Graeme Souness says Chelsea's squad is the second strongest in the Premier League, putting them ahead of his beloved Liverpool behind only Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
The Blues romped to a comfortable 4-1 win over London rivals Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, lifting them back into the top four.
Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Kurt Zouma and Hakim Ziyech were on target - but not Timo Werner as he was left on the bench by his countryman.
Speaking ahead of kick-off, Tuchel admitted that his lack of form had played a part in his move to the bench, replaces by Pulisic.
And Souness believes it is the lack of an in-form striker separating Chelsea from reaching their full potential.
"If you were a school teacher marking Tuchel’s performance, it’s nearly perfect other than last week," said Souness, speaking to Sky Sports.
"They had a very easy game today against a Palace team that had the majority of players in their armchairs.
"I think City have an incredible squad, I’d go as far to say the best I’ve ever seen in English football, City. But I think Chelsea have the second-best group," he admitted.
Next season's Premier League title race is impossible to predict this early with each of England's big boys tipped to do big transfer business during the summer.
The final destination of Borussia Dortmund talent Erling Haaland could prove a deciding factor while Manchester City embarks on a quest to find a striker to replace Sergio Aguero.
Harry Kane has also been linked with a move away from Tottenham Hotspur with Sky Sports reporting that the England star will this summer demand he is sold by his boyhood club, should they fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Liverpool are likely to be in the market for defensive reinforcements while Chelsea, Souness says, must add a 30-goal-per-season striker to their ranks if they are to challenge for the title.
"Other than having a 30-goal-a-season man, I think they’ll be very dangerous when they get that," he said.
"When you’ve got someone who’s scoring for fun, everyone else gets better - there’s more confidence in the group.”
