“We’re coming back” – Tuchel insists he is ‘proud’ of Chelsea despite Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has insisted he is proud of his team despite their 11-10 penalty shootout loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.

Having fought tooth and nail against Liverpool in a pulsating final, Chelsea lost the bout after a dramatic penalty shootout with substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga missing the decisive kick.

Yet Tuchel was optimistic following the defeat. He told the club's official website:

"It was a bit rough for us but since we came back from Abu Dhabi. We had a tight game against Crystal Palace, trained very well after. Played a good match against Lille, trained even better after. I feel the group growing and it proved it in this game."

"I'm very proud of the performance and what we delivered today."

"We’re coming back. We got quality back today with Reece (James) who made a huge impact for us and we’re in good shape."

Sunday's game saw the return of Reece James, who had been out with a hamstring injury picked up back in December.

Prior to the injury, James was one of Chelsea's star performers, having contributed five goals and six assists in 23 appearances.

His return will be vital for the Blues as they look to challenge for other trophies.

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Can Chelsea redeem their season following Sunday's loss to Liverpool?

Chelsea could yet win more gold this season.

Chelsea won the Club World Cup in January to become the most successful English team of the decade.

But Sunday's loss was a setback, with the side perhaps ruing missed chances, particularly Mason Mount, who spurned a number of key chances.

They will have to pull off some sort of miracle to overtake Liverpool and Manchester City to win the Premier League as they currently sit sixteen points adrift of the top albeit with two games in hand.

But the UEFA Champions League is an avenue of success that Tuchel's side are familiar with having won the trophy last season. Now, with experience under their belt, Chelsea could be one of the teams to watch out for in the Champions League.

The team are also in the fifth round of the FA Cup and will go into Wednesday's game against Luton Town heavy favorites.

Last season, the Blues made it all the way to the final only to lose to Leicester City. They could go the extra step this time around.

But their attacking players need to step up to the fore. Wasted opportunities are beginning to become a concern with Mount, Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic all not pulling rank for Tuchel's side as of late.