Florida Cup final: Tuchel criticizes Chelsea players and urges them to leave after Arsenal victory
Following his team’s 4-0 loss to Arsenal in the Florida Cup final preseason friendly over the weekend, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel lashed out at his squad while delivering a transfer message to the club’s new co-owner, Todd Boehly.
Chelsea’s “worrying” loss to Arsenal, according to Tuchel, “proves his argument” that the Blues still need to make additions before the summer transfer window closes.
He felt that Chelsea’s performance versus Premier League rivals Arsenal at Camping World Stadium in the United States was insufficient.
With goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka, and Albert Sambi Lokonga, Mikel Arteta’s team upset Chelsea in Florida.
This was Chelsea’s third and final match of their US tour; prior to this, the west London club had defeated Club America of Mexico 2-1 and fallen to MLS outfit Charlotte FC on penalties.
Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly arrived at Stamford Bridge this summer, but according to Tuchel, Boehly desperately needs to add more reinforcements before the new season.
In his post-game presser, Tuchel stated, “I am far from relaxed.” “We just weren’t good enough. Simply put, we lacked competitiveness.
“What’s concerning is that Arsenal demonstrated a much better degree of physical and mental dedication to this game than did we.
They performed with what I believe to be their best lineup and organizational structure in recent weeks. They tried to start with this lineup for games in the Premier League.
“Our lineup was definitely not the strongest. This is only a small portion of the explanation; the rest is more concerning. I can’t promise that we’ll be prepared in two weeks.
Regarding the requirement for fresh hires, Tuchel added: “This game does not alter my season-long analysis. Sadly, it served to emphasize my thesis.
“Last week validates my claim. Without a doubt, I would rather be wrong. I tried everything to disprove my own theories, but right now I believe I was correct.
“I look back at the previous season and the games and seasons where we suffered, and then we got sanctioned, guys left us, and some players are attempting to leave us, and this is where it is now,” the player said.
So, a great number of high-caliber players were urgently sought after. We have two excellent players, but we lack this level of competition. Unfortunately, it was visible today.