Thomas Tuchel delivered some home truths to his Chelsea players in a private meeting as he got frustrations off his chest after brutal defeats to Brentford and Real Madrid.
The Chelsea boss revealed the gathering, which took place on Thursday, was not one where he encouraged the players to play any part other than listening to his point of view.
Such sessions often offer a forum for debate, but this time Tuchel aired his disappointment, pointed out where the team were going wrong, and said the players would have his support as they attempt to get back on track.
"It was not a discussion-type of a meeting yesterday. It was more like i gave my point of view," Tuchel told a news conference on Friday. "That's sometimes also necessary.
"We take the players' views very seriously and often into account, but over the last two games we thought it may be necessary to give our point of view, but behind closed doors and in an atmosphere where everyone can take criticism.
"We don't point fingers, and we don't look for people who are guilty. We're in this together. We needed to point out some things in our game about which we are not happy and how we could have defended better, done better."
Chelsea were beaten 4-1 by Brentford in the Premier League last weekend, before sliding to a 3-1 defeat in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against Madrid.
Hopes of retaining their title as European champions are looking slim, and Tuchel said Chelsea "lacked structure" as they fell to a Karim Benzema hat-trick.
"I felt we gave a huge opportunity away," Tuchel said, explaining his need to address the squad.
"It's not normal to play quarter-finals in the Champions League, and it was a huge night and a huge opportunity, and we were not at our best level. That's why we were not only disappointed but also angry.
"For me, it's best to express it like it is, and don't hide. We need to stop this kind of direction as soon as possible.
Striker Romelu Lukaku could miss the trip to Southampton on Saturday with an Achilles problem, with Tuchel hoping the St Mary's game sees third-placed Chelsea deliver a more assured display.
Chelsea have lost just one of their 13 Premier League games at St Mary's against Southampton (W9 D3) and are unbeaten in their last eight visits since a 2-1 loss in March 2013.
Southampton have also lost their last two home Premier League matches, as many as in their previous 18 at St Mary's (W8 D8).
Chelsea have never suffered consecutive league defeats under Tuchel, last doing so in December 2020 during Frank Lampard's time as boss. Tuchel has managed the most Premier League matches without losing consecutive games in the history of the Premier League (48).
Tuchel hopes the team meeting will have had an empowering impact, but he said: "I don't know if it's a turning point. The process yesterday was to be honest with the team and to explain your reactions and why it's like this. I think it's necessary that the players understand it, and then they can handle it if the manager is sometimes angry.
"I had some reasons and presented my reasons. Nobody will lack support from now on, and my love and my appreciation for how they are as a group and how they are as players."
Angers 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain: Lee and Barcola bag braces as Enrique's side restore six-point lead
Paris Saint-Germain restored their six-point lead at the Ligue 1 summit with a 4-2 victory over Angers.
Luis Enrique's side did the damage in the first half at Stade Raymond Kopa, with Lee Kang-In and Bradley Barcola both scoring twice to extend their unbeaten start to the season.
PSG broke through in the 17th minute through Lee, who doubled his and the visitors' tally when he turned in Marco Asensio's low cross three minutes later.
Asensio was the provider again as the Ligue 1 leaders made it 3-0 just after the hour mark, with his centre diverted in by Barcola.
The latter grabbed his second just before half-time when he headed in from Lee's cross.
Angers made the scoreline more respectable in stoppage time, with Esteban Lepaul and Emmanuel Biumla halving the deficit for the hosts.
Data Debrief: PSG make it 30 unbeaten on the road
Now unbeaten in 30 away Ligue 1 matches, PSG are the first team in the top five European leagues to reach that mark since Napoli in 2018.
Lee scored his first brace for the club, while Asensio assisted two goals in the same league match for the first time since doing so for Espanyol against Real Betis in October 2015 (three).
Although, it was not all plain sailing for PSG, who conceded two goals in second-half stoppage time for only the second time in their history (also against Barcelona in the 2016-17 Champions League).
As for Angers, they have become the first team in Ligue 1 history to lose 15 successive matches against the same opponent.
Juventus 2-0 Torino: Weah and Yildiz lift Bianconeri to third after Derby della Mole victory
Juventus climbed to third place in Serie A following a 2-0 victory over rivals Torino at the Allianz Stadium.
A goal in either half from Timothy Weah and Kenan Yildiz settled the Derby della Mole, and saw Thiago Motta's side extend their unbeaten start to the league season.
The Bianconeri broke through in the 18th minute when Vanja Milinkovic-Savic spilt a shot straight to Weah, who made no mistake from close range.
Weah thought he had doubled the lead in the 72nd minute, but the USA international was penalised for handball in the build-up to the opportunity.
However, Juve did put the contest to bed six minutes from time, when Yildiz nodded in Francisco Conceicao's deep cross at the far post.
Extending their unbeaten streak against Torino to 18 matches, Motta's side moved to within a point of Serie A leaders Napoli.
Data Debrief: Bianconeri extend unbeaten start with yet another clean sheet
Juventus have now registered nine clean sheets in Serie A this season, the most by any team in the big five European leagues.
Weah got the ball rolling, as he became the second American after Weston McKennie in December 2020 to score for the Bianconeri against Torino in Serie A.
Yildiz then sealed the victory. The 19-year-old became the third-youngest Juventus player to find the net in the Derby della Mole, after Felice Placido Borel (18 years and 243 days in 1932) and Bruno Nicole (18 years and 244 days in 1958).
Meanwhile, Torino have now suffered three successive defeats without scoring in Serie A for the first time since 2014.
O'Neil heaps praise on Cunha after Wolves' first Premier League win
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Gary O'Neil was full of praise for Matheus Cunha after his side earned their first Premier League win of the season with a 2-0 defeat of Southampton.
The Brazilian attacker's delightful pass had allowed Pablo Sarabia to open the scoring at Molineux with only one minute and 48 seconds on the clock.
It was Wolves' fastest-ever Premier League goal, eclipsing Matt Jarvis’ strike against Blackpool in February 2011 (1:56).
But Cunha did not stop there as he wrote his name on the scoresheet with a stunning strike from distance to put Wolves two to the good six minutes into the second half.
"Cunha is huge for us. He has such ability but he is one of those players who drifts and takes up positions," O'Neil told BBC Sport after the game.
"We work very hard on him - on how it is to be a trusted team player when we don't have the ball. He's worked very hard on it after I spoke harshly to him after Brentford away.
"It's a big win for us and Cunha had a big say in it."
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