Thomas Tuchel believes that he has to earn the right to build Chelsea's future for the long term like Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool or Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
The Premier League's two most recent title winners have enjoyed the benefit of time in their posts, with Klopp approaching the end of his sixth season at Anfield and Guardiola close to his fifth anniversary at City; but no Chelsea manager has lasted more than three seasons under Roman Abramovich's ownership.
Tuchel was given an 18-month contract upon replacing Frank Lampard, but he believes in his ability to close the gap on Liverpool and City and thereby buck that trend.
What has Tuchel said?
“I have to earn it," Tuchel told reporters. "I have to earn it that I can have the same time as Jurgen and Pep.
"This was no gift to them. Everybody in the club saw what they are doing, what impact they can have on teams and on their clubs, in the second step, and this is what I have to prove.
"This is my target and from there on, it’s my job. I have to live every day and every week to make my impact here and to show that I deserve the same amount of time to build teams.
"I have to earn it, I cannot say more, but I don't have the feeling right now that it’s an obstacle at the moment that holds me back from building and showing that I’m capable to do it.”
What do Chelsea want from this season and next season?
Chelsea have set Tuchel the task of qualifying for the Champions League next season through a top-four finish. They also want him to compete to win either the Champions League or FA Cup after spending £220 million ($275m) on new players in the summer.
However, the Blues were in 10th place when Frank Lampard was sacked in January and are only in fifth now ahead of a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool on Thursday night. Tuchel is aware that he won't get long to close the gap and compete for the Premier League title next season.
"It has to be the ambition to close the gap as fast as possible," he added. “The point is, will we close the gap to Man City this season? No, we will not. It’s impossible. But from next season on, we start with zero points all of us, and City were in trouble [earlier] this season and nobody took advantage of it.
“This is what we are up for and now we are challenging for top four, which was a big, big task when we first stepped in, and from next year we will challenge for all titles, all competitions, sure.”
How are the teams shaping up ahead of kick-off?
Chelsea are without both Thiago Silva and Tammy Abraham ahead of Thursday's match but welcome back Callum Hudson-Odoi after a scare over a knock sustained against Manchester United at the weekend.
Liverpool have a host of injuries ahead of kick-off but welcome back Alisson and Fabinho. It is also possible that Diogo Jota will make the match at least from the bench.
However, long-term absentees like Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson will miss out.
Further reading
- 'You quickly know he loves football' - Ex-Dortmund youngster lifts lid on Tuchel coaching style
- Tuchel and Klopp speak the same footballing language - so why are their tactics so different?
- Tuchel: Klopp is a genius
