"You could feel it" - Ralph Hasenhuttl makes interesting claim about Chelsea during Real Madrid defeat

Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has claimed that Chelsea were lacking confidence in their 1-3 midweek defeat to Real Madrid. He feels that the Blues’ shock Premier League defeat to Brentford on 2 April may have been behind their lackluster performance in the Champions League.

Chelsea welcomed Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Wednesday night. Los Blancos forward Karim Benzema scored two quick-fire headers midway through the first half to put the visitors 2-0 up.

Kai Havertz pulled one back for the hosts, but a second-half mistake by Edouard Mendy allowed Benzema to complete his hat-trick and restore Madrid's cushion. The west London outfit tried to claw their way back into the game, but could not find a way past the Whites’ well-drilled defense.

Wednesday’s Champions League loss marked Chelsea’s second consecutive defeat across competitions. Four days before the Madrid debacle, they succumbed to a 1-4 loss to Brentford at home, which evidently took a toll on their morale.

When asked to comment on the club's most recent outing, Hasenhuttl claimed that they were not their usual, confident selves against Madrid on Wednesday. As per Hampshire Live, he said at the Chelsea vs Southampton pre-match press conference:

“First half the way they [Chelsea] played isn’t good enough for the Champions League. Thomas [Tuchel] knows this. The team also looked like they were affected by the home loss to Brentford. You could feel it. Not so confident with everything they do.”

The Blues will look to return to winning ways when they take on Hasenhuttl’s Southampton on 9 April. Tuchel’s men are currently third in the Premier League standings while the Saints are languishing in the 12th position.

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Romelu Lukaku could have salvaged something for Chelsea against Real Madrid

Real Madrid outplayed the Blues on almost every front on Wednesday night. However, that does not mean the hosts did not get their fair share of chances. Unluckily for them, the two best chances in the second half fell to Romelu Lukaku, who, of course, isn’t the most in-form striker around.

The substitute got his first chance of the match from Reece James' cross in the 67th minute. Under pressure from Nacho, the Belgian painfully put his effort wide off the mark.

A couple of minutes later, Cesar Azpilicueta’s deflected cross fell his way, giving him the perfect chance to reduce the deficit for Chelsea. The former Inter Milan man misplaced his header and saw it go out for a harmless Real Madrid goal kick.