NOBODY is guaranteed for that spot! Tuchel ‘fires final shot warning to Chelsea players
Chelsea have started from scratch this week in order to find some form ahead of the FA Cup final with Liverpool, according to Thomas Tuchel.
In the last month, the Blues have gone from being a picture of consistency to a Jekyll-and-Hyde team.
They were eliminated from the Champions League after four defeats in their past nine games, putting their spot in the top four in jeopardy.
Following Sunday’s humiliating setback at Everton, Tuchel has chosen to start fresh in the previous six days, increasing the intensity of three training sessions.
He’s hoping it’ll work against Wolves today at home to improve their Champions League qualification prospects — and give them confidence ahead of the Cup final against Liverpool next weekend.
“Yes, a little bit,” the German said when asked if this week had served as a reset for his team.
Tuchel has taken advantage of this by warning them.
He said: “It was just like three times, ‘Do whatever you want’, more or less.
“And that gave us the chance to increase intensity, to have some new exercises that you would normally consider too intense, so we raised the level of intensity.
“We played little tournaments, we played to win. We wanted to see who wins.
“They were small-sided games and we played for the result, like not only tactical games, not only possession games.
“It was a light switch. It was very good training.”
One player hoping for a chance today will be Romelu Lukaku, whose miserable season hit a new low when he was left on the bench at Goodison Park.
Tuchel claimed the Belgian had been “strong” in training and that he is no prima donna.
Tucheladded: “We treat him pretty normal and he behaves pretty normal.
“That’s what I loved about him from the first minute. I never had the feeling that I train a superstar.
“I train a hungry guy, who wants to score, who is not happy of course how things have gone, who is still hustling for a better outcome.
“That’s what counts, it’s the process. He’s fully involved in it and as long as it’s like this, then he gets our support.”
Tuchel is adamant that Lukaku will be “an important part of the squad next season”.