Speaking before his side’s game on Sunday (h/t Mirror), Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that still having something to fight for in the Premier League gives his side an edge over Man City in the UCL final.
The Blues take on Aston Villa in the final PL gameweek of the season. And a win here would seal a top 4 finish for the Blues and qualification into the UEFA Champions League next season.
Chelsea currently lead Leicester City and Liverpool by a single point in the table and it is understandable that Thomas Tuchel would have selection dilemmas with the Champions League final against Manchester City just a week away.
In that regard, the German manager stated that he is both for and against being in a position to be able to rest his key players against Villa this weekend.
“Yes and no [if he would want to be in a position to rotate his squad]. Yes, in the sense that we want them in the final and don’t want any injuries. We almost had that with Mason [Mount] and Ben Chilwell against Leicester.”
Manchester City won the league a few weeks back, giving them time to rest their key players during that timespan. The Citizens have endured a couple of losses since then and Tuchel believes that his Chelsea side still being in the ‘rhythm’ by having something to fight for is an advantage for them going into the UCL final.
“You can also overthink this. Who to leave out? Who needs a rest? You don’t know if they can pick up that top momentum again. That can be a problem. So if you ask me, I prefer to keep going until the very end. I think doing that is an advantage going into the Champions League Final. You have fought constantly and you don’t want to lose the rhythm.”
So, as it seems, Tuchel will be fielding a strong lineup against Dean Smith’s side, as he should. Winning the Champions League is no guarantee and hence, a top 4 finish would assuage the anxiety of Blues fans regarding next season.
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