Thomas Tuchel has a huge few weeks ahead of him. Chelsea have an FA Cup final against Liverpool this weekend as the Blues look to end their season with silverware, while in the league they are still looking to confirm qualification for next season’s Champions League.
It comes after a difficult run of form, where the side have only notched up one win in five Premier League matches. The most recent struggle was at home against Wolves, where a two-goal lead was thrown away in injury time to walk away with a point.
Discussing the frustrating draw, the German coach said: “We reminded the team to stick to the plan, to execute the match plan with more discipline and more precisely, and we were 2-0 up, and again we take too much risk in situations where you cannot take this kind of risk. We invited the counter-attacks and big chances. Once you do this, you lose confidence and invite the opponent to smell that something is possible when it is unnecessary.”
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Given their recent struggles, the sides below have started to close the gap on Chelsea, meaning the side are having to limp their way to the finish line. The other two sides involved in the top four race are London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.
The Gunners are the nearest side, sitting fourth and just one point behind the Blues. Spurs are the team in fifth with a five point gap and three games left to play.
Both sides would have to leapfrog Tuchel’s men for them to drop out of the top four completely, with the North London derby between the two sides meaning at least one will drop points in favour of Chelsea too. So much is their likelihood of confirming qualification, predictors FiveThirtyEight have the Blues finishing in the top four at 99 percent.
With a five point gap and nine left to play for, four points would effectively seal next season’s qualification barring a 19 goal swing in favour of Tottenham. Five points would completely confirm that position.
While it hasn’t been the season many expected when it began, qualification for the top continental competition is a must, while the FA Cup at the weekend would add some shine on the outlook of the campaign.
