Thomas Tuchel praised for ‘stamping authority’ at Chelsea with Callum Hudson-Odoi decision

Simon Jordan has praised Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel for stamping his authority at Stamford Bridge over his public shaming of Callum Hudson-Odoi – but Danny Murphy isn’t so sure.

The new Blues boss blasted the England winger for his poor attitude and lack of discipline off the ball in Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Southampton, after the half-time substitute was hooked off after just 30 minutes on the pitch.

Many questioned the decision from the German coach, with Hudson-Odoi helping to give Chelsea much more of an attacking threat before the sub was subbed off, but Tuchel stuck by his decision when quizzed on Monday.

“I had my reasons to do it. Was it the right decision? I don’t know, but it was my decision in this moment,” he told talkSPORT ahead of the club’s Champions League last-16 clash with Atletico Madrid.

“I spoke in front of the whole group to not make it bigger than it is, because for us it was not a big thing. Sometimes you wonder ‘should I do it’ because maybe the media, the outside, maybe family or whatever make it bigger than it was meant, but still I did it.

“And we had the only reaction that we wanted, which was he went back to his normal mood, a good mood, a smile, to good training the next day and very very good training today.

“I said that on the day, that it was a lesson for him and for me on that day and it’s forgotten, we move on and that’s absolutely been the way. It’s business as usual, no big thing.”

talkSPORT pundit Jordan loved to see that side of the new Chelsea boss, insisting he has every right to demand the best from his players having only been given 18 months to make an impact at the Bridge.

But Murphy wasn’t a fan.

“AVB went in there at Chelsea but Abramovich was sold down the river when he realised the dressing room was stronger than the manager,” former Crystal Palace owner Jordan told Jim White on talkSPORT.

“Now you’ve got a manager who is about to carry a tune, has a resume, has the courage of his convictions and who knows he’s only got 18 months and has not time to muck about.

“He’s already pinned his flag to the mast saying, ‘I’ve got 18 months and I’ve got to build this team into the winning Premier League or the Champions League, I haven’t got time to carry along people’.

“‘I’ve given you a message, son, which part of that message do you not understand?’ But I bet he understands it now…”

However, Murphy believes the manager risks turning his own players against him if he continues his tyrannical streak.

Instead, the former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder has urged the boss to ‘get his players on board’ first, admitting he has already done something rivals bosses Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola NEVER do.

“From a player’s perspective you might have set him back weeks or months,” he said.

“You could argue that he’s not strong enough… if that was me I wouldn’t sleep for two or three nights, I’d be low in confidence and then I’d pick myself up, I’d train twice as hard and I’d try and prove the manager wrong – but that’s not the majority of footballers now!

“Sometimes you get a good response from kicking someone up the backside, but what he did by bringing him off was shame enough. To publicly have a go at him as well, Hudson Odoi is going to feel down about that.

“The bigger problem, and the risk he’s taking as a new manager, is he’s trying to be a bit too much of a tyrant. He’s trying to stamp his authority too much

“What tends to happen is a group of senior players turn around in their little corner and quietly say, ‘hold on, who have we got here? He thinks he’s the dog’s… he thinks he’s the top boy’.

“This is someone who is new in the job, you have to get the players on board. If you lose the players early, you’re gone!

“Have Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola got to the levels they have and have the rapport they have with their squad, their constant desire to keep going, getting players to perform and keeping players on the bench happy, by digging them out? No!

“You have to build that respect and rapport, you build that reputation where you do things and the players respect it. That’s what happened with Gerard Houllier at Liverpool. You respected his decisions, even if it meant you sat out a game or two.

“My point is, ini his infancy in a new job with high profile players, in an era where egos are bigger than ever, players more than ever don’t like being criticised. You’ve got to get them on-side first.”