It’s the identical story yearly as of late – we count on Chelsea to compete in a title race, however by March it’s really changed into a battle for the Champions League locations.
This 12 months was alleged to be so totally different. Two of our high rivals for the highest 5 had dreadful begins to the season. Manchester United sacked Ruben Amorim, and Liverpool spent half the season genuinely trying like they could sack Arne Slot.
In the meantime, Tottenham are genuinely susceptible to relegation.
With all that in thoughts, it ought to have been plain crusing to qualify for Champions League soccer. In November, it felt like issues must go severely incorrect for us to overlook out. Properly, they’ve gone severely incorrect. Enzo Maresca was sacked, and after an preliminary bump underneath Liam Rosenior, Chelsea’s newest outcomes have been poor.
Since beating West Ham on the finish of January, a second the place we had been trying above us within the desk on the high 2, not down, there’s been a hunch. We’ve misplaced to Newcastle and Arsenal, drawn with Leeds and Burnley, and solely crushed Wolves and Aston Villa.
The actual fact we’ve been crushed a further 4 occasions within the Champions League and Carabao Cup in that point solely provides to the sense that issues are going horribly incorrect.
Chelsea’s stats in that interval have proven the place the issues are. We’re conceding too many targets, with only one clear sheet since late January. Joao Pedro’s scorching streak stored us scoring, however not that’s died away we actually look missing up entrance too.
A group low on confidence and working out of fuel is now stumbling in direction of the ending line, and it received’t take a lot to complete us off. Lose to Everton on Saturday evening and it would already be over.
All we will do is go recreation by recreation. We have to get 3 factors by any means obligatory, then dig in for a nasty double header in opposition to Man U and Man Metropolis in April.
By the tip of that United recreation on the 18th of April we are going to probably definitively know if our high 5 chase is lifeless or alive. However even when we’re nonetheless within the race, it is going to be removed from over. A recreation in opposition to Liverpool in Could will then turn into the main focus.
For as a lot as we’d wish to be comfortably positioned and waiting for Europe subsequent 12 months, there’s no denying it’s thrilling to have every part on the road with 8 video games to go.
