Roberto Di Matteo insists Chelsea must finish fourth

Chelsea interim manager Roberto Di Matteo has insisted that the Blues must finish in the top four to guarantee UEFA Champions League football at Stamford Bridge next season.

“We have to play Champions League next season,” Di Matteo told the Daily Mirror. “For us it’s vital to finish fourth. That is the target.”

At the moment, Chelsea are three points behind Arsenal for the last Champions League qualifying spot, with the Gunners on top form of late.

Prior to the Blues’ 2-0 FA Cup win over Birmingham City at St Andrews Stadium, Chelsea had won just one of their last seven games with Andre Villas-Boas at the helm.

In other words, Roberto Di Matteo and Chelsea are one-for-one in the post Andre Villas-Boas era, thanks to two second half goals from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles.

That being said, strong performances in the FA Cup won’t guarantee Chelsea a place in the Champions League in 2012-13.

Thus, the Premier League should be Di Matteo’s number one priority heading into the latter stages of the Blues’ 2011-12 campaign.

“It’s not about me,” the Italian boss insisted. “It’s about these players, this club. The club is bigger than me, the previous managers, the future managers.”

“Players win the games for you, but we have to perform and achieve targets.

“Only time will tell how difficult or easy it will be. We don’t like where we are in the table, and it’ll be very tough to achieve what we want to achieve.

“But we have a duty to try. We have good players and we have a duty to try that.”

Chelsea’s next three games in all competitions are at Stamford Bridge, giving them a chance to regain their form before they travel to Etihad Stadium to take on table toppers Manchester City on March 19.

However, I wouldn’t bet on the Blues finishing in the top four, primarily due to the difficulty of their schedule.

Chelsea still have remaining away fixtures against Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United set to face the Blues at Stamford Bridge.

Now then, will Chelsea be able to tally at least 12 points from the aforementioned five fixtures?

I think 10 out of a possible 15 points is much more attainable, and that’s if Chelsea are playing really well.

With the quality at Di Matteo’s disposal, it’s tough to close the door on the Blues, but that’s exactly what I’m doing.