"I'm sorry but I was expecting more" - Former Chelsea star Craig Burley blames Thomas Tuchel's 'embarrassing' tactics for loss against Manchester City
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, was told to look at himself and his tactics after the club’s loss to Manchester City by former Blues midfielder Craig Burley.
The player-turned-pundit accused the German of fielding "embarrassing" tactics against Manchester City and laying the blame on Romelu Lukaku's performance.
Speaking in response to a press conference where Tuchel had slammed Lukaku after the match, Burley responded:
"Let me just address one other thing here - I think it's quite embarrassing that one of the most expensively-assembled teams, who are in dire need of a win, go up to a main rival and play and offer up a performance that's akin to Burnley, Everton and one or two others - who I've checked the stats had more pops at goal when they went to the Etihad than Chelsea did."
He added:
"Now if you're talking about Lukaku, you talk to me about Thomas Tuchel's tactics away from home, in just trying to sit in and hope to catch them on the break. You talk to me about a striker who likes crosses in the box and then tell me how many times of relevance that the wing-backs in [Cesar] Azpilicueta and [Marcos] Alonso got over the half-way line."
Kevin De Bruyne has scored five goals past his former club Chelsea, more than against any other #PL side
👻 Kevin De Bruyne has scored five goals past his former club Chelsea, more than against any other #PL side
#MCICHE // @ManCity https://t.co/VPqxpdoYF3
Burley also slammed Tuchel for Chelsea's counter-attacking tactics, noting the cost and quality of the squad:
"So it's all very well looking at your players but I expect a team as expensively-assembled and a squad that is this deep, in a game that they have to win, to go up there and offer me something more than sitting in and waiting for City to make a mistake. I know a dozen other teams in the Premier League who can do that."
He added:
"Let's be honest, Man City have schooled Chelsea on two occasions this season. Once at Stamford Bridge, once at the Etihad. If I want to watch one of the perceived top teams in the Premier League sitting in and waiting for a counter-attack, I'll put a rerun on of Arsenal vs Liverpool after [Granit] Xhaka got sent off and they were down to 10 men. I'm sorry but I was expecting more and the table doesn't lie."
Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea
City open up a 13-point gap at the top of the Premier League 😵 https://t.co/k5ssFWg3vB
Chelsea falter in Premier League title race against Manchester City after 1-0 defeat
Going into a must-win match and coming out with zero points was not the plan for the Blues. A well-placed shot by Manchester City star Kevin de Bruyne sealed three points for the defending champions.
The Blues faltered on the day, struggling to hold onto the ball and rarely seeking out attacking opportunities. Compared to City's six shots on target, Chelsea managed a solitary one, unable to get past Pep Guardiola's men in defense.
Tuchel heaped praise on the Blues' defense, which had stood strong in the face of ruthless attacks from the Cityzens. However, the German made it clear that his attackers played poorly, singling out Romelu Lukaku's poor performance.
Chelsea have likely lost the Premier League title race to Manchester City. They are now 13 points behind Pep Guardiola's team.