Tuchel: No shame in gap failure

THOMAS TUCHEL knows Chelsea haven’t closed the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool in the way many expected after Champions League glory last season.

But the Blues boss insists there is no shame if, as expected, they still finish in the top four.

“We tried hard to close the gap,” said the German. “I could say that I tried everything and I would say that everybody in the building tried everything, the players as well, but there is room for improvement.

“We are competing with maybe the two most successful teams that ever played in this league, so the stakes are high.

“The gap is bigger than it should be, but the effort is there, the ambition is there. We have seen now dramatically in the games against Brentford and Arsenal why the gap is that big to City and Liverpool.

“They don’t have these defeats in their season. We are ninth in the home table, we conceded late goals against Burnley and Everton, and these were games where we dominated and had big chances.

“Now we have to be the best we can be and we will be ready for a good fight from next season on.

“But we should not feel ashamed or disappointed because it is very tough to finish in the top four. The top two are relentless in their results.

“We are more fragile at the moment. But when we have played against Liverpool since I’ve been here, the gap is very, very close and we give them a hard time.

“If you look at the individual tables – the goalscorers and the assists at the top of the league – you find a lot of the Liverpool players.

“We struggle to have these kind of numbers.”