UCL 2022-23: 'Didn't see it coming; was in the wrong movie' - Tuchel on Chelsea's loss to Zagreb

It was not a bright start for Chelsea in the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, as it suffered a narrow 0-1 loss to Dinamo Zagreb away from home on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, club boss Thomas Tuchel was left surprised by it.

Things are not going right for English giants Chelsea at the moment. Be it the English Premier League (EPL) 2022-23 or the UEFA Champions League (UCL) 2022-23, The Blues have been highly unstable and inconsistent in maintaining a perfect winning streak. On Tuesday, Chelsea travelled to face off against Croatian champion Dinamo Zagreb. However, the result again did not go in its favour, as it suffered a narrow 0-1 defeat, with the game's only winning strike coming from Mislav Orsic in the 13th minute. Consequently, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel was unhappy with the defeat, as he was at the receiving end of a yellow card during the game.

Talking after the failure, Tuchel admitted, "I didn't see it coming. I was in the wrong movie. I thought that the last game helped us. I thought the team was prepared. I thought we knew what this was all about. I don't know where this performance today comes from. A lack of determination, a lack of hunger and a lack of intensity to do the things that we need at the highest level."

"We expected what we got, and I think we got what we got. It was the story of the last few games. We started okay for 15, 20 minutes but lacked determination, precision and maybe, even the smell of blood. We conceded a goal with two players in a counter-attack. It's never happened before. I don't understand why it happened today," added Tuchel, reports Fotmob.

However, when asked if Chelsea took Zagreb lightly, Tuchel clarified, "Me, personally, no. If we did, then we would have a huge problem. Honestly, we would have a huge problem if we did." The Blues travel to take on Fulham in the EPL on Saturday, while in the UCL, they host RB Salzburg on Wednesday.