Thomas Tuchel admits top-four finish ‘not a given’ for Chelsea

Thomas Tuchel is confident over Chelsea’s chances of securing a top-four finish, but insists it is ‘not a given’ due to the demanding nature of the Premier League.

The Blues currently occupy third place in the table, with Tottenham and Arsenal both five points behind the west London club.

Tuchel’s side have lost their last two games across all competitions – a 4-1 defeat to Brentford in the Premier League and a 3-1 loss at the hands of Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

In a press conference ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Southampton on Saturday, Tuchel was asked how confident he is about Chelsea finishing in the top four this season.

The Blues boss replied: ‘Absolutely confident but not as a given. I never thought of it as a given.

‘Because this is the most demanding league in the world and we know how we struggled through the season and what can make us struggle.

‘We can play on a very, very high level.

‘If we reach our top level and we do this very often, which is our job. But if we don’t reach it, we can also lose to any teams of any quality and unfortunately we proved it in five days.

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‘So, this is us, and this is nothing bad. It’s just a reminder that we should not feel ashamed to fight for third place. There is no disappointment.

‘At the moment we are third and it’s a tough competition until the very last day.

‘Do I feel confident? Yes, because I have trust in my players and the club and in myself and my staff. But do we feel that this is a given? No,