"We are all a bit inbetween" - Thomas Tuchel opens up on the mood in the Chelsea camp after Champions League exit
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has revealed that the mood in the Blues' camp is a "bit bitter" after they exited the UEFA Champions League despite a "fantastic" performance.
Tuchel's side visited the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday (April 12) for the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid. They were down 3-1 after the first leg but managed to take a 3-0 lead in the Spanish capital. However, Los Blancos scored once each in regulation and extra-time to win the tie 5-4 on aggregate.
Chelsea received plenty of praise for their 3-2 win at the Bernabeu but ultimately exited the competition. They have little time to worry about that, though, as they take on Crystal Palace in the semifinals of the FA Cup on Sunday (April 17).
Ahead of the match, Tuchel was asked by the press what the feeling was in the Blues' camp after their defeat in Madrid. He responded (as quoted by football.london):
"We are all a bit inbetween. Confidence wise, I think it's a huge boost but it's a disappointment to go out of the Champions League at the quarter-final. Not in a big drama, but it's still a disappointment because we feel we could've been one of the four teams in the semi-final."
Thomas Tuchel is here to look ahead to Sunday's #EmiratesFACup semi-final at Wembley Stadium! 🎙 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…
While admitting that they were punished for the mistakes they made over the two legs, Tuchel added that they are focused on doing well on Sunday. The German stated:
"It was a fantastic performance at the Bernabeu and it stays like this. But it feels a bit bitter. Too many mistakes got punished by individual quality. We've got some training time now before our Sunday match and we will use it to sweat it out and be ready for Sunday."
Chelsea face an upbeat Crystal Palace in FA Cup semifinal
Crystal Palace have deservedly received plenty of praise for their accomplishments this season. Patrick Vieira has done a brilliant job with the youngsters in his squad to guide them to the last four of the FA Cup and the top half of the Premier League.
However, they face an uphill task to make into the final of the former competition against a bruised Chelsea side. The Eagles will also be without Conor Gallagher, who will not be allowed to play against his parent club.
Palace could face the brunt of the Blues' disappointment following the latter's defeat against Real Madrid. It is worth noting that after Tuchel's side lost the first leg against Los Blancos, they thrashed Southampton 6-0 at St. Mary's.
Hakim Ziyech with a super finish the last time we faced Palace! ✨ https://t.co/4BpG8j3BjE
Vieira's troops are unlikely to fold that easily, having gone unbeaten against Arsenal and Manchester City in the league this season. However, they lost 3-0 at Stamford Bridge and 1-0 at Selhurst Park in their Premier League encounters against Chelsea.