Petr Cech sends strong message to Chelsea players after UCL exit
Thomas Tuchel has a huge job at hand after Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League, as he must work on restoring the team’s morale after such an exit.
The mood in the Chelsea dressing room was definitely low after the club’s painful exit from the Champions League. The Blues were so close to sealing a place in the Champions League semi-final, after leading Real Madrid 3-0 late in the game. An 80th minute goal from Rodrygo killed Chelsea’s effort, and the tie was lost in extra time.
Chelsea legend Petr Cech has praised the players’ efforts as he also encouraged them to lift their heads up and ensure they end the season on a high.
Cech wrote in a column on the club’s website: “I have to start this week’s column with Tuesday night’s game against Real Madrid, because I think it was an unbelievable performance from the team.
“We had so many chances and we played so well, at the Bernabeu in a historical game for Chelsea Football Club, because we had not played there before.
“So given the occasion, at the Bernabeu for the first time, in a Champions League quarter-final and needing to come back from two goals down, the team had an absolutely unbelievable performance.
“In the end they made a couple of small mistakes and it swung the other way, but football is like that sometimes and those are the fine margins at this level. But it was a great performance.
“Obviously we had left ourselves a mountain to climb after the first game, unfortunately, and then with this unbelievable performance we almost managed to go through.
“I think we would have deserved to go through, but we were a bit unlucky, and now the players have to find a way to get over the disappointment and get ready again, because as a football club we have a huge weekend ahead.”