Thomas Tuchel made no secret of his target for the 2021/22 Premier League season. It wasn't winning the title, nor finishing inside the top four. What the German wanted – and to an extent expected – from his improving Chelsea side was to hunt down Manchester City.
"We have to accept there is a gap between us," the German stated a little over a year ago. "We have to accept this. And it’s important we accept this without making ourselves too small. So from day one of next season, we will hunt them. We will try to close the gap between us. This is the benchmark."
Since Chelsea's last Premier League title, which came at the end of the 2016/17 campaign under Antonio Conte, they've finished well off the eventual champions. The Blues' disappointing title defence ended with them 30 points behind Manchester City. The gap the following campaign was 26 points. And when Liverpool were crowned champions under Jurgen Klopp in 2019/20, Chelsea were a whopping 33 points back.
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There was an improvement during the previous campaign, which was largely played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Chelsea, who started the season under Lampard and ended it with Tuchel at the helm, finished fourth and sat 19 points behind City, who again clinched the title under Pep Guardiola.
“If you read these numbers out loud, as you did, then it seems not realistic,” Tuchel admitted during his second month at the helm at Stamford Bridge. "But we should also not limit our thoughts. We should at least try and not prepare for excuses or whatever. It’s a small line between arguments, which I totally see, and realistic arguments.
"The amount of points shows how big the gap was and still is. Maybe it is sometimes good to look at the reality and then to speak it loud. But still, it has to be our ambition to close it as fast as possible."
What Tuchel felt was needed to do that last summer was a reliable goalscorer, one who would convert the many chances Chelsea tended to create under the German. It's why Romelu Lukaku was signed at great expense from Inter Milan and there were many who felt a title charge was possible in the early weeks of the season, especially after the Belgian netted four goals in his opening four games.
Yet winter was coming. And when it arrived, few could have anticipated the situation Chelsea found themselves in. By the end of December, Ben Chilwell was ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a knee ligament injury, Reece James was sidelined with a hamstring issue, and a spate of positive Covid cases had pushed Tuchel's squad to the limit.
Free-flowing performances became turgid displays. Victories turned into draws. And in the space of six weeks, Chelsea's title pursuit was over. But hope remained, especially after the Club World Cup was won in February, that a strong end to the campaign would enable the Blues to fulfil Tuchel's ambition of closing the gap to those at the top of the table.
With four games to go, however, Chelsea sit 17 points behind City, who again lead the top flight. There have been three defeats in the last six Premier League games and unless the Blues rediscover their spark after a rare week between matches, there is the distinct possibility the gap is widened rather than closed.
Some may point to the club's complicated takeover having played its part in Chelsea's drop-off. But Tuchel, at least publicly, has rejected that notion. The German simply believes it was a case of injuries taking their toll earlier in the campaign, as he highlighted after Thursday's 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
"When I see today how Reece James plays – and to think we missed him for 12 weeks – I am very impressed we are still in the top three, were so close to reaching another semi-final in the Champions League, and reached finals in both cups because you see the amount of quality that was missing.
"Other key players [have been] missing. Today Mateo Kovacic, who was so decisive at the beginning of the season. The same with N'Golo Kante. The same with Ben Chilwell. This was the story of the season. The big difference is Man City and Liverpool, in these moments, had a full squad available. We struggled with Covid periods and long-term injuries. This is more decisive."
Tuchel wasn't quite accurate in his claim that Liverpool and Man City didn't have injuries or Covid cases in the winter period. Yet neither were without players as crucial to their respective systems as Chilwell and James nor did they have to handle the fallout of their club-record signing giving an unauthorised and ill-advised interview to Italian TV.
And as the campaign progressed, the limitations of the Chelsea squad have shone through. It's deep in bodies but not in true quality, something emphasised by the fact that against Everton on Sunday at Goodison Park, Tuchel made just one change to the team that had taken on Manchester United at Old Trafford less than 72 hours earlier.
Yet despite the above, this season can still go down as a positive one if Chelsea can shake themselves out of their current funk. The UEFA Super Cup has been claimed in addition to the Club World Cup. There is the small matter of the FA Cup final to come too against Liverpool later this month.
Just as important, though, is Chelsea make sure the 17-point gap to City doesn't grow over their remaining four Premier League matches. For all the effort put in across the campaign, there has to be a sign of progress, no matter how small. The gap must be narrowed, even if it is just by two points.
