Chelsea can no longer qualify for the Champions League through the normal route. Their only hope lies with Aston Villa. The Londoners must climb to sixth place and hope that Emery does them a favor in the Europa League.
Chelsea fell again at home, this time against Nottingham Forest 1-3, and dropped to ninth place in the Premier League, ending up 10 points behind fifth place, the last qualifying spot for the Champions League. Even so, there remains a somewhat complicated way in which the Blues could qualify for the next edition of the most important club tournament in the world.
According to UEFA's performance-based spot system, leagues that achieve the best results collectively can earn an additional place for the Champions League. That is, sixth place could qualify if the Europa League winner finishes in the top five places of the Premier League.
In short, Chelsea would depend entirely on Aston Villa being crowned champion of Europe. The Midlands team is currently in the fight to take the trophy to its cabinet and is also among the top five in the Premier League, so if that happens, the spot would go to sixth place (only four points behind Chelsea).
However, Villa must overcome an adverse 0-1 scoreline against Nottingham Forest to qualify for a hypothetical final in which they would have to face Freiburg or Braga, two rivals that have proven to be very strong in the current Europa League season.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's interim manager, Calum McFarlane, downplays the mathematical calculations in the league and stated that he is focusing on the club finishing the season as strongly as possible. He mentions that his priority is to improve the team's performance, not to calculate scenarios.
REUTERS"Yes, I know the group," he said, according to Football London. "I have known them for a long time, and they are very motivated. They want the best for themselves and for the club, and we will do everything possible to win every game we have left this season.
"We are only thinking about tomorrow's training and analyzing the match. We will look for the causes and ensure a better level to face Liverpool in five days. I don't look at the big picture, only at the present and seize the moment."
It goes without saying that even if Aston Villa performs excellently and becomes the Europa League champion, Chelsea must still reach sixth place, which is four points away (Bournemouth), while Brentford and Brighton are also ahead.
The fight for European competitions is enormous. Everton, Fulham, and Sunderland are breathing down Chelsea's neck, and they have no margin for error. They must overcome numerous rivals and hope that Villa does its homework and allows them to qualify for the next edition of the Champions League.
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