Thomas Tuchel really raised the bar high last season.
After arriving in January, Chelsea went on a sensational run and won the Champions League, looking like a well-oiled machine in the process.
Since then their levels have really dropped off however, and he was asked about that in the press conference today ahead of the Champions League match with Malmo tomorrow night.
In quotes picked up by Football.London, he explained that it was all down to the packed fixture list – both club and international – that his players were subject to.
“We lack a little bit of form and enthusiasm in the last per cent and one big reason is we play too much. Not as a club but the players. This is the situation right now,” the former PSG boss explained.
“This is nothing new and the next national break is coming soon, it will not change. We have another competition in January/February. The PL is the toughest league in the world, there is also no shame in having a tight match against Brentford or a late winner against Southampton.”
It’s hard to disagree, this squad is being stretched thin, and every time we get a player back from one injury, we seem to lose another.
Thing will only get tougher too, as we head into the hectic Christmas schedule, with the FA Cup yet to even start.
As he says, we should also think about the positives – despite everything, we’re top of the league.
