It’s hard to put a finger on how exactly Chelsea’s season is going.
They started off in the typical Chelsea way under new manager Maurizio Sarri winning most games, but have now found themselves in murky water with a selection of questionable performances including the shocker against Arsenal which caused Sarri to bravely, or stupidly, publicly criticise his players, and a drubbing at the hands of Bournemouth.
There’s never really been that feeling that Chelsea could make a real impact this season; whether it be because of squad unrest, poor individual performances, strange tactical decisions or inconsistencies, there’s something seriously amiss.
We’re over the hump now for the season and if Chelsea want to remain in the top four they’ll have to perform in these two games.
Manchester City 10/02/2019
Chelsea haven’t exactly lit the world alight with their performances against the “top” teams and we don’t expect this will be much different for them, especially with City pushing on hard for the title.
Should they lose, Sarri and his team face the very real prospect of being passed by Manchester United who are currently only two points behind and have been climbing the table under interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjær. Indeed, if they do lose 4th spot we don’t think there’s much chance of catching their opponents, so it’s vital they secure 3 points against City.
Tottenham Hotspur 27/02/2019
For the reasons mentioned earlier this game is of huge importance.
There’s absolutely no guarantee that Chelsea can secure a Champions League place unless they either start performing in the league or win the Europa League.
Come the end of the season it’s safe to say that the two top spots will be occupied by Manchester City and Liverpool. This leaves behind the 3rd and 4th spot for likely candidates Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, should Chelsea fail to claim maximum points on the 27.02 and 27.04, respectively.
Both games are obviously as important as the other, but a win against Spurs this month will really set the tone.
