Last weekend, Chelsea beat the Premier League champion Liverpool at home, which seemed to be an upset, but it was also reasonable.
After passing the first hurdle with difficulty, Chelsea still had to go through three hurdles. Two consecutive big wins brought the team hope to participate in the Champions League and announced the return of the king.
Recalling that in mid-December last year, Chelsea was only 2 points away from the top of the table Liverpool, and was clearly a strong contender for the Premier League title. At the same time, they won six consecutive games in the UEFA Champions League group stage and advanced to the round of 16.
Not only that, Maresca even fielded almost completely different starting lineups in the league, domestic cup and conference league. Who says that a large lineup has no benefits?
However, in the following 10 Premier League games, Chelsea only achieved 2 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses, ruining their bright prospects. They were eliminated early in both the League Cup and FA Cup after only two rounds, resulting in the difficult situation they have to face now.
Judging from the current standings, Newcastle in fourth place, Chelsea in fifth place, and Nottingham Forest in sixth place will all have 72 points if they win all the remaining games, while Aston Villa in seventh place will have a maximum of 69 points.
However, Chelsea still has two direct games against Nottingham Forest and Newcastle, and it is impossible for these three teams to reach 70 points at the same time. Therefore, as long as they get 70 points, they will definitely be able to participate in the Champions League next season.
Ferdinand believes that he has been lucky enough to receive a welcoming line and has also lined up to welcome other teams. No matter which side he stands on, he will feel quite embarrassed. Crouch is completely right.
Just now, Chelsea welcomed the challenge of Liverpool at home. According to convention, the newly crowned champion Liverpool was welcomed by the opponents. This is a traditional etiquette in English football and a way to pay high respect to the champions. It is regarded as a gentleman's behavior.
Liverpool legend Crouch and Manchester United legend Ferdinand disagree with this tradition. Although Crouch, who was once a member of the Liverpool team and was selected by the media as the most charming commentator, said that it would be embarrassing for the team to walk out of the field and he did not agree with this practice.
Ferdinand believes that he has been lucky enough to receive a welcoming line and has also lined up to welcome other teams. No matter which side he stands on, he will feel quite embarrassed. Crouch is completely right.
As it turned out, when Chelsea welcomed Liverpool, there were a lot of boos in the stadium, proving that embarrassment does exist in reality. Maybe when Liverpool plays Arsenal at Anfield in the next round, the lineup will not seem so abrupt, and the home fans will be more sincere and enthusiastic.
Whether it was embarrassment or respect, it was very important for Chelsea to get all three points from Liverpool. However, this was only the first hurdle Chelsea had to overcome, and they still had to overcome three more hurdles in the next three weekends.
Judging from the schedule, Chelsea's remaining three league opponents are Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, direct competitors for the top five, and traditional giants Manchester United. There is no doubt that Newcastle and Nottingham Forest are willing to fight. It can even be said that if Chelsea loses to their opponents in the "six-point battle", it is very likely to lose the qualification for the Champions League.
Moreover, although Manchester United was no longer focused on the league and had just fallen behind Brentford 1-4, they were able to score two goals in the final moments and almost tied the score. Facing Manchester United without any pressure, it was actually not easy to deal with it. You never know when the opponent will be defeated or when they will fight back.
Fortunately, Chelsea has won two or more goals in the past two games. In addition to Liverpool, the 4-1 away victory over Djurgarden in the conference league was also very crucial. After a big win in the first round, returning to the home court a few days later, we can put down a lot of burdens and it will not be difficult to advance to the final.
In addition, the conference league final is scheduled to be held after the Premier League ends, so the schedule for the next three weeks is not very tight, and we can make a full effort to sprint for the fifth place in the Premier League. The conference league champion cannot participate in the Champions League, and getting 70 points in the league will definitely complete the Champions League mission. 캡사이트 believes that two wins and one draw are enough to return to the Champions League.
Liverpool has successfully passed the first level. Can Chelsea successfully pass the next three levels?
