Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has admitted that it will be difficult for the Blues to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League because they are not as good as they used to be.
At the moment, Roberto Di Matteo’s side are in fifth place in the English Premier League table, level on points with sixth-place Newcastle United and five points behind fourth place Arsenal.
Owner Roman Abramovich and the club’s supporters surely won’t be happy with the status quo.
As the cliché and Frank Lampard have suggested, Chelsea have to treat every remaining league match like its a must-win final.
“We have to take all the league games now as knockout matches,” conceded Lampard.
“It’s very cliched but we’re fighting from behind, and if we lose a game and lose points then the gap is bigger and the amount of games left is shorter.
“So we know, especially after that draw, the gap is still five points and there is no more room for slip-ups.”
If the first 30 league matches have taught us anything, it’s that Chelsea lack both killer instinct and a consistent goal-scoring threat.
Former world-class strikers Didier Drogba and Fernando Torres have scored a combined seven league goals in 44 appearances for the Blues in 2011-12.
Drogba is undoubtedly in the twilight of his career, but Torres has just been on dismal goal-scoring form since arriving at Stamford Bridge in January 2011.
That being said, excuses won’t get Chelsea back in the race for fourth place. They need results in the form of three points every single time if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Now then, let’s take a look at Chelsea’s remaining Premier League fixtures.
29 March 2012: Aston Villa v Chelsea (Villa Park)
7 April 2012: Chelsea v Wigan Athletic (Stamford Bridge)
9 April 2012: Fulham v Chelsea (Craven Cottage)
*14 April 2012: Chelsea v Newcastle United (Stamford Bridge)
21 April 2012: Arsenal v Chelsea (Emirates Stadium)
29 April 2012: Chelsea v Queens Park Rangers (Stamford Bridge)
6 May 2012: Liverpool v Chelsea (Anfield)
13 May 2012: Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers (Stamford Bridge)
Assuming that the Blues claim three points against the likes of Aston Villa, Wigan Athletic, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers, which is far from guaranteed, they will still have to travel to the Emirates Stadium and Anfield to take on Arsenal and Liverpool respectively.
Thus, I don’t fancy Chelsea to overtake Arsenal or Tottenham Hotspur for the last Champions League qualifying spot. But then again, only time will tell.
Will Chelsea qualify for the UEFA Champions League next season?
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