Tuchel: Chelsea could still miss out on Premiership top-4

Chelsea could still miss out on a topfour spot if it continues to have mixed results over the final four games of the Premier League season, manager Thomas Tuchel said after Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Everton.

Everton forward Richarlison’s 46th-minute winner meant that the third-place Blues have picked up only four points from their last four games. They lead Arsenal by three points and Tottenham Hotspur by five in the race for an automatic Champions League spot.

“I said this many weeks ago that I didn’t feel safe and we’re never safe... if we are in a race for top one, top two or top four, no matter what the race, the last four games to only have four points will never be enough,” Tuchel told reporters.

“We have to take care about ourselves. At the moment we don’t get the points when we play well, and deserve more and we lose when we play okay. This is a bad mixture.”

Richarlison’s goal came after an error by Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta and

Tuchel said his team was paying the price for big mistakes in their last few games.

“We knew what was coming and like in the last matches, we struggled to have clean sheets,” Tuchel said. “In the last four we had one, against West Ham United, it’s the only win we have and I’m very disappointed.

“What can I do? The ball is free, give a goal away, it’s the worst thing that can happen... It happens too often. We struggle to play without big mistakes and it is why we struggle to have results.”

Chelsea will host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Man City backline deserves more praise than it gets

Manchester City is usually heralded for its free flowing, sublime soccer, but the supreme defensive unit coach Pep Guardiola has created is often overlooked.

Leeds United threw everything at the reigning champion in a hostile atmosphere, but time again it was denied by last-ditch blocks and tackles, celebrated by City players as if they had scored.

City has the best defensive record in the league this season, just as it did last term. The shutout in Saturday’s 4-0 win was its fifth successive away clean sheet in the league – the club’s longest ever stretch in the league.

The Premier League title looks set to go to the wire once more this season, with City’s rigid rear-guard key to its success.

Everton profits from mentality shift

Everton can make any number of excuses for its dip into the relegation zone this season, but a lack of ability is not one of them as the club showed again in the 1-0 home victory over Chelsea on Sunday.

The controversial appointment of former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez ahead of the season always looked a poor fit, while injuries have decimated the squad and it has been on the wrong side of some dubious officiating.

But the players have also had to have a hard look at themselves and the mentality they have displayed for much of the campaign, which has seemed at times lackadaisical. Perhaps they have now been scared into action.

As Everton has shown in recent wins over Manchester United and now Chelsea, and even for large parts of the Merseyside Derby loss to Liverpool, when it is switched on, focused and determined, it is a match for anybody in the Premier League.

Klopp’s selection gamble pays off

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp made a raft of changes from the side that faced Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal earlier in the week but the Reds still managed to eke out a vital 1-0 win at in-form Newcastle United.

Among the players brought in was Naby Keita, who controlled the game from midfield and scored the winner with a superb solo effort.

Veteran James Milner also made an impact, offering much-needed energy and experience in another high-pressure game.

With Liverpool still challenging on all fronts, the strength of Klopp’s squad could prove hugely significant in the quest to achieve an unprecedented quadruple of trophies this season.

Arsenal displays resilience

A so-called soft underbelly has been blamed for Arsenal’s failure to finish in the top four since the 2015/16 season, but Mikel Arteta appears to have finally galvanized the Gunners.

When Arsenal suffered three successive defeats in April, it appeared its old failings had returned.

But Sunday’s gritty 2-1 win at West Ham United, described as “ugly” by Arteta, made it three wins in a row to keep the Gunners in fourth place with four games remaining. (Reuters)