Jamie Carragher has defended Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel (Pictures: Getty)
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has defended Thomas Tuchel after he criticised his Chelsea players and said he needed more new signings following an emphatic pre-season defeat to Arsenal.
The Blues, who finished third in the Premier League last season, lost 4-0 to Arsenal in the final fixture of their tour of America.
Tuchel cut a frustrated figure following the defeat, telling reporters: ‘I am far from relaxed. We were simply not good enough. We were simply not competitive.
‘The worrying part is that the level of commitment physically and mentally for this match was far higher for Arsenal than for us.
‘They played I think what is their strongest line-up and structure that you see now for several weeks. This was the line-up they will try to start for Premier League games.
‘It was surely not our strongest line-up. This is a part of an explanation but only a little part and the other part is worrying. I cannot guarantee we will be ready in two weeks.’
Tuchel went on to say it was imperative that he was handed some new signings before the new season starts, having only welcomed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly to Stamford Bridge this summer.
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Eyebrows were raised by Tuchel’s comments and former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley was among those to criticise the manager’s outburst.
But Carragher understood Tuchel’s reaction and says he ‘admires’ the way the Chelsea manager spoke following a heavy defeat.
‘I think it’s easy to downplay [friendlies] when they don’t go well, we all know that,’ the former England defender told talkSPORT.
‘But I’ve been a player and we can say results mean nothing because it will be decided on the first game of the season.
‘If you win, [a pre-season result] doesn’t matter. But as a player or a manager there is nothing better than winning and playing well and building some sort of confidence.
‘You can see the reaction of Thomas Tuchel after the Arsenal game. I think [Jurgen] Klopp was a little different after Liverpool lost to Manchester United. It was slightly different but I actually quite admired Tuchel’s reaction.
Arsenal thrashed Chelsea in a one-sided pre-season friendly (Picture: Getty)
‘You’re still playing for Chelsea, you’re playing Arsenal, and it’s a big game. I know it’s a pre-season friendly but you shouldn’t be getting beat 4-0, and I actually quite admired how seriously he was taking it.
‘Because I don’t think they should massively be getting carried away, but I don’t think they should be getting massively beaten by Arsenal two weeks before the start of the season.’
Chelsea begin the 2022-23 Premier League campaign on August 6 against Everton.
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