Thomas Tuchel requires Stamford Bridge improvement to avoid huge shock for next Chelsea owner

Six points from four matches. That is all Chelsea require to guarantee their place in the Premier League top four and secure Champions League football for next season, something you suspect is an absolute must for the club's next ownership. And yet there is doubt and concern about that prospect.

"I said many weeks ago that I didn't ever feel safe," Thomas Tuchel stated bluntly on Sunday after his side had been beaten by Everton at Goodison Park. "We are never safe. And by the way, if we are in the race for top one, top two, or top four, no matter what the race, in the last four games we only have four points. That never be enough, no matter which race we are in.

"We have to take care of ourselves. At the moment, we don't get the points when we play well and deserve more. And we lose when we play okay. This is a bad mixture."

: Chelsea put Thomas Tuchel target at risk as Man City and Liverpool highlight growing concern

The 2021/22 season has been an arduous one for Chelsea, on and off the pitch. The game at Everton was the 58th of the campaign for Tuchel's squad, which was stretched to its limit due to a combination of injuries and positive covid cases in the winter period. And matches over the last two months have been played amid the backdrop of the club's sale and Roman Abramovich being sanctioned by the UK government. It's been far from routine.

There has been success to celebrate – the UEFA Super Cup was won back in August and the Club World Cup was claimed in February. There is still an FA Cup final against Liverpool to come too. Yet the feeling around Chelsea in recent weeks is one of weariness, that the travails of the season have finally caught up with them.

That very much felt the case at Stamford Bridge when