Tuchel was answering the media’s questions at Cobham this afternoon before training for the final time ahead of the trip south to face Southampton. He was thoughtful and insightful with his answers throughout as the press quizzed him on the reasons behind back-to-back home defeats.

He was quick to dismiss any notion the ownership situation was affecting the players – ‘it would be a big surprise’ – and instead centred his analysis on issues at both ends of the pitch, most evidently at the back where we have now shipped seven goals in two games.

‘It’s very untypical for us,’ stressed Tuchel.

‘We had a look into it, we talked to the team about it. We need to stop this development as soon as possible. We didn’t see it coming. It was not the case before the national break. That’s why it’s not easy to deal with, because it doesn’t fit into a pattern.

‘The goals we have conceded have been very different. Anything can have an influence on that. I have this one answer: some of the goals are about individual behaviour, about behaviour in little groups, and it’s also about determination and investment defensively. How many sprints are we doing? Do we have the determination in challenges that we don’t need help to win them?

‘It’s good if nothing happens when you lose a challenge, but sometimes if you’re not protected it gives you the feeling if you don’t win it, it will be a goal. Maybe we are lacking this mentality, that every little challenge matters. We must have higher determination in terms of high intensity runs for the ball, that’s where we can improve.’

Tuchel confirmed he and his staff had led a meeting yesterday in which they told the players where they thought things had gone wrong this week.

‘It was about offensive principles in our game: what we wanted to do, and we lacked doing. Unfortunately, and a bit surprisingly, we lacked structure in the last game. Normally our big strength is that you can clearly see what we try to do and try to play. It was not the case. It was a big problem.

‘We lacked the rhythm and repetition of our attacks, and the positional discipline in attacking. It led to a big disadvantage in counter-pressing, because we were not in the places we were supposed to be in.

‘In defending we lacked intensity and investment,’ he continued.

‘We figured it out in details. It’s not about general criticism, it’s about detailed situations. It’s about trusting the players, I love the players, I love the group, and I love to be involved. We can do better together.

‘It’s challenging, but it’s on us to find solutions and not complain too much, or worry too much, and refocus and retrust in our strengths. It’s a moment to stick together, and digest it.’

Tuchel was asked for his thoughts on a couple of players who came in for criticism after Wednesday’s loss to Real Madrid. Goalkeeper Mendy was involved in the mix-up that led to Karim Benzema completing his hat-trick after the restart, while Kante’s evening was already over by then following a rare half-time tactical withdrawal.

‘One thing is very clear, N’Golo is a key player because he has outstanding, unique qualities,’ the boss emphasised of the midfielder.

‘He can give something to the team nobody else can. He has struggled this season with consistency due to injuries, due to illness. It’s a reason for our inconsistency, too. We missed him in so many matches.

‘Now at the moment he is fasting due to his religion. That maybe is another reason. He is not doing it for the first time, but if you don’t drink for many days, don’t eat during the day, it can have an effect. We try to push him and help him because we know what we have when he’s on the pitch.’

On Mendy, Tuchel explained life as a goalkeeper at the top level will always put you in the spotlight, even more so when you have been as successful as the Senegalese in recent years, but there is no cause for wider concern.

‘He was never fully free of mistakes, also not last season, but we helped him,’ noted Tuchel.

‘It’s bad timing to do a mistake like this in a quarter-final, such a big occasion like this, one of the worst moments. I hope it doesn’t affect his self-confidence too much, because accepting mistakes is also what goalkeeping is about, living with mistakes, and going back and helping your team. Now he can prove he is a true champion.’

Finally, Tuchel focused on what awaits us at St Mary’s tomorrow. He said he remains confident of securing a place in the top four ‘but not as a given’ because of the strength of the Premier League. Southampton are a good example of the kind of dangerous opponent who can compete with the very best, and the German analysed their strengths.

‘They will not make us fall asleep, that is clear! Either they play a 4-4-2 with a heavy high pressing line of six players, which they did in our first match this season, and they normally like to play. It’s their usual shape.

‘In the second game against us in the cup they played a back five, man-marking all over the pitch, which was very demanding and a very intense game. We watched some scenes from the two matches, and they were at a very high level, very intense, very fluid from both sides.

‘It’s quite a challenge, and maybe that’s good. There is no other way of accepting this physicality, otherwise you would be under the wheels.’