Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes Chelsea will fall “a fraction short of top four” this campaign, despite Thomas Tuchel going unbeaten in his first six Premier League matches in charge.
The London club have won four and drawn two since appointing Tuchel as the successor to Frank Lampard and they currently sit fifth in the league table, two points off the top four.
However, speaking after Chelsea’s draw with Southampton, Wenger said: “I would say it’s a fair result with one team happier than the other one. “Southampton certainly the happier after stopping their losing slump.
“What’s a bit worrying for Chelsea is they were not at their best, which happens in this league, but you don’t feel a huge potential in there, not on the tactical side nor on the physical side nor on the aggressive side nor on the organisational side.
“I looked at their number of points, on that run they will make 63 points. That could be a fraction short of top four. I just think they made 43 points out of 25 games and on that average it gets you to 63 and 63 usually you’re out [of the top four].
“They can of course have a great run but today their game was a bit frustrating for them. They didn’t find the fluency to put Southampton under pressure.”
Speaking after the game, Tuchel said: “We created a lot of opportunities that did not become opportunities.
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“We opened a lot of space for our attackers and for the last passes but the decision-making and the determination and the timing was not good enough to create more chances and be more decisive.
“We needed a penalty to score. In the second half we had more touches in the box but when we created something we lacked precision to finish it. We lacked composure and we could not win the decisive one-on-ones.
“In the first 80 metres we did not allow any counter-attacks or difficult situations apart from once when they scored. The last 20 metres were not good enough for us.”
