Frustration. Disappointment. Perhaps even a little anger. Thomas Tuchel certainly did not hold back his emotions in the aftermath of Chelsea's pre-season humbling against Arsenal in Orlando. And it resulted in perhaps his most fatalistic press conference as Blues head coach.
Tuchel could not, for instance, guarantee Chelsea would be up to speed come their Premier League season opener against Everton on August 6. The German also felt it necessary to highlight several players in his squad either want to leave the club or are considering the future.
The Chelsea head coach wasn't done there. When asked if he was concerned about a lack of goal threat within his side, Tuchel replied: "It's the same players, so why should anything change? We will see hopefully development but at the moment, we have the same issues because we have the same players."
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Tuchel's downbeat press conference at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando was the last commitment of Chelsea's pre-season tour of the United States. Organised long before the club's takeover by American billionaire Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, it felt serendipitous that the Blues would spend time this summer in the home country of their new ownership group.
Los Angeles was the first stop on a tour that would see Chelsea – minus N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek due to their vaccination status – visit four cities in two weeks. And in surprisingly cool conditions on the west coast, Tuchel was able to get to work with his full senior squad for the first time.
There was a relaxed approach to the first couple of days as the players acclimatised to their new surroundings but intense double sessions soon became the norm – as did marketing opportunities with the LA Dodgers, of whom Boehly is a part owner.
All the while, Tuchel was pulling double duty. Given greater power over Chelsea's transfer strategy, the 48-year-old was in constant contact with new co-owner Boehly, who has taken on the role of interim sporting director following the departure of Marina Graonovskaia.
"It’s not my favourite thing to do and in the long run, the focus has to be on coaching because that is why I am here," Tuchel admitted while out in Los Angeles. "But at the moment of course my help is needed and wanted and is of course necessary that I step up and take the responsibility."
Tuchel was able to welcome Raheem Sterling - signed for £47.5million from Man City – to his squad midway through Chelsea's time in LA and oversaw every session undertaken on the Drake Stadium pitch at UCLA. It's a venue used by countless clubs in years past but football.london has been told that Tuchel was disappointed with the quality of the playing surface.
At the end of Chelsea's first week in the U.S came a trip to the scorching heat of Las Vegas. An opening training session was held at the impressive Allegiant Stadium and a game against Club America was played 24 hours later. The Blues came away with a 2-1 victory courtesy of goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount.
Chelsea's players were afforded a night out in America's playground before travelling to Orlando for week two of the tour. It was at this point the squad was trimmed with Billy Gilmour, Tino Anjorin and Harvey Vale sent to join the Development Squad in Salt Lake City. Armando Broja, meanwhile, returned to the UK after suffering an ankle injury two days after arriving in the U.S.
The decision, in particular, to send away Gilmour surprised several members of the first-team group, football.london understands. And given fellow midfielder Ross Barkley missed the two subsequent friendlies against Charlotte FC and Arsenal due to injury, it was a choice that backfired.
There was an addition, though, in the form of Kalidou Koulibaly. The Senegal international joined from Napoli in a deal worth £34million and linked up with the squad in Vegas before getting to work in the sweltering heat and humidity of Orlando along with the rest of the squad.
The conditions were at odds with what the players experienced in LA. And now on the east coast, there was also a new timezone to adjust to. It was far from ideal, as Tuchel privately and then publicly admitted in an interview with Chelsea's in-house media while in Florida.
"It's quite a challenge after change already the third time the location," he said. "A lot of travelling, another timezone, a totally different feeling of temperature, huge humidity, so very demanding for first training and the players are struggling with the heat.
"We give maybe more time and space to drink – more break – but we can’t hide from the fact we’re in pre-season and we have to, somehow, put kilometres into the legs. From this point, we don’t adapt."
Given Chelsea had lost time due to travelling, Tuchel felt the need to add an extra session to the players' workload on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 19. It meant the squad didn't fly out for their second friendly of the summer – against Charlotte FC – until the morning of the game.
After an enforced hour-long delay due to a storm, Chelsea played out a 1-1 draw with the hometown side in North Carolina. There was a penalty shootout to decide a winner, which Charlotte won 5-3. But it was off the pitch that headlines were made after Tuchel was questioned about Timo Werner claiming he could be "happy anywhere" when asked about his future.
"I'm surprised, I would be very happy as a young guy having a contract at Chelsea Football Club. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet," Tuchel said. "[How he earns his place is to] show quality, take your place and defend your place. I would be one of the happiest people on the planet having a contract with Chelsea. If he said this, I do not understand."
Chelsea had to make a swift exit from the Bank of America Stadium that evening in order to catch their return flight to Orlando. It was the squad's fourth flight in six days and unsurprisingly, there was a feeling of weariness among the players in the build-up to the Arsenal friendly. Many were ready to return home and back to the familiar surroundings of Cobham.
"We could feel the energy level drop after Las Vegas and after the Charlotte game because of the amount of travelling, the humidity, and very hot temperature. It made it tough because it's now been two weeks on the road," Tuchel stated after the 4-0 defeat to the Gunners.
Chelsea arrived back in the UK on Sunday morning and the players were given today (Monday) off in order to shake jet lag. The squad will return to the Blues' training base in Surrey tomorrow and Tuchel and his coaching staff must find a way to reinvigorate the squad, although that is easier said than done.
As the German admitted in Orlando, several players are hoping to leave Chelsea this summer. Cesar Azpilicueta feels his time at Stamford Bridge has come to a natural end and has a two-year contract waiting for him in Barcelona. Marcos Alonso is also tempted by a move to the Camp Nou.
Halim Ziyech is keen on a switch to AC Milan, although little progress has been made on that front, while Werner and Christian Pulisic have concerns over their positions in the attacking pecking order.
Then there are players such as Barkley, Kenedy and Michy Batshuayi, all of whom have less than a year remaining on their contracts and have little future under Tuchel. Quite why they featured so heavily during the U.S tour is a question that hasn't had a clear answer.
During his time at the helm of Stamford Bridge, Tuchel has guided the club to a Champions League triumph and through its greatest period of uncertainty in almost two decades. So a disappointing pre-season tour is unlikely to unnerve the German. However, there are problems to solve and not a great deal of time to do so.
A trip to Italy – more travelling – to face Udinese comes on Friday. Then it's Goodison Park, Everton, and the blood and thunder of the Premier League. The pressure is on. And you sense Tuchel knows it.
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