Thomas Tuchel: Everything went wrong vs Leeds for Chelsea as Blues boss blames disrupted travel plans

Thomas Tuchel says everything went wrong for Chelsea despite them being the better side, highlighting it started with their interrupted travel plans to Elland Road prior to the 3-0 defeat on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea were well-beaten by Jesse Marsch’s side who made life extremely difficult in Yorkshire, a game plan which Tuchel expected before the game but still his team could not cope with the high press and intensity from the hosts. 

It was their first defeat of the 2022/23 Premier League season which summed Chelsea up. Missed chances, mistakes and costly errors, both of which were punished by Brenden Aaronson, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison as they sealed a 3-0 victory which saw Kalidou Koulibaly get sent off.

Chelsea looked sluggish after the opening stages which should have seen them take the lead. Leeds were onto the visitors and they deservedly came out three winners. Tuchel was rarely moved in the second half, and he admitted that their travel plans were interrupted which made it a long journey up to Leeds. 

He told BBC Sport: "Everything that can go wrong, did go wrong.

"It started yesterday. We had no plane to arrive so we came on the bus. The players could fly but for the coaching staff it was a long ride on the bus.

"It continued today. We lost the game in the first 20 minutes, where we were clearly better and had huge chances. A lot of touches in the box but we miss the target and do not take what we deserve.

"We then stopped doing what we were doing good and it was even for 15 minutes and in those we gave two presents.”

Despite losing the game inside 20 minutes, he insists Chelsea were the better team and that errors were the cause of their own downfall and Leeds’ joy.

The 48-year-old added: "We were clearly the better team. They do what they do. I don't see that a set-piece and own goal (Mendy's mistake) are due to the style. They are mistakes.

"If we give goals away like this, that are totally unnecessary and when we are totally in charge we cannot win football matches. We tried second-half and I am disappointed we lost that half as well.

"They made the maximum of their half-chances and we did not."

Jesse Marsch was not fazed by Tuchel’s comments, responding: “He can have his opinion. Our way of playing dictated the match, limited them and made them make mistakes."

Tuchel insists Chelsea don't have a mentality issue despite playing brilliantly against Spurs before falling to defeat to Leeds.

"I think you do, all of you, make the mistake and I feel it that they run 11km more and we lose 3-0. It is a set piece and a huge mistake and only one team should have led 1-0 and that was us. So everybody knows that they run more, it is nothing to do with mentality.

"I don't think it is mentality that Edou doesn't take the right decision. I think it is mentality in set pieces at the moment. But not the big mentality as a headline, please. Mentality in set-pieces is not good enough. Mentality comes down to discipline and to do what we should do and what makes us strong in the first 15-20 minutes.

"It was enough to kill the game and bring it into a direction where it was last season. If they scored the opening chance, did what they did and a win is possible. Maybe you don't believe me and I don't see a connection that we have a huge mentality problem and that we are not ready for what's coming."