Ben Chilwell has sang the praises of Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, explaining the Blues' squad know they will not get a better manager at Stamford Bridge.
The German coach made a swift impact upon his arrival in west London helping Chelsea to win the Champions League in 2021, before lifting the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup the following season, while reaching every domestic final it has been possible to do so. Tuchel was unable to help the Blues narrow the gap to the top of the Premier League last term, with Chelsea 19 points behind Manchester City compared to the 17 point differential the year before.
However, the 2021/22 season was unprecedented in many respects as Chelsea underwent sanctions and a takeover bid in the final three months. Now, a new hierarchy with Todd Boehly as the face is in place, with significant pressure to deliver in the transfer window. Chelsea's form dropped off in that period, understandably so to extent, but Chilwell's focus is on seeing more consistency going forwards.
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The wing-back suggested Tuchel's prolonged stay would help the club reach the next level however.
He said: "Like you say it can only be a good thing. As players we have full confidence in the manager - we know we’re not going to get a better manager here. I’m not just saying it. He’s an unbelievable manager in all aspects and I think he has a lot of trust in us as well.
"Now there is that stability - everything that could have potentially been tricky last season has all been resolved so it’s up to us to work and try to get that consistency on the pitch, which is only going to happen if we put the work in away from match days."
Consistency will be the minimum the Blues need to overhaul the gap to the Premier League's frontrunners. Pep Guardiola's team have won four of the last five league titles since Chelsea last had that domestic success. Despite a summer of rebuilding, that is where the defender's aspirations lie.
"City and Liverpool have set the bar, for maybe the last five years, which every other team in the league is aspiring to get at. Being a Chelsea player, I'd say we're the closest to them, and we're aspiring to get on the same level as them. We showed in patches last season that we could compete with them, but it's that consistency that they've shown — they're not just one-season wonders. They've done it season-in, season-out for the last five years."
He added: "This is Chelsea, we want to win the big trophies. And of course, we're positive going into this season, like we are every season. We've got a strong team. Hopefully, we can add to that strength with some good players. We've got a great manager. New ownership. A great training ground. Good backroom staff. So everything's in place to have a good season."
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