Chelsea thrashed West Ham United 5-0 in a Premier League match last weekend at Stamford Bridge to rise to the seventh position in the league table. The Blues now have 54 points from 35 matches, which is the same as Manchester United’s tally. Nicolas Jackson, who has been criticized a lot for his profligacy in front of the opposition goal this season, scored a brace against the Hammers. Cole Palmer was also on the scoring sheet on the day to continue his fantastic run this season.
The Chances of European Football Are Still There for Chelsea:
The Blues can still finish inside the top six this season. That would be enough for qualification for European football next season, though seventh will be enough for European football should Manchester City win the FA Cup, or Manchester United finishes sixth. Should the Blues be able to do clinch a top six spot, it would be a huge jump from their disastrous performance in the first half of it. There was a time when it looked like they would finish in the bottom half and Mauricio Pochettino’s job would be in trouble. However, they have rallied in the second half of the season and improved their position considerably. There were still setbacks like the 5-0 mauling at the hands of Arsenal, but they were few and far between. The Blues will play Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Hove Albion and Bournemouth in their last three matches in the league. A win in all of them will take them to 63 points. As Manchester United has matches against Arsenal and Newcastle United in hand and Newcastle themselves are only a couple of points ahead of the Blues, the latter can definitely hope for a top-six finish.Playing in Europe Would Be a Boost for the Blues:
Should the Blues be able to ensure participation in Europe next season, it would be a huge achievement, given they have invested a lot in young players and have a lot of talent at their disposal. The club deserves to get more revenue through sale of tickets and TV rights in European games. As the pressure eases on Pochettino, he can think of strategies to unleash the potential in the likes of Jackson, Conor Gallagher, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk. It can be assumed safely that each of them will be a part of the team next season. The team can be gradually built around the very impressive Palmer, who has scored 24 goals and registered 13 assists in 42 matches this season. Those are really impressive numbers that make the 22-year-old one of the best youngsters in English football at the moment. Then there is Christopher Nkunku, who has appeared in only 11 matches this season due to persistent injury problems. Chelsea supporters will hope that he will be fit for the next season, thereby alleviating the club’s problems upfront. It can be assumed that the Blues will not spend much during the next transfer window, as they have already made a lot of purchases, aside from their pursuit of Victor Osimhen. Now, it is the manager’s job to get the best out of the resources available to him.More must-reads: