A few things are yet to be decided – and some won’t be until the very end of the season – but it seems very likely that the top 7 in the Premier League will get some form of European competition.
Getting into, for example, the Europa Conference League would not have been viewed as a success in years gone by. In fact, quite the opposite, it would have been considered a big failure. But things are tragically different now.
As always with these things the problem is that we not only have to win, we have to hope multiple teams above us start dropping points.
Wolves, Brighton, Newcastle and the Hammers all lie between us and where we need to be, and while they all have the potential to collapse, overhauling all 4 of them would require consistency of a level we’ve not seen from our team this season.
It’s important to note that all of those teams have played 27 games, while we’ve played just 26. It’s only a game, but this looks like it could come down to the wire, or perhaps even goal difference, so don’t discount its importance.
Making it into 7th could make a huge difference at Chelsea for a number of reasons. Firstly, reports are that Mauricio Pochettino’s job depends on him making it into Europe in some form.
Secondly, it will affect our budgets for next season. It’s hardly the Champions League, but the extra money from that competition (as well as the Premier League prize money for every extra place up the table they finish) will all count for a lot considering how close to the wind we’re sailing.
Thirdly, it will also affect which players we can attract in the summer. Again, it’s not a game changer like the Champions League, but it has some appeal, as well as adding a bunch of matches we can use to play youngsters, creating a better pathway to the first team.
So let’s hope the Blues can get back on track, starting on Monday with a big game against Newcastle, one of our top rivals for the top 7, and start lowering those odds.