Chelsea are in pole position to quality for next season’s Champions League and Enzo Maresca could yet end the season with a trophy – but the Blues still have plenty of work to do
It’s been a respectable maiden season so far for Chelsea head coach, Enzo Maresca. But after a storming start, the Italian could find himself under scrutiny heading into the summer if the Blues are unable to finish the 2024-25 campaign with a flourish.
Chelsea are currently occupying fourth spot in the table, meaning they are on course to qualify for next season’s Champions League. That would be significant progress following a difficult two-year period.
It had seemed at one point as though things could get even better for Chelsea, who were touted by some fans and pundits as Premier League title contenders after a fine season. But even with their star-studded squad, Chelsea have been unable to keep pace with Arsenal and Liverpool.
While the top two may be out of reach, the Blues could still finish as the best of the rest. They could also end up on missing out on Europe altogether given how tight the top of the table is, so Mirror Football looks at how the remaining nine games could go…
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Dream end
If we’re talking about top billing, then usurping Nottingham Forest in the race for third is what Chelsea are aiming for. They currently sit five points behind Nuno Espirito Santo’s side with nine games left, so it can definitely be done.
Crucially, Maresca’s side host Nottingham Forest on the final day of the season at Stamford Bridge, so the fight for that third spot could go all the way down to the wire. But with just four points separating Chelsea from Aston Villa down in ninth, any team could ghost in with a strong finish to the season.
Speaking of run-ins, Chelsea won’t have it easy. As well as Forest, they also have to play Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United, as well as London derbies with Tottenham, Brentford and Fulham. So if Maresca’s team do finish in third spot, they’ll have earned it.
Away from the Premier League, the Blues have a date with Legia Warszawa in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League. Winning that competition would ensure Maresca signs off his first season at the helm with a trophy, which would be a nice bonus.
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Nightmare end
If we’re being frank, it’s Champions League or bust for Chelsea this season. Despite saying that was not the case earlier in the season, Maresca has since gone on record to say that restoring Chelsea’s place among Europe’s elite is the goal. That makes more sense, as eyebrows were raised with his initial take given the Blues’ expensively-assembled squad.
The good news for Maresca is that five Premier League teams will make it into next season’s Champions League. The bad news is that the Blues are not guaranteed to be one of them.
Manchester City, Newcastle, Brighton and Fulham are among the teams lurking just behind them. Aston Villa and Bournemouth – the latter in 10th – are also within touching distance of Maresca’s men. So it’s not inconceivable that Chelsea could end up finishing a lot lower than their current spot if they don’t deliver on the pitch, which is far from ideal when their talisman, Cole Palmer, is having his worst spell since joining the club.
If Chelsea do finish outside the upper echelons of the league, then fan unrest is likely to grow given Chelsea have been far from convincing in some outings under Maresca.
As outlined above, Chelsea’s run-in is among the more difficult ones of top-flight teams. Failure to meet the season’s main objectives would be a blow to Maresca, but given recent reports indicated the club hierarchy are content with how their head coach has performed so far, it would likely not prove to be terminal.
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