Jamie Carragher admits he ‘admired’ Thomas Tuchel’s furious reaction to Chelsea’s pre-season hammering by Arsenal… while the Sky pundit insists the struggling Blues ‘shouldn’t be beaten 4-0’ by the Mikel Arteta
- Jamie Carragher has backed Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel following recent comments
- The German questioned the physical and mental state of his team yesterday
- Chelsea lost 4-0 to Arsenal in pre-season and the start of the season is looming
- Carragher said Chelsea should not be beaten 4-0, even in a friendly
- Tuchel also sent a message to the new owners asking for more reinforcements
By Lewis Browning for Mailonline
Posted: 18:58, July 25, 2022 | Updated: 19:56, July 25, 2022
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has backed Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel’s angry reaction to the Blues’ 4-0 defeat by Arsenal in pre-season.
Chelsea lost to their London rivals in the early hours of Sunday morning and after the game Tuchel questioned the physical and mental state of some of his players with the start of the Premier League less than two weeks away.
Carragher, now a well-known pundit, backed up the German’s frustration after the defeat in a chat with TalkSport, claiming they shouldn’t be losing 4-0 despite the game being a friendly.
Jamie Carragher has backed Thomas Tuchel’s comments following Chelsea’s loss to Arsenal
Tuchel questioned the mental and physical state of his players with the uncertainty surrounding the club
“I think it’s easy to belittle them [friendlies] when they’re not going well, we all know that,” Carragher said.
“I was a player and we can say that the results mean nothing because it will be decided in the first game of the season. If you win, it doesn’t matter.
“But as a player or a manager, there’s nothing better than winning and playing well and building some kind of confidence.
“You can see Thomas Tuchel’s reaction after the Arsenal game. I really admire the reaction. You still play for Chelsea, you play for Arsenal and it’s a big game.
Chelsea lost 4-0 to their London rivals in their final game of their pre-season tour
“I know it’s a pre-season friendly but you shouldn’t be beaten 4-0 and I actually admired how seriously he took it.
“I don’t think they should get massively carried away, but I don’t think they should get massively beaten by Arsenal two weeks into the season.”
Arsenal were much better than Chelsea on the day and the game left Chelsea fans with several questions about formations, tactics and personnel.
It is unclear which system Tuchel currently prefers, with the German using both a back three and a back four during their US tour.
Arsenal were by far the better side on the night, leaving Tuchel with plenty to think about
Carragher said he was “in awe” of Tuchel’s comments and how seriously he took the game
Several players have also been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, while Tuchel has urged the new owners to bring in more signings.
He said: “The worrying thing is the level of commitment, physically and mentally… it was much higher for Arsenal than for us.
‘[There was] a level of mental commitment that we lacked because we have a lot of players who are considering leaving and looking at their options.
Tuchel made a plea for more songs before the game, but nothing has happened yet.
Chelsea face Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League opener in less than two weeks
“We’re coming from the sanctions, we’re coming from the loss of high-quality players, key players, we’re a club in transition, in transition of ownership, we’ve been behind in the transfer race and we’ve been behind in the table. So we have room to improve,” he said.
“The signing of Raheem [Sterling] it shows what we’re capable of doing, it shows the ambition of the club and the ownership and it’s good because we’re all here to win and compete.
“We love to compete and we love the challenge of the very top. For this we need to attract new quality players, otherwise there is no chance.”
Chelsea face Udinese in Italy on Friday in their final pre-season game before traveling to Goodison Park to face Everton in their first Premier League game of the season.
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