Blues still lack consistency: Tuchel

LONDON • Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side had to learn to be consistent winners after they lost the FA Cup final 6-5 on penalties - following a 0-0 draw in extra time - to Liverpool on Saturday.

He also admitted sanctions imposed on the club were making the task harder. The Blues have been in a state of turmoil in recent months after Russian owner Roman Abramovich put the club up for sale following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with the British government effectively dictating their day-to-day operations since March.

Chelsea became the first team in FA Cup history to lose the final in three consecutive years - 2020 to 2022. This was also their second successive shoot-out defeat by Liverpool, after going down 11-10 in the League Cup final in February.

According to Tuchel, the consistent form shown by Liverpool and Premier League leaders Manchester City is the result of long-term planning.

After their Champions League victory last term, this season has been more underwhelming with just two less heralded trophies to show this season - the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup - and he feels a gap is growing between his side and the Reds.

"They are very, very, very consistent and we are in the opposite situation at the moment, given the sanctions. Players are leaving," the German said, referring to defender Antonio Rudiger.

A lynchpin of Chelsea's backline, the German international will depart at the end of this season on a free transfer and Denmark defender Andreas Christensen is also expected to leave on a free, as the club cannot renegotiate contracts while sanctioned.

Tuchel has been a big improvement on predecessor Frank Lampard, who was sacked last January.

But they remain inconsistent, particularly in the Premier League, where they sit in third place, 19 points behind City and 16 behind Liverpool before the latest round.

While he praised his players for stopping "maybe the most dangerous attacking team in the world" from scoring in two finals that both went to extra time in the space of three months, he knows they can still raise their standards by a level or two.

"We can produce peak performances..." he said. "But over the last years, Man City and Liverpool proved that you have to obviously deliver that on a level of consistency that we don't have and we struggled with it."

REUTERS