Thomas Tuchel wasn't hesitant about praising Romelu Lukaku after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Manchester City.
Kevin de Bruyne's superb effort on 70 minutes clinched all three points for Pep Guardiola's team.
Tuchel noted after the game his team earned a point but he anticipated more from the Blues in the closing third.
“This may happen,” he told BT Sport. The draw was due. We didn't give up many chances - one in the first half, but we weren't under pressure.
"It worked fine. I'm happy with the commitment, but not the result. We've won games like this versus City, which is strange, but it's true.
"We had 8-9 offensive transitions but no box touches. It was just a lack of precision and poise. We lost too many balls on this level. That was a significant issue today.
"We struggled, but not as much as in the first game. We can create more chances with greater ball control in the first half."
The German coach then mentioned Lukaku, who led the frontline in a 3-4-2-1 formation at the Etihad.
stated he "He has to serve at times. He lost many balls and a big chance. But he's part of the team, so we want to serve him. We need to improve our first-half performance."
The former PSG boss also discussed Chelsea's chances of coming up to Man City in the title battle, with the latter now in pole position to win it again.
“On the title race: "It's not my question. We won't give up, but City will win every game."
Lukaku's talk with Sky Italia enraged fans. Ignored when Chelsea faced Liverpool, he has since apologized and returned.
-7msport
