The problems at Chelsea. Blues could still lose Champions League, angry Tuchel cancels sabbatical

The mood at Stamford Bridge at the start of the season and now is like night and day. Chelsea could still lose the Champions League after their loss to Wolves, the atmosphere at the club is not the best at the moment. Coach Thomas Tuchel even cancelled Sunday’s off day and ordered an emergency training session.

At the start of the season, Chelsea were the defending Champions League champions, with the addition of Lukaku for £100m and Saul Níguez on loan. Moreover, at the start of the season, it looked like the Blues would join Liverpool and Manchester City in the title fight. Everything was going as it should.

But here we are in May and the atmosphere at Chelsea has gone very dark. The Blues have long since lost their chance of the league title, having been knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Real Madrid, although they were already 3-0 up at the Bernabéu. Moreover, the war in Ukraine has deprived the club of its owner and the architect of all the successes of the modern era, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

For some time Abramovich had his accounts frozen and Chelsea could not buy or sign players. So its defence has fallen apart going into the new season, as Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen and captain Cesar Azpilicueta are surely on their way out, all of whom are out of contract in June and will leave for free.

And on top of that, the results… Chelsea have won only one of their last five games. They only beat West Ham 1-0, lost to Arsenal and Everton, drew with Manchester United and Wolverhampton. And it was the last draw with Wolves that really pissed off coach Tuchel.

The Blues were 2-0 up after two goals from Lukaku and were heading for victory. But the visitors reduced the deficit in the 79th minute and in the 97th minute even equalised at 2:2. Chelsea definitely have to be on their guard, they are not yet guaranteed the Champions League.

With three rounds to go, they are in third place with 67 points, while fourth-placed Arsenal has 66. Fifth-placed Tottenham have five points less than the Blues. The only thing that can make Chelsea a bit tidier is the fact that Arsenal and Tottenham have yet to play each other. But with their current form, losing their position in the Top 4 is definitely not unrealistic.

That’s why Tuchel was so upset on Saturday after the botched finish against Wolves. According to The Sun, the German coach cancelled Sunday’s off day and ordered the players to have an emergency training session. The players were reportedly not too happy about the decision.

It’s just that the air needs to be cleared at Stamford Bridge. On Saturday, the Blues will challenge Liverpool in the FA Cup final, a chance to salvage the season with at least some valuable trophies.

Source: The Sun, Chelsea