Tottenham and Arsenal had ‘huge advantage’ over Chelsea with early cup exits, says Thomas Tuchel

Chelsea have reached the finals of the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Club World Cup along with the quarter-finals of the Champions League

Thomas Tuchel believes Arsenal and Tottenham had the upper hand in the top four race after going out of the cups (The FA via Getty Images)

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said their rivals for the Champions League places had failed to capitalise on the “huge advantage” they were given after early cup exits allowed them to focus on the race for the top four.

Chelsea have reached the final of the FA Cup, League Cup and Club World Cup, as well as the quarter-finals of the Champions League, and have played more games this season than any other Premier League club.

Despite their intense schedule Chelsea have a strong grip on third place in the league, leading fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur by five points and having played two games fewer. Arsenal and Manchester United are a further three points back.

United manager Ralf Rangnick raised concerns earlier this week about the Premier League’s decision to reschedule their game against Chelsea, while Mikel Arteta said last month that the scheduling of Arsenal’s games was “not fair”.

“They have been given a huge advantage,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of their league game against Arsenal later on Wednesday. “I was not happy when Tottenham were out of the [Europa] Conference League.

“Because I thought: ‘Wow, I know what Antonio Conte can do with teams when they are focused and he can train them physically’.

“I thought this will be a huge uplift for them in the domestic competition, and the same for Arsenal when they went out of the cup. I thought it would be a huge boost for them, because they have a very young and talented team.”

Meanwhile, the Premier League’s top two sides – Manchester City and Liverpool – remain in the Champions League as they prepare for semi-final ties, with Liverpool also set to face Chelsea in the FA Cup final, having already beaten the Blues in the League Cup final.