The manager of Chelsea, Thomas Tuchel was left very angry after his team conceded a late goal during a Premier League game against Brighton on Wednesday, December 29, 2021.
Chelsea went into the game with a series of injury concerns, covid-19 cases, and a couple of players who just returned from injury or just recovered from covid-19.
Despite all that, Chelsea started the league game very strongly but the plans of coach Thomas Tuchel were altered when he had to make a force substitution in the 27th minute. He had to take out injured Reece James for inconsistent Alonso.
The substitution first looked like a good luck charm as Romelu Lukaku gave Chelsea the lead in the 28th minute. Chelsea enjoyed the early lead until the end of the first half.
In the second half, Thomas Tuchel’s plan for the game suffered another blow as the club’s defender Andreas Christensen suffered a knock that forced him out of the game in the 46th minute.
In most parts of the second half, Brighton played more convincingly than Chelsea as they enjoyed 53 percent of the ball possession. After a series of trials, Brighton were able to break Chelsea’s defense in injury time. Danny Welbeck scored in the 91st minute which forced the game to end in a 1-1 draw.
After the game, coach Thomas Tuchel argued that Chelsea deserved a penalty in the game. He also stressed that in the build-up to the equalizer, Brighton committed a foul which the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) ought to have checked.
The German tactician said: “Honestly, I would never normally say it, but we have a 100 percent penalty against Christian Pulisic and we have a 50-50 challenge from Mason Mount right before the equalizer when the ball is going into the net.
“Why does the referee even need to whistle before the ball is over the line? We have VAR to check. Why can we not wait and then check it, and then if he decides it’s a foul, decide it then?
“Is he so sure? Or does he want to keep the tension up?
“And the penalty is a joke. It’s honestly a joke from VAR not to interfere.”
On Thomas Tuchel’s general assessment of the game, the German tactician said: “We knew before that this was going to be a tough match against a strong side,” he added.
“They come well prepared. It’s always like this. I have not seen one team play a nice match against them, so it was clear we would struggle.
“We simply have way too many players of whom we don’t know what we can demand. They come from long injuries, they come from Covid. I simply don’t know what they are capable of doing.
“We started very, very well, until the injury for Reece James, which was a huge blow. Then we lose Andreas Christensen, who was until then again one of the top players on the pitch.
“At some point, it’s too much. That’s why I can understand that you struggle if you play against a Brighton side with nothing to lose and playing with confidence.”
Thomas Tuchel is not confident that Chelsea can compete for the Premier League title
The 1-1 draw Chelsea recorded against Brighton at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, has increased the gap between the Blues and first-placed Manchester City.
As it stands, Chelsea now have 42 points in 20 games, 8 points behind first-place Manchester City. This means that the race is no longer in the hands of Thomas Tuchel and his boys.
Before Chelsea can stand a chance of overtaking Manchester City, the table leaders have to lose three Premier League games while Chelsea stop dropping points.
Liverpool are also in the race as they are just 9 points away from first-placed Manchester City with a game in hand.
On Sunday, January 2, Liverpool will visit Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea. Any team that wins the game might become the second contender for the title after Manchester City.
When Thomas Tuchel was asked if Chelsea are still in the title race, the coach said: “We have seven Covid cases, we have four or five key players out for six or more weeks. How should we compete in a title race?
“Everyone else who has a full squad, and everybody in training every day, has the full power to come through this league.
“We would be stupid to think we can do it out of Covid and injuries and just play, and everybody would be stupid to do it without 23 fit players.”
