Speaking in his pre-match press conference, as quoted by football.london, Thomas Tuchel revealed that Chelsea want to compete in all five competitions this season.
The Blues have done well in the Cup competitions as well as the Premier League this term. We are four points off the top in the league and are set to play Lille in the Round of 16 of the Champions League. Our Carabao Cup hopes are also alive as we shall play Brentford in the quarter-final. The FA Cup is also on the horizon, as is the FIFA Club World Cup.
Liverpool went through something similar in 2019, but their fixture schedule was tightly wound up. They had to travel to the Middle East in December for their Club World Cup but also had a Carabao Cup tie against Aston Villa a day later. Thus, Jurgen Klopp had to field a U-23 side against the Villans as he took a strong squad to win the FIFA tournament.
Tuchel was quizzed about the same, and the German gaffer revealed that the men in blue shall be competing in all five competitions without compromising on quality. Of course, the Blues are aided by the fact that they do have better squad depth in comparison to Liverpool.
“But no, we will never do this. Because if we think we need to rest players or give players a chance to play like it is a tradition in the Carabao Cup, then we will do it. But we will always prepare to win the match.
“This is the spirit we have to keep going… We love to be in these competitions, and we want to stay in them. We want to arrive in March, April or May in these competitions. So no, we do not start judging games and the value for those games.”
The former PSG boss might want to compete in every competition, but it will be a hard task. If we had a fully fit 25-man squad, that could certainly have been possible. But the Blues have already been hit by several injury concerns.
Although a lot of those players could return by next month, it would still take quite a bit from every single player to stay alive in every competition. Moreover, it also depends on the kind of draw we receive, especially in the domestic cup competitions.
Manchester City have shown in the last five years that it is possible to compete on all fronts. Tuchel has the managerial calibre to pull it off but might not be keen on aggravating the fitness levels of his stars. Especially if we remain in the title race and go deep into the Champions League.
There are a lot of factors to consider before we pick and choose the competitions we really want to win. Tuchel might not compromise on any competition now but it remains to be seen what he does when push comes to shove.
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