NOT TUCHY FEELY
THOMAS TUCHEL is "brutal" with his Chelsea squad in training and could be harming his attackers' performances, according to reports.
Chelsea hit a period of bad form recently with Covid and injuries taking their toll on the squad.
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But a source close to the squad also identified another problem within the squad - Tuchel's criticism of his players.
The source told The Athletic about the German's intense demeanour - berating players for making poor decisions and missing chances in training.
It is claimed Chelsea's attackers are struggling as a result, often second-guessing their decision-making instead of acting on instinct.
Tuchel's criticism has also reportedly given the impression that his team selection is based on emotion rather than form or fitness.
A contact close to the club said: "It’s not just because of tiredness.
“Something is not right. This is typical Chelsea. New managers do well then, after 12-18 months, people start getting frustrated with what’s going on.
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“Some players are starting to see through a few things. You can’t have one rule for some and different rules for others. Some look at players who are starting, not playing well and still keeping their place.
“People are going to get more annoyed about it, especially now the Premier League isn’t in touching distance.
“The respect for everything he has done is still there, but the bond isn’t as close as it was.”
Tuchel has chopped and changed his front three all season long and is seemingly still yet to decide his preferred line-up.
Hakim Ziyech, for example, was moved to wing-back against Tottenham but still proved to be a key attacking threat, scoring a brilliant goal to give the Blues the lead.
But Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic have all been in and out of the team which is perhaps creating an atmosphere of uncertainty.
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