The coach and his staff were forced to take the bus to West Yorkshire rather than fly with their players after the mauling at the hands ofLeeds. He will leave Elland Road feeling more grounded.
His expensively assembled side, which has been supplemented by more than £170m of spending this summer, were taken apart by Jesse Marsch'sLeeds, with the American describing the win as the best day since he arrived.
Tuchel said that everything that can go wrong did go wrong. Things went from bad to worse after the transport problems, with his side missing chances in the first 20 minutes, Edouard Mendy's mistake, and a late red card for Kalidou Koulibaly.
The head coach didn't accept that the defeat was down to the extra 10 km run by Leeds, that the team's mentality wasn't good, or that another player was needed.
He said that they were not all over. We weren't disciplined enough and weren't sharp enough after 20 minutes. Everything was okay against the ball. It was a set piece and an own goal that told the story.
"This has nothing to do with pressing, simply nothing to do with running less kilometres, and nothing to do with the style ofLeeds," Tuchel said.
These things should not be confused. We were able to cope with that style and we were able to be the better team.
Having weathered an early storm, that was partly true, but even taking Mendy's blunder for the opener out of the equation, there were concerns about the defence, the midfield and his attack.
Pat Nevin said on the radio that there are a lot of questions about what a centre half or a centre forward is. Now, looking at it, it is either or.
They have the ability to pull off a shock defeat.
In his first half-season in charge, West Baggies defeated them. In the last season, they were beaten by the Bees at home. They did the damage.
The difference this time is that, while those defeats were with a squad that Tuchel inherited, this is one which he has helped to build.
There is a lot more to be done.
Fofana sat out the defeat by the Saints. They didn't have one of their best attacking outlets on the right wing because of the way they played.
Losing James' presence on the right did not help a team that was under pressure.
Despite being here a year and a half, Tuchel feels this is a transition season.
The problem they have is that one of their best players is stuck at center half. If you have another center back, you don't have that problem.
"They need more at the back and they need more numbers in general, but that Fofana fee has just gone up $10 million."
Injuries to N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic have highlighted a weakness in the middle of the park.
Tuchel did not want to talk about his debut, but he is determined to make his mark after a successful loan at Crystal Palace.
The problem at Elland Road was that he was a target for the middle of the park, and when he moved forward, he didn't connect well with the strikers.
"Kante's absence was felt in the middle of the field." said Nevin. He makes a huge difference. He is a world class player who is similar to two other players.
A lot of players underperformed. He faded as a result of his lack of service.
Which leads us to the biggest issue with the club. It is possible to convert chances. It has been an issue for several seasons, and it hasn't been shown that he can be the player to turn it around on his own. He missed a good chance in the first minute and had a goal ruled out by the referee.
Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been linked with another opportunity to be a coach, after the pair worked together in the past. Tuchel mentioned that the final touch is still missing from the team.
I would be cautious if it wasn't for Auba's relationship with Tuchel. Everyone thought Romelu was a good bet. I didn't because they don't do that. Tuchel wants a player who is fast.
Is he the one that will make the difference in the game? I don't know.
Tuchel and his players will have a lot to think about when they return to London. Although a chastening defeat will cause concern among the fans, it may also sharpen a few minds.
The good news is that with 10 days left in the transfer window, the Blues have time to fix some of their issues.
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