By mid-December, Tottenham Hotspur had joined Arsenal in having no European responsibilities to hinder their chances of a top four finish, leaving just Manchester United to juggle midweek duties alongside their Premier League schedule.
There was nothing to say that two of those three clubs couldn’t have finished in the top four. Those were the thoughts of Thomas Tuchel, at least, as the Chelsea boss became wary of the teams below them whilst his own side would continue their Champions League adventure.
The German has revealed that he “feared the worst” when Spurs exited the Europa Conference League in December, as it gave them a “huge advantage” to secure a top four finish, but they failed to capitalise on it.
Spurs had made it through to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, while they still had the FA Cup to deal with, but Tuchel still believed they were in a very good position. On Wednesday, he told reporters: “They have been given a huge advantage.
“I was not happy when Tottenham were out of the (Europa) Conference League. Because I thought, ‘Wow, I know what Antonio Conte can do with teams when they are focused and he can train them physically’.
“I thought this will be a huge uplift for them in the domestic competition, and the same for Arsenal when they went out of the cup. I thought it would be a huge boost for them, because they have a very young and talented team.”
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Tuchel’s fears would have been realised further when his side won just once in seven league games between December to January, while Spurs won three of their next five fixtures to gradually climb up the table and close the gap on the Champions League spots.
Chelsea then had the FIFA Club World Cup to contend with in February, before a Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, but like Arsenal and Man Utd, Antonio Conte’s side struggled for consistency and eventually allowed the Blues to create a bigger gap between themselves and the teams below them.
Spurs lost three consecutive games, beginning with a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge at the end of January, in what would be part of the huge missed opportunity that Tuchel referred to in order for them to take advantage and climb the league table.
However, after that barren run, Conte’s side turned things around and won seven of their next nine league fixtures to eventually propel themselves up into the top four. However, Chelsea also endured an equally impressive run, winning five of their next six.
The Blues look odds on to secure that third spot and currently sit five points ahead of Spurs, having played two games less than the Lilywhites, who themselves must now battle it out with the Gunners and the Red Devils for fourth spot over their remaining six fixtures.
For the past seven weeks, Spurs have only had the Premier League to contend with, but as Tuchel said, they missed a huge opportunity to take advantage of the Blues. If it wasn’t for their inconsistency, things could be looking very different right now for the north Londoners.
