Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted that his players are “drained” after a challenging season for the Premier League club.
The Blues take on take on Leeds United on Wednesday, followed by Liverpool in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium three days later – having lost to Jurgen Klopp's team on penalties in the League Cup final in February.
Tuchel also saw his team lose their Champions League crown after an extra-time defeat to Real Madrid in the quarter-finals, when they fought back from losing the first leg 3-1 only to go out 5-4 on aggregate.
Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League but are only one point ahead of Arsenal after managing just one win in their past five games, the last of which saw them throw away a two-goal lead against Wolves.
There is also the continuing uncertainty regarding Roman Abramovich's proposed sale of the club, which came as a result of UK government sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, for the players to deal with.
Chelsea's prospective new owner Todd Boehly was in the stands at Stamford Bridge on Saturday but Tuchel revealed that he has yet to meet or speak with him.
“We look a bit drained, tired mentally. You look at our games and it's understandable,” said Tuchel, ahead of the match against struggling Leeds at Elland Road.
Chelsea 2 Wolves 2: player ratings
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CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy - 6, Kept his focus well to deny Pedro Neto and Hwang Hee-chan in either half, but there was nothing he could do about the late goals. AFP -
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6, Made a vital intervention to stop Jonny getting a chance in the first half and made some good bursts forward in the second period. Was booked for catching Neto in the face with a stray arm. AFP -
Thiago Silva - 5, There were times where he was too slow to react in his own box, and he didn’t do enough to stop Conor Coady getting the header for the equaliser. He did clean up when it appeared that Neto might get through. AP -
Antonio Rudiger - 5, Didn’t do enough to stop Trincao cutting inside for Wolves’ first goal of the game. Should have been more clinical with his own attempt when Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s goal was disallowed for offside. Getty -
Reece James - 6, Had often looked good defensively beforehand but didn’t do enough to stop Coady winning the header for the equaliser. His free kick attempt deceived Jose Sa but eventually went agonisingly wide. Reuters -
Mateo Kovacic - 5, Was dispossessed in the middle then got in Rudiger’s way when Trincao scored Wolves’ first of the game. Had previously enjoyed various positive moments, including nice passes forward for Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku. PA -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 7, Moved the ball around well and drove Chelsea up the pitch at times. There is little he could have realistically done to stop himself being offside for his disallowed goal. AFP -
Marcos Alonso - 4, Many of his set-piece deliveries were poor, with an especially bad free kick going straight into the wall. He also struggled defensively at times. Getty -
Christian Pulisic - 8, Was Chelsea’s most creative player throughout, sliding the ball through nicely for Timo Werner’s disallowed goal. He then capitalised on Coady’s mistake to assist Lukaku. PA -
Romelu Lukaku - 9, Having been left frustrated in front of goal in the first half, the Belgian won and converted the penalty that opened the scoring after showing his determination to dispossess Romain Saiss. Getty -
Timo Werner - 6, Showed plenty of endeavour and made intelligent runs but struggled with his end product at times. Was unlucky to have his goal disallowed for a foul on Saiss. AP -
SUBS: Saul Niguez (Alonso, HT’) – 5, Did the basics well and drifted into some nice positions in the middle of the pitch. Reuters -
Malang Sarr (Azpilicueta, 87’) – N/A, Didn’t get out quickly enough to stop Chiquinho’s cross, which assisted Coady’s equaliser. Getty -
Kai Havertz (Lukaku, 91) – N/A, Could have made things more comfortable for Chelsea after working some space for himself in the box but struck wide. Getty -
WOLVES RATINGS: Jose Sa - 6, Made some great saves to deny shots from Werner and Lukaku. However, there was nothing he could do about the quality finishes for either goal. Getty -
Willy Boly - 6, Played a great pass to Ait Nouri for his chance before the break and showed intelligence in his defending at times. Getty -
Conor Coady - 6, Made a good block to deny Lukaku. Made the mistake for Chelsea’s second by absolutely smashing a pass at Ruben Neves but redeemed himself with the late equaliser. EPA -
Romain Saiss - 3, Looked suspect defensively and was booked for pulling back Pulisic. Was lucky to see Loftus-Cheek’s goal ruled out after losing the midfielder, then conceded a penalty after losing the ball. Was eventually taken off injured. PA -
Jonny - 6, Got up and down the wing well but should have been more decisive to latch onto Raul Jimenez’s pass in the first half. PA -
Joao Moutinho - 6, Was booked for an overzealous tackle on Loftus-Cheek but often looked good in the middle, playing some brilliant passes forward. Getty -
Ruben Neves - 6, Hit a deflected shot wide and provided a good ball forward to Neto for his chance shortly before half time. Had no chance of controlling Coady’s pass for Chelsea’s second. PA -
Leander Dendoncker - 6, Put in a good shift in the middle of the pitch but missed an absolute sitter shortly before half time. Getty -
Rayan Ait Nouri - 7, Had some very bright moments and defended well for large periods. Missed the target after a great run forward and couldn’t find the target after cutting in. Getty -
Pedro Neto - 7, Was a good out ball and did a lot of impressive work going forward despite often being isolated. Booked for pulling back James. Getty -
Raul Jimenez - 6, Made a great run and pass to create a chance for Jonny and cleared well in his own box, but couldn’t get enough on his touch from Neves’ shot to find the target. Hit a late shot wide. PA -
SUBS: Hwang Hee-chan (Neto, 70’) - 6, Had a chance moments after coming on but was denied well. Stayed down after being hit by a tackle from James but made a good contribution. EPA -
Chiquinho (Saiss, 71’) – N/A. Helped drive the team forward for Wolves’ first goal, then did brilliantly to beat Pulisic to the ball when it appeared the American might break forward. Capped off a superb substitute appearance by setting up Coady for the goal. Getty -
Francisco Trincao (Neves, 77’) – N/A. Hit a brilliant shot to give Wolves hope of getting back into the game, then had another effort that went marginally wide after some nice footwork. Getty
“We had some big knockout games after the international break, with a huge emotional impact – losing to Real Madrid, beating Real Madrid but still being out of the Champions League.
“It's another reason and everybody knows it. Still, even being tired and distracted, we need to reach a certain level and we can do better than in the last two matches.
“The motivation was very high to turn things around against Wolves. It was maybe almost too high as we attacked with defenders and opened spaces for counter-attacks.
“So there are good signs and we still trust the team, our players, and trust what brought us here. Now is the time to stay calm and take it step by step to finish the season on a positive note.”
Tuchel cancelled the players' day off on Sunday following the 2-2 draw with Wolves. “We came in on Sunday, we'd planned a free day but after the disappointment it was not even to punish them,” he said. “It was normally a free day, and of course maybe some felt it was a punishment but it wasn't.”
