Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel ‘very confident’ he can see out contract

The German boss is approaching one year at the Stamford Bridge helm, in which time he has led the Blues to the Champions League and European Super Cup titles, and the FA Cup final.

The Blues trail runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City by 13 points after Saturday’s 1-0 loss at the Etihad Stadium, however, with expectations of a genuine title challenge dashed after frustrating recent results.

But Chelsea will nonetheless make the trip to Brighton on Tuesday with Tuchel still buoyant on his current and future situation in west London.

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck scored a late equaliser against Chelsea last time the sides met

Asked if he has an option of further time at Chelsea under his current terms, the 48-year-old said: “I don’t even know; I don’t even know to be honest!

“I think I have a contract until 2024, and let’s stay with this and let’s try to stay as long as this contract says.

“Because history tells us that it’s not that easy, but I feel very confident today that I can make it.

“I don’t want to be anywhere else, this is absolutely sure.

“I feel very happy, and let’s see what’s going on.

“But everybody knows what you need, you need results, and I’m responsible for creating an atmosphere that gives us the results.

“So all the focus is into the process and not into the result. What counts for games counts for my personal situation the same.”

Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku

Club-record signing Romelu Lukaku continues to fight for top form, with the Blues struggling for fluency in Sunday’s loss.

But Tuchel said Chelsea were helping the £98million summer recruit seek the perfect balance of pressure and peace.

Asked if he had expected more from Lukaku on Sunday, Tuchel replied: “We expected more from all our offensive performers in the last match.

“I think we had enough offensive actions, transitions, to hurt Man City more than we did.

“If this answers your question, maybe not 100 per cent, but he is included in our offensive component.

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“He’s a key player, so there will always be pressure but not more pressure than he puts on himself.

“And we need to find a mix between all the expectations, the pressure and to be relaxed enough to play your best game, because it’s not only about pushing, about demands, it’s also about feeling peace and being relaxed on the pitch.”