Thomas Tuchel makes interesting claim about Chelsea after 4-0 humbling by Arsenal

• Chelsea were thrashed 4-0 by a resurgent Arsenal in a preseason game in Orlando
• Thomas Tuchel however refused to entirely lay the blame on his players
• He also emphatically stated his side should not be in the conversation with Manchester City and Liverpool who are ‘miles ahead’
• Their final preseason game is against Udinese at the end of the month

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel gave a brutally honest assessment of his side after a 4-0 humbling at the hands of Arsenal in Orlando.

The Blues were second best for the entire match as Arsenal continued their perfect run in preseason thanks to goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Sambi Lokonga.

In front of a record 63,811 fans at Orlando's Camping World Stadium., Jesus put his side ahead in th 15th minute before Odegaard made it 2-0 before halftime.

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Bukayo Saka then got his goal in the second half, while Lokonga scored in the 90th minute to confirm a miserable result for Chelsea.

Tuchel’s take

Speaking after the game, Tuchel admitted he was disappointed, but also refused to fully blame his side as he subtly suggested Arsenal were more settled in terms of transfer sagas.

"I saw a team in Arsenal who are mentally committed to a level of exhaustion that we could not match physically and mentally because we have a lot of players who are thinking about leaving and looking at their options," he told Football London.

"I don’t remember losing 4-0 in pre-season or two in a row.

"I’m a huge fan of a strong preseason, but not in a way that a good pre-season has to mean a good season.

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The German manager also refused to be drawn into comparisons with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool, who he claims are still miles ahead of Chelsea.

“Given our last two weeks, our game today, we should not mention the two teams (Liverpool and Manchester City) in front of us,” he added.

“We got absolutely beaten by a team that does not play Champions League football next season and finished behind us. But at the moment, they seem far ahead of us.”

Chelsea will play Udinese in their final game of preseason before preparing for their first Premier League fixture of the new campaign against Everton.

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Elsewhere, Erling Haaland scored on his debut for the club as the Citizens beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in a preseason friendly on Saturday, July 23.

The £51.2m signing from Borussia Dortmund took only 12 minutes to find the net as he slotted home a simple finish from Jack Grealish’s square pass.

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Pep Guardiola however insists the 22-year-old is yet to hit full fitness.