Thomas Tuchel claimed to be under pressure after Southampton's defeat
Written By
Ernest SundayA passionate sports journalist with an eye for detail.
Chelsea were handed their second-season defeat on Tuesday night after Southampton came from behind to beat the Blues 2-1 with goals from Roméo Lavia and Adam Armstrong.
The Premier League club, who started the match well following Raheem Sterling's 23-minute opener to mark his third goal in five appearances for Chelsea, were left in anguish at the final whistle as they failed to add on their first-half goal despite numerous attempts
The defeat against Southampton marks a poor start to the season for the Blues, having won two, drawn one, and lost two of their five outings.
Following this, former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor claimed that Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is under pressure at Stamford Bridge, claiming that he could have been sacked if the club were still owned by former ruthless owner Roman Abramovich.
"Last season, I said about Chelsea that Thomas Tuchel is lucky to keep his job and everyone hammered me for saying it," Agbonlahor said on live radio with talkSPORT. "For me, Chelsea have got problems." The money he spent, Thomas Tuchel, for me, is under massive pressure. "
Despite finishing in the top four of the Premier League table last season, Chelsea lost two cup finals to Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool, and Agbonlahor feels Tuchel should have won at least one final.
This summer, the 49-year-old Germain tactician has lost two of his key defenders, Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen, to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively. He has also loaned Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan after the Belgian had a poor season.
Though Tuchel has signed some replacements in Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella, Chelsea have yet to make an impact in this season's Premier League after a poor start.
Tuchel has voiced his need for a striker after Lukaku's move to Inter Milan and has been looking for one in the current transfer window. He has identified former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as an ideal player to help the club solve their attacking problem.
Chelsea have held several talks with Barcelona, but no agreement on his transfer has been reached. They remain optimistic about closing the deal before the end of the transfer window, with talks between the two parties still ongoing.