MY ACCOUNT
Thomas Tuchel fears it may be some time before Chelsea can close the gap to Liverpool.
The Blues have held their own against the Quadruple-chasing Reds in four meetings this season but have failed to beat them.
Their two Premier League encounters ended in draws while Jurgen Klopp’s men lifted the Carabao Cup and FA Cup courtesy of penalty shootout wins.
And with Chelsea’s ownership saga dragging on, Tuchel remains uncertain whether it will be possible to have the edge over their rivals.
He said: “Maybe it’s impossible because Liverpool are improving their squad in every transfer window and it seems like we are losing key players.
“We are of course losing Toni [Rudiger] and we are losing Andreas [Christensen]. It’s tough because we already have a gap to close.
“We proved four times this season that we can produce peak performances to compete with them on this kind of level.
“They have a bigger squad available. They arrived [at the FA Cup final] with everybody except Fabinho fresh.
“We struggled with three or four players out. N’Golo Kante had one training session at 50 per cent intensity, Mateo Kovacic played with an ankle that I didn’t know it was possible you can fit into a shoe.
“They can produce these performances most often and they built this team for many years, so this is where the gap is.”
While Tuchel does not know whether new recruits will arrive at Stamford Bridge this summer, he remains fiercely proud of what his side have achieved this season.
With Champions League football secured and the European Super Cup and Club World Cup in the bag, it has not been all doom and gloom in West London.
And Tuchel is remaining optimistic. He added: “All we promise we can deliver is input, heart, passion and commitment, living up to the fullest and to have no regrets.
“This is what we do and we will not stop from doing it.
“We have everything it takes to win trophies and we proved it already.
“Someone was trying to convince me that we have had a trophyless season but we have a World Cup and a European Super Cup, so I will take that for a trophyless season.
“I don’t feel sorry just because it happened earlier in the season.”
Having lost the Carabao Cup final 11-10 on penalties in February, Tuchel’s men were edged out once again at Wembley on Saturday as the FA Cup final shootout finished 6-5 to Liverpool.
Skipper Cesar Azpilicueta missed during his side’s first five spot-kicks and Mason Mount failed to beat Allison in sudden death.
But Tuchel, 48, refused to point the finger at either player after the Reds lifted the FA Cup and was quick to praise England midfielder Mount.
He said: “This penalty will change nothing. You know my opinion about Mason. You see his record and the importance of game which he plays.
“He plays consistently for us. He’s a key figure in this squad and in this club, also because of where he comes from.
“He’s a super nice guy and we don’t doubt him now because he misses a penalty.”
