A result in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening has given Chelsea a huge boost in their quest for UEFA Champions League football next season
It's safe to say that things have been an absolute domestic disaster for Chelsea football club of late.
The team have currently lost their six games in the Premier League, dating back until mid March, with just one goal - Joao Pedro's stunning goal on Monday - scored in that time, and a whopping 14 goals conceded.
This run has mathematically ended the team's chances of finishing in the top five - and thus a place in next season's UEFA Champions League - as there is now a ten point gap to fifth place Aston Villa with just nine points still to play for.
However, this does not mean that Champions League football is impossible to secure. Indeed not, as a result of last night's action in the UEFA Europa League.
On Thursday evening, Villa beat Nottingham Forest - who had three days previously battered Chelsea with their B team - 4-0 in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final clash, winning the tie 4-1 on aggregate and setting up a final with Freiburg in Istanbul.
Well, that game has permutations for Chelsea. If Unai Emery's side win the final, and secure a top five finish in the Premier League, the team that finishes in sixth place will qualify for the Champions League.
There is a pretty strong chance of that happening. The Villans are odds on favourites to win the Europa League and have a six point buffer to sixth place Bournemouth. The one worry would be that with the final in mind, they will rest and rotate in the league and fall out of the top five, but there is a strong gap to begin with.
Even if they do finish top five, it will still be difficult for Chelsea to usurp Bournemouth into sixth place, with there currently being a four point gap. Then, if they do, there are still Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion in the way. So, the odds are still stacked against the team.
There is the chance that Chelsea don't even qualify for the Europa League, Conference League or even Europe whatsoever via the league. However, they will be confirmed to have a Europa League spot if they beat Leeds United in the FA Cup final next weekend, so there is something to fall back on.
Perhaps a season in the Europa League would be beneficial. Not quite to the same level as the Conference League season, but it would allow whoever is the new manager to experiment a bit more, and it would give the club another chance at a trophy. There is no way this team would win the Champions League, but the Europa League is certainly possible.
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