Chelsea face an increasingly difficult fixture list when the Premier League resumes for the final weeks of the season.
A disappointing 2-2 draw to relegation strugglers Everton is likely to prove costly as Chelsea will face seven of the nine teams currently above them in the league table during the run-in.
First up is Aston Villa, who are below Chelsea in the standings, albeit on goal difference alone, and among the in-form teams in the league having won three of their last four games.
The margin for error on any further slip-up across the last 11 games is minimal, verging on nonexistent. Publicly, Chelsea players continue to insist that they can qualify for the Champions League, but they sit 11 points behind a fourth-placed Tottenham side who are hardly lighting up the league.
Much like in 2008, winning the Champions League is another route into European football’s elite competition, qualification for which is near-essential given the opportunity for £100million in further revenues next season.
Even reaching the Europa League or Conference League is not guaranteed despite qualification spots spreading across the top seven if either Manchester club wins the FA Cup.
Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton all have games in hand over Chelsea and boast superior points tallies over the Blues ranging between four and nine points.
The Blues remain ambitious to salvage anything from their season and are boosted by the improved performances of Kai Havertz and Joao Felix in recent weeks. Enzo Fernandez has also shown his ability after joining for £107m, while world-class midfielder N’Golo Kante is finally nearing match fitness and ready to aid his team-mates.
Potter has also found balance in a 3-4-3 system with star wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell back impacting games at both ends of the pitch, though the right-back’s withdrawal from England duty will be a familiar concern for the manager.
Chelsea need a fast start to the run-in, otherwise the big-spending Blues face a deeply underwhelming final few weeks of the season.
