Frank Leboeuf said four Chelsea attackers will have to step up and follow Callum Hudson-Odoi’s upsurge in form to finish above Liverpool in the top four race.
There is just a one-point gap between Chelsea and fourth-placed Liverpool at the moment, with the Blues having one game in hand.
The momentum has shifted in Chelsea’s favour and a win over Newcastle United on Monday will see them move up to fourth.
But, obviously, there are still plenty of games to play in this campaign and Chelsea will have to maintain their good form to secure a Champions League spot.
According to Leboeuf, Chelsea will need several of their attackers to be more clinical.
“Yes, I believe Chelsea can finish higher than Liverpool if they improve their finishing,” the former France international told ESPN FC.
“Callum Hudson-Odoi is on fire and Tuchel is using him, hopefully some others are going to follow soon.
“Like [Hakim] Ziyech, [Timo] Werner, [Kai] Havertz, and maybe [Christian] Pulisic.
“[They have to] finish their actions better, otherwise Chelsea are going to struggle.
“They are strong defensively, but offensively, they are pretty poor.”
Chronicle view
Even most Chelsea fans would admit that they did not see Liverpool’s recent struggle coming.
But Liverpool are not the only top four competitors for Chelsea (39 pts), with Everton (37 pts) and Aston Villa (36 pts) still having two and one games in hand on them, respectively.
As Lebouef pointed out, Chelsea need their attackers to be more ruthless up front.
So far, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have been the only Chelsea attackers to have scored under Tuchel.
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