AFP, London :
Chelsea might have responded to Thomas Tuchel’s tirade with a 6-0 demolition of Southampton, but the Blues boss knows it will be “very difficult” to stage an epic Champions League escape act against Real Madrid today.
Tuchel read the riot act to his players in a crisis meeting last Thursday as he tried to shake them out of an alarming slump that saw Real win 3-1 in the quarter-final first leg at Stamford Bridge.
That damaging defeat, which came just days after Brentford thrashed Chelsea 4-1 in the Premier League, prompted Tuchel to question his players’ desire and focus.
Immediately after the Real loss, an unusually emotional Tuchel claimed Chelsea’s reign as Champions League holders was over.
The German got the response he wanted as Chelsea tore Southampton to pieces at St Mary’s, racing into a four-goal lead before half-time as they eased fears that they might slip out of the Premier League’s top four.
Asked if the Southampton rout could boost Chelsea’s chances in Madrid, Tuchel said: “It was necessary that we turned things around. We came from a long streak of games, then we had the international break and we had five days afterwards where we didn’t feel the same.
“So it was not a huge turnaround, it was not necessary to change everything, but it was the moment for us, I had the feeling, to tell the group the truth, my honest opinion, and tell them as a part of the group this is how I feel.
“And so the message was clear, and obviously everybody took it in the right way, I included myself in the message, and so it was necessary to step up.
“It is on the players to live up to what we play and they did it in an impressive manner.
“So it’s now a time to move on because we’ve found what makes us strong and it was another proof of that and we keep on going.”
