Thomas Tuchel feels Chelsea are missing 'competitive edge' | OneFootball

Thomas Tuchel feels that Chelsea’s recent dip in form is down to a lack of competition within his squad, but the German isn’t likely to head into the transfer market to solve the issue.

Their defeat on Saturday against Manchester City has left the Blues in third-place, 13 points adrift of the top and two points off second-place Liverpool (who have a game in hand).

“I think we just need our whole squad,” Chelsea boss Tuchel told reporters.

“Were Liverpool able to compete last year for the title? No. The only real difference was that they were lacking Virgil van Dijk.

“I’ve said it many times, key players are key players because they are key in everything they do and every way in which they behave.”

Andreas Christensen became the latest player added to the list when he tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of their clash with the Premier League leaders.

A lack of available players is an issue when putting together a starting line-up but, according to the 48-year-old manager, its impact in training and in the dressing room is even greater.

“As a player, you have to fight every single day for your place, and this is not the case in our team for too long,” he said.

“If you have a negative test and you are fit you have huge chances of being in the line-up.”

Chelsea are currently missing five first-team players with Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell and Reece James all out injured, Édouard Mendy at AFCON and Christensen’s enforced self-isolation.