Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, has been sacked after topping off a lacklustre start to the season with 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in their UEFA Champions League opener, played in Croatia last night.
In a statement seen by Switch Media, Chelsea, now under new owner Todd Boehly, said it was the right time to make the transition.
“As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.
“Chelsea’s coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach,” read the statement.
Dinamo Zagreb took the lead early on through Mislav Orisic (13’) in Croatia and successfully defended it for the rest of the game.
Tuchel, who won the Champions League with Chelsea, cut a frustrated figure and resigned that his team did not possess the precision or aggression to hold off Dinamo in their first Champions League fixture of the season.
The former PSG handler laid bare his disappointment and fury over his teams display in the post-match press conference, describing it as a huge underperformance by Chelsea.
‘I am angry with myself, I am angry about the performance,’ the head coach said.
‘This is a huge under-performance from all of us. It’s not precise enough, it’s not clinical enough, not aggressive enough. It is not determined enough. It is not enough individually, it is not enough as a team and that is why we lose this game today.’
The Blues’ almost salvaged a point when Reece James’ effort hit the post in the dying minutes of the game.
Chelsea are currently sixth in the Premier League with ten points from six games after an equally inspiring start to their league campaign, having won three games, drawn one and lost two, so far.
