Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said on Friday that his side’s poor home form this season was an unusual scenario for him and their performances had to improve if they were to challenge the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Chelsea, third in the league standings with 62 points, fell to a 4-2 defeat by London rivals Arsenal earlier in the week, their third straight loss at Stamford Bridge in all competitions.
The defeat represented the first time since 1993 that Chelsea lost three consecutive home games, while Tuchel’s side have won only seven of their 15 league games at Stamford Bridge this campaign.
“It is obvious we are behind. It is very unusual for me in my experience over the last years, not only here,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of Sunday’s home game against West Ham United.
“If we had a solution, one thing, we would switch dressing rooms! Or take another hotel or something like this… it’s a bit fragile at the moment I have to say. It was against Brentford, was against Real Madrid… it is now the job to convince the players to keep going, supporters to keep pushing.”
Klopp ‘never expected’ Liverpool’s quadruple bid
Chelsea looked assured of a top-four finish only a few weeks ago but after slipping up against Brentford and Arsenal, the European champions have left the door open for others, with Tuchel adamant that the job was far from over.
“We never feel secure, I never feel secure in the Premier League. It’s good. I think nobody should, never, because feeling secure does not keep you on the edge,” said the German.
Midfielder Mateo Kovacic and defender Antonio Rudiger, both of whom missed the Arsenal game due to injury, will also be unavailable against West Ham, but Tuchel added that there were no fresh injury concerns.
West Ham beat Chelsea 3-2 in the reverse fixture in December but manager David Moyes, whose side are seventh on 52 points, said he expected a tough game despite the opposition’s recent struggles.
“Chelsea were arguably the favourites for the Premier League in the first three months of the season – since then you’ve seen the strength of Manchester City and Liverpool,” said Moyes.
“They’ve had their ups and downs as all teams do, but they have a top team. It’s just the top two have ploughed ahead.”
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