The top four battle takes centre stage this week, as all three London clubs continue their quest of a Champions League spot next season.
With the title race already sealed and the fate of two out of three clubs to be relegated to the second tier of English football already decided, it still remains to be seen as to which clubs will occupy the third and the fourth positions in the Barclays Premier League this season and in doing so earn a Champions League spot.
Out of the three London giants, it is the West London side Chelsea who have the most challenging fixtures. The Blues, for a second consecutive season secured a place in a European competition final, after they defeated Swiss Champions Basel 5-2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the Europa League yesterday.
However owing to the ludicrous investment owner Roman Abramovich has made on transfers in the last ten years, and especially at the beginning of the current campaign, participating in the Europa League might not be classified as one of Chelsea’s biggest achievements.
The Blues faced a rather unpredictable slump after the heroics at the Allianz Arena last year. They were expected to carry on their European success to the next season and make it far in the tournament but failed to replicate their past antics. The Blues might experience European success again this time, however it will be in Europe’s second most coveted competition.
A club of Chelsea’s stature definitely deserves to play in Europe’s most elite tournament and the players should invest all their efforts in trying to secure a top four place in the league.
However Chelsea have an exhaustive fixture list on hand, and will have to play thrice in a span of seven days. After a triumphant outing last night at Stamford Bridge against Basel, Chelsea will now face newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford in one of their most difficult matches this season.
However Ferguson’s men may have nothing to play for in the league anymore, it will be naive to expect anything other than a spirited performance from the Red Devils who would want to finish their successful campaign in style by defeating their rivals.
Another worry for the Europeans hopefuls is that Premier League’s top scorer Robin Van Persie, who after an extended goal drought is back in form, having scored six goals in his last four appearances. The Dutchman has scored a similar number of goals against Chelsea in his last six matches against them, which also includes a dramatic hat-trick against the Blues during his time at Arsenal.
The Dutchman having done ever so well against Chelsea in the recent fixtures could really hamper the Blues’ top four hopes this season.
Chelsea however have further misery awaiting them, in just a matter of three days they will be back on the field and this time they will be against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who like Chelsea are relishing their chances of a top four finish.
The North London side made a bold statement in the top four race, following their dramatic comeback against Manchester City at White Hart Lane, but a week later stuttered to a draw against relegation favourites Wigan. Spurs are as hungry as Chelsea for a Champions League spot, and Wednesday’s encounter should be an exhilarating one.
Fatigue will be a major concern for the Blues who will be provided no breathing space in a very crowded fixture list and this is something Spurs can exploit. Tottenham in Bale and Lennon have two of the quickest players in the league and they can surely give a lot of trouble to the tired legs in the Chelsea defence.
The top four race can experience a remarkable turnaround in the next seven days. If Chelsea can manage to claim even three points from their next two fixtures, they will still maintain their third place berth for the next week. However if they fail to win either of the two matches things can get very ugly for the Blues.
Chelsea’s failure to secure a top four place in the league can dent their pursuit of a top class coach and top class players this summer. The Blues have been heavily linked to Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who might return to Stamford Bridge next season. However should Chelsea not qualify for the Champions League, the special one might turn down his former club.
Playing in the Champions League means everything to Chelsea, their fans and the owner and even if they win the Europa League this season, failure to qualify for the Champions League will greatly overwhelm the achievement.
Out of the three London giants, it is the West London side Chelsea who have the most challenging fixtures. The Blues, for a second consecutive season secured a place in a European competition final, after they defeated Swiss Champions Basel 5-2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the Europa League yesterday.
However owing to the ludicrous investment owner Roman Abramovich has made on transfers in the last ten years, and especially at the beginning of the current campaign, participating in the Europa League might not be classified as one of Chelsea’s biggest achievements.
The Blues faced a rather unpredictable slump after the heroics at the Allianz Arena last year. They were expected to carry on their European success to the next season and make it far in the tournament but failed to replicate their past antics. The Blues might experience European success again this time, however it will be in Europe’s second most coveted competition.
A club of Chelsea’s stature definitely deserves to play in Europe’s most elite tournament and the players should invest all their efforts in trying to secure a top four place in the league.
However Chelsea have an exhaustive fixture list on hand, and will have to play thrice in a span of seven days. After a triumphant outing last night at Stamford Bridge against Basel, Chelsea will now face newly crowned Premier League champions Manchester United at Old Trafford in one of their most difficult matches this season.
However Ferguson’s men may have nothing to play for in the league anymore, it will be naive to expect anything other than a spirited performance from the Red Devils who would want to finish their successful campaign in style by defeating their rivals.
Another worry for the Europeans hopefuls is that Premier League’s top scorer Robin Van Persie, who after an extended goal drought is back in form, having scored six goals in his last four appearances. The Dutchman has scored a similar number of goals against Chelsea in his last six matches against them, which also includes a dramatic hat-trick against the Blues during his time at Arsenal.
The Dutchman having done ever so well against Chelsea in the recent fixtures could really hamper the Blues’ top four hopes this season.
Chelsea however have further misery awaiting them, in just a matter of three days they will be back on the field and this time they will be against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who like Chelsea are relishing their chances of a top four finish.
The North London side made a bold statement in the top four race, following their dramatic comeback against Manchester City at White Hart Lane, but a week later stuttered to a draw against relegation favourites Wigan. Spurs are as hungry as Chelsea for a Champions League spot, and Wednesday’s encounter should be an exhilarating one.
Fatigue will be a major concern for the Blues who will be provided no breathing space in a very crowded fixture list and this is something Spurs can exploit. Tottenham in Bale and Lennon have two of the quickest players in the league and they can surely give a lot of trouble to the tired legs in the Chelsea defence.
The top four race can experience a remarkable turnaround in the next seven days. If Chelsea can manage to claim even three points from their next two fixtures, they will still maintain their third place berth for the next week. However if they fail to win either of the two matches things can get very ugly for the Blues.
Chelsea’s failure to secure a top four place in the league can dent their pursuit of a top class coach and top class players this summer. The Blues have been heavily linked to Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who might return to Stamford Bridge next season. However should Chelsea not qualify for the Champions League, the special one might turn down his former club.
Playing in the Champions League means everything to Chelsea, their fans and the owner and even if they win the Europa League this season, failure to qualify for the Champions League will greatly overwhelm the achievement.
