Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed why he is unhappy with his side’s result against Charlotte FC despite their ‘very good performance’.
The Blues competed against the MLS side in their second pre-season game of the summer, with Charlotte being the second stop on their tour across the United States.
Kick-off was delayed as a result of severe weather in the local area, but Chelsea were soon back in action across the pond and came into the match off the back of their 2-1 victory against Club America at the weekend.
However they would soon taste defeat in the States, despite American international Christian Pulisic giving them the lead in front of his home country.
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A late penalty would send the match to a shootout to decide the result, with the Blues eventually losing 5-3 against their hosts.
Although it was just their second game of the summer, Tuchel was still unhappy with the result as his side make their preparations for the new season, which starts in just over two weeks.
The German boss spoke on the match after the final whistle and disclosed the reasons why he was unhappy: “In general, I would say we played a good first half but unfortunately, only 80 metres of the pitch.
“The last 20 metres of the pitch were not good enough, even in the first half.
“We found a lot of spaces to accelerate and penetrate the box but we struggled with our decision-making and precision in the last 20 metres.
"This was simply not good enough for the effort and quality we showed in the first 80 metres of the pitch and the amount of space we had, and the number of attacks we created, there were not enough clear chances and deliveries in the last 20 metres.
"We also have to say we allowed two big chances out of nothing in the first half, otherwise I think we played a very good match in all the other aspects.
"Second half, it took us half an hour to show some quality and then it was maybe for ten minutes, so it was not good at all.
“Not offensively, not structure-wise, not in effort, hunger to be the dominant team. It was not good enough."
Although Chelsea fans may be disappointed with the result against the MLS side, they will have been pleased to see Raheem Sterling make his first appearance in a royal blue shirt.
The 27-year-old came off the bench at the start of the second half, and lined up alongside Kai Havertz and Mason Mount in the front three.
Tuchel was also asked about this selection after the game, particularly if it's the strongest trio to lead the line heading into the new campaign.
He said: “I didn’t see it today. So it doesn’t matter what I have in my mind, the only thing that matters is what I see on the pitch.
“I saw four accelerations in the second half and they all came from Raheem. This is what he delivers and there is no need for major doubts or huge criticism, but it is never important what the manager has in his head before pre-season, it’s the reality that counts.
“Every day in training and matches like this count and from there we go.”
Topics: Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea
Robert Calcutt