“I have a problem with this guy managing Chelsea” – Craig Burley slams ‘attitude’ from Thomas Tuchel as Blues struggle in pre-season

Former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley has criticized Thomas Tuchel for his negative attitude during the preseason.

Following the Blues' 4-0 defeat to Arsenal during their US tour, Tuchel gave an astonishing assessment of his side's chances for the upcoming season, with The Guardian quoting the German saying that he is desperate to bring in quality new players.

Burley clearly wasn't a fan of Tuchel's incredibly honest press conference, as the retired Scotland international told ESPN:

“I have a problem with this guy managing Chelsea. Managers have always looked for excuses for many years but I'm sorry there's not 10 players trying to leave. Timo Werner's name has been mentioned, Azpilicueta, I know he's lost some players, they've brought some in, they might bring some more in, but I have a problem with that attitude.

“When asked if they'll be ready for the start of the season it's his job and his coaching staff, the sports scientist and all the people behind the scenes to have the team ready, it's his job to have them prepared and up for it.

“I'm sorry but the old saying goes and I know it's pre-season, "The buck stops with the manager", so I get it if there are one or two with an attitude problem, he has to sort that out.

"But don't tell Chelsea fans that they might not be ready for the start of the season, tell me, whose job is it to get them ready for the start of the season, is it the kitman or the tea lady, it's his job to get them ready. So he needs to start doing his job otherwise you'll be under pressure”

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Thomas Tuchel questions commitment of Chelsea players following Arsenal defeat

The 48-year-old showed incredible patience and class last season amid a miserable time for the club due to ownership issues involving Roman Abramovich.

However, that patience appears to be wearing thin and following the 4-0 defeat to their London rivals, Tuchel said (as per Sky Sports):

"I think we deserved to lose, which is fair enough - because we were simply not good enough. 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."