Chelsea boss, Thomas Tuchel, has insisted that Liverpool and Manchester City have set the ‘standards’ in the Premier League.
Tuchel, who stated this ahead of Chelsea’s away Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Saturday, said the Blues are only trying to close the gap that Liverpool and Man City have set.
Chelsea are currently on top of the Premier League table with a point ahead of second-place Liverpool and two points ahead of Man City.
Asked whether Chelsea have closed the gap to Liverpool and Man City, Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Newcastle clash, “Maybe for the moment. It is only nine games in. We need to prove it.
“Maybe we proved it in the last half of the season, but now is a new season and we need to prove it.
“It is not enough to prove it for nine games, we need to prove it for the season. It will take all of us. It will take all of our courage, all of our effort, all of our discipline.
“It will simply take all of us. It’s like running a marathon. This league is extremely exhausting. We have different competitions. We are up for all competitions and the best outcome in all competitions. We are trying to close the gap.
“I have no problem admitting that there was a gap in the last seasons and that Liverpool and City set the standards. They created a certain mentality with their managers together over the years.
“We try to close it, we are confident enough to say from the first day we want to close it. This is what drives us. We will work on it because it takes a lot to keep the momentum going.”