Thomas Tuchel has told Chelsea FC to “toughen up” in the wake of a chastening 2-1 Premier League defeat at Southampton.

Frustrated Chelsea boss Tuchel lamented two “soft, soft, soft” goals before challenging his players to harden their mindsets.

Romeo Lavia and Adam Armstrong fired Saints to a fully-deserved St. Mary’s Stadium victory, inflicting Chelsea’s second defeat in their first five league encounters.

Raheem Sterling slotted his third goal in two games to put Chelsea into an early lead, but the visitors’ dominance evaporated in a concerning fashion as the Saints swept to victory.

“Today we scored, so we thought everything was okay, but one set-piece again, one sloppy defending again, and we are off balance. We were not tough enough as a team to react or to push it over the line for us,” the Chelsea manager said.

Asked to review the goals Chelsea conceded, Tuchel stated, “Soft, soft, soft. What stops that? Stop it by pure mentality. Stop it by pure mentality. There is no superiority for the opponent; there is no need to get shots away, there is no need. Just toughen up as a team. And show the mentality. This is my assessment today.”

He added, “Both goals are cheap goals, soft goals, and should not happen if you expect to win a Premier League match, a night game and an away game.”

Nonetheless, he admitted that the club was strong enough to admit defeat in football matches.

“But it’s too easy to push us off the track, it’s too easy to win challenges, it’s too easy to bully us,” Tuchel further stated.

Southampton were left to toast a famous win, with a raucous crowd delighting in upending the 2021 Champions League winners.

Defender Armel Bella-Kotchap summed up Saints’ youthful exuberance with a fine, exacting performance to leave manager Ralph Hasenhuttl delighted.

(dpa/NAN)