Tuchel: We risk losing our place in top four

THOMAS TUCHEL has warned Chelsea’s players they risk squandering Champions League qualification after producing a display that left the German raging. Chelsea have taken only four points from their last four matches, conceding seven goals in the process, and their performance at Goodison Park showcased the shortcomings in their squad — not being able to score or keep a clean sheet. Tuchel said he left Romelu Lukaku, his £97million striker, on the bench because an injury to Jorginho in the first half limited his options. The head coach was also exasperated with the performance of referee Kevin Friend and questioned why some of Everton’s aggressive play went unpunished. But Tuchel was also at pains to make it clear he was most disappointed with the way Chelsea performed, their hotchpotch efforts characterised by Cesar Azpilicueta making a rare error to gift Richarlison the game’s only goal. With Tottenham and Arsenal both applying pressure in the top-four race, he is adamant they have work to do — and any further dropping of standards will leave them vulnerable to an attack from below. ‘I’m very disappointed,’ he said. ‘We knew what was coming and like in the last matches we struggled to have clean sheets. ‘Of course, I’m worried about the top four. I never feel safe. Four points in four games will never be enough. ‘The ball is free and we give a goal away, it is the worst thing that can happen to you in this atmosphere. It happens too often. We struggle to play without big mistakes and it is why we struggle to have results. ‘If there is something I can do I will try it, but if I knew about it I would have done it before. ‘For me the key is to have a clean sheet. Manchester United (1-1, last Thursday) was a different game, more open and fluid — we finally scored late and then conceded straight away. ‘I want more like the game against West Ham, when we had a clean sheet and played without any big mistake. That gives us the chance to score late. If you install emotion and belief in a stadium, you struggle.’ Evertonians set off fireworks outside Chelsea’s hotel in the early hours of the morning in a bid to disrupt their sleep. But Tuchel (left) said it ‘absolutely did not’ affect them and was more irked with referee Friend. ‘It would have been nice to have a referee in charge,’ he said. ‘They got away with a lot, I was not too happy. But that’s what we faced and why it was important not to make any bad mistakes.’