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Thomas Tuchel believes Chelsea are capable of meeting the standards set by Liverpool and Manchester City over the past four years, but the manager knows there is no guarantee that they will have as much time to prove themselves as Jürgen Klopp and Pep were given. Guardiola.
Chelsea have lagged behind the leaders since winning the Premier League in 2017 and Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard with an 18-month contract in January, agrees that challenging for the title next season will be tough. Although his team is one point above sixth-place Liverpool before meeting at Anfield on Thursday, they finished 33 points behind champions Klopp last season and are 21 points behind Guardiola’s City in the top of the league.
The numbers are not in favor of Chelsea, who were 26 points behind City in 2019 and 30 in 2018. Tuchel’s goal this season is to finish in the top four, but he is confident of realizing his ambition to catch Klopp and Guardiola in the future .
“If you read these numbers out loud, then it looks like you don’t,” he said. But we must not limit our thoughts. We must try and not prepare for excuses. The number of points shows how big the gap is. But it has to be the ambition to close it as quickly as possible.
“There is a fine line between arguing and giving an excuse to me and the players. I do not want to do that. It is not my nature and you can only push yourself to the limit if you don’t accept it from the beginning.
“Will we close the gap with City this season? No. But next season we will start with zero points. City were in trouble this season and no one took advantage. It’s proven in sports that you can take an extraordinary step, improve staff, and grow if you pick up the momentum. Now we are challenging for the top four, which was a great task when we entered, and from next year we will challenge for all titles. “
Tuchel smiled at a mention of Chelsea’s history of coaching layoffs. It took Klopp five years to lead Liverpool to the title and Guardiola’s first season at City was a disappointment.
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“I have to earn that I can have the same time as Jürgen and Pep,” Tuchel said. “This was not a gift to them. I think everyone at the club saw what they were doing and this is what I have to prove. I have to live every day to make an impact here and show that I deserve the same amount of time to team up. But I do not have the feeling that it is an obstacle that prevents me from building. “
Tammy Abraham is doubtful to face Liverpool with an ankle injury and Thiago Silva is not ready to return from a thigh injury. But Callum Hudson-Odoi is available after coming out at halftime during Chelsea’s draw with Manchester United last Sunday.
