Bankruptcy after the suspension: Tuchel returns and has to be angry again

Thomas Tuchel missed a game at Chelsea due to a suspension, now he's back on the bench - and the trouble continues: the 2021 Champions League winner conceded his second defeat of the season against outsiders Southampton.

Bankruptcy after the suspension: Tuchel returns and has to be angry again

Thomas Tuchel missed a game at Chelsea due to a suspension, now he's back on the bench - and the trouble continues: the 2021 Champions League winner conceded his second defeat of the season against outsiders Southampton.

In the first game after his suspension, Thomas Tuchel suffered his second defeat of the season with Chelsea. The Blues lost 2-1 (1-2) at FC Southampton on Tuesday evening, with Ralph Hasenhüttl winning the duel between the two former Bundesliga coaches. England international Raheem Sterling gave Chelsea the lead in the 23rd minute. But the hosts countered with Romeo Lavia (28') and Adam Armstrong (45').

That leaves a mixed start to the season for Chelsea, who sit eighth in the table just behind Southampton. It was the second success of the season for the Hasenhüttl team.

Last Saturday, Tuchel was not on the bench in the narrow 2-1 win against Leicester City because the appeal against his ban was rejected. The English Football Association had suspended Tuchel on August 14 because of his heated argument with his fellow coach Antonio Conte after the London duel with Tottenham Hotspur. Both had seen the red card for it.

Tuchel has been fined £35,000 for his conduct outside of the suspension. Italy's Conte has to pay £15,000 but wasn't handed a suspension. “I think there are two sides to the matter,” said Tuchel before the failed appeal became known. "One side is that I got a red card and behaved in a way that is inappropriate and I regret it, but it was out of passion."

The 0:3 against Leeds, the first defeat of the season, also had double reason for Tuchel to be angry: "Everything that could go wrong went wrong. It started yesterday: we didn't have a plane available, so we had to come by bus. The players could fly, but it was a long bus ride for the coaching staff," Tuchel complained to the BBC.