful I had this right, and you need the team selection right, again it's doubtful I had this right.
"Then it's a game for the players. They get full praise when they do it when they did it for the last three matches, and they have to face the reality that it's impossible to win matches if you make this amount of mistakes of this calibre. It's simply impossible.
“I don't see it in any other matches, but I see it now in consecutive matches of our games, and it has to stop."
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