Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Sam Hill & Anita Abayomi

Thomas Tuchel makes Andreas Christensen verdict as Joe Cole addresses 'uncomfortable' feeling

Chelsea fell short to Real Madrid, and Thomas Tuchel questions his defensive decisions. When asked about the battle between Andreas Christensen and Vinicius Jr, he said, "Yes, my mistake".

Whilst the Blues have maintained a reputation for their solid backline, the last two matches have proven otherwise. First, they suffered a 4-1 defeat to Brentford at home, and now a 3-1 loss to Madrid.

Rio Ferdinand maintains his stance, claiming that Chelsea still has the best defence in the league. He spoke with Joe Cole and Steve Mcmanaman on BT Sports following Chelsea's loss.

"They've had more clean sheets in the Premier League since Tuchel has come in compared to anybody. Liverpool, City. It's unusual what we've seen with just two goals in seven games," he said.

With that being said, Karim Benzema may have been the only forward on the scoresheet, but he was not the only player to cause Chelsea's backline some problems. Vinicius Jr had a masterclass first half up against Andreas Christensen.

READ MORE: Chelsea press conference LIVE: Thomas Tuchel on Real Madrid, Mendy, Havertz, Benzema and more

The Danish defender was substituted off at halftime following his mistake, which led to Benzema's first goal. Christensen was too slow to track Vinicius Jr's run and stop the cross into the Frenchman. Throughout the first half, it was the same old story, and Tuchel had to make a tough decision.

The pundits in the studio saw it coming and praised the decision to revert to a back four and have Reece James occupy the Brazilian instead.

Joe Cole said, "We were seeing it from up here, Tuchel saw that. Christensen was so uncomfortable with Vinicius, but when he (Tuchel) put Reece James in there, it became more of a race athletically. Vinicius didn't get a kick after that."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.