Thomas Tuchel: Chelsea can play better but accepts 1-0 win against Barnsley

Thomas Tuchel has acknowledged that his Chelsea side can play much better than they produced against Barnsley on Thursday after scraping through into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win at Oakwell.

Chelsea were helped by Kepa Arrizabalaga making a fine save in the first-half to deny Callum Brittain from close range, before Tammy Abraham netted the only goal of the game 19 minutes into the second-half with a tap-in.

(Photo by DAVE THOMPSON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

It sees the Blues set up a quarter-final tie against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge next month. 

Tuchel knows Chelsea ‘can play better’ but wasn’t going to be left frustrated or disappointed with his team following the cup victory.

“I was not frustrated,” said Tuchel on his half-time changes. “I just wanted to give them a little bit of help because Barnsley attacked our back three with their front three very aggressively so we decided to change to a back four.

(Photo by Darren Staples)

“We took Marcos [Alonso] out because of this tactical change and Andreas [Christensen] had to go out because he had a headache. We made these two changes to make it a little bit easier to come to the opponent’s half and overcome the first three players and the pressing line.

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“We managed to do this very well at the beginning of the second half. We had a better structure for counter-pressing, which helped us a lot, and then we scored the goal. 

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“I had the feeling the opponent increased the risk but we stepped down a bit in the little decisions, it was again like not enough courage, not enough elimination with passing, and then it was too deep in the end for a long time in the last 20 minutes.

“We can clearly play better but I am not frustrated or disappointed now because I can consider very well the circumstances in which we played. 

“If you lack rhythm and a bit of self-confidence and you have to show it on this pitch against an opponent that takes all the risk and plays the game of his life, that is not easy so I can accept the difficulties we had.”

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