Thomas Tuchel’s visible frustration after Chelsea’s 4-0 pre-season defeat to Arsenal was a positive sign for Chelsea, according to Jamie Carragher.
The former Liverpool and England defender insisted the friendly rout was a warning sign that should be taken seriously by the manager, to ensure the Blues’ faults are corrected before the Premier League campaign begins.
“I think it’s easy to downplay [friendlies] when they don’t go well, we all know that,” Carragher 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. But I actually quite admired Tuchel’s reaction.
“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.”
After the game in Florida, the Chelsea boss admitted he was “worried” by his side’s lack of readiness for the campaign ahead.
Tuchel said: “We were absolutely not competitive. The worrying part is the level of commitment, physically and mentally, for this match was not the same, it was far higher for Arsenal than us.
“We can argue they played with I think their strongest line-up; they’ve had now together several weeks and for more than one year. They’ve strengthened their line-up, played the same structure, and this is the line-up they’ll try to start Premier League games.
“It was not our strongest line-up and this is part of an explanation but only a little part. The other part is worrying.”
