If Newcastle defeats Arsenal on Monday, Chelsea’s Champions League qualifying may be sealed by the time they face Leicester on Thursday evening.
Even a draw at St. James Park would be enough to seal the deal, especially as Chelsea only needs one more point from their final two games.
If all goes according to plan on Thursday, the last day against Watford will be a dead rubber, something Chelsea hasn’t had in the Premier League since the conclusion of Maurizio Sarri’s tenure. Even if that final day is free of tension, it is unlikely that the mood will be so positive.
Hopes of further trophy have been shattered since the March international break, and a dreadful sequence of league performances has spoiled the taste of a league season that promised so much in the early months.
With the fines imposed on Roman Abramovich, the club was thrown into chaos in late February and early March. The consequent uncertainty about the club’s future will have a significant impact on how this season is remembered.
Even if Chelsea wins both games against Leicester and Watford, giving them their greatest league point total since Antonio Conte’s 2016/17 season, the uncertainty off the field will define a big part of this season.
It’s difficult to say how this uncertainty has affected performance. Nonetheless, the spirit has been dimmed by a reduced Stamford Bridge crowd due to sanctions, which has been exacerbated by dismal results.
Even on the day of a major cup final, you talk to fans. There is a general desire for the season to end.
The torrent of uncertainty and conflicting rumors about the club’s owners has tired brains, and the allure of a revolutionary summer transfer window has at times prevailed over the actual games being played.
Chelsea’s final day match against Watford, who have already been relegated, will be the 63rd game of a demanding season that has seen a slew of injuries and inconvenient scheduling for its close rivals.
If you speak to any fan, they will likely bring up the injury to Ben Chilwell as a sliding doors moment of the season. The baffling stat of Chilwell and Reece James only starting four out of the possible 38 league games together would have been unthinkable last summer after they both starred in the Champions League final.
This, along with other injury disappointments, has fostered the impression that Chelsea’s shortcomings this season can be attributed to bad luck rather than more systemic larger flaws, a position that Chelsea’s new ownership would be foolish to support.
The heartbreak of the FA Cup final did not feel unexpected or out of place with the storyline of recent weeks. Since the shocking defeat to Brentford in April, both performances and morale have been on the decline.
All of the challenges given to Thomas Tuchel and his players in the prior months aided his reputation as Chelsea advanced in the Champions League and FA Cup.
However, a string of defensive breakdowns against weaker opposition earned Chelsea less sympathy as they combined to lose to dreadfully out of form sides such as Manchester United, Everton, and Wolves.
Unless something spectacular happens, Chelsea will qualify for the Champions League for the fourth year in a row, assuring Todd Boehly joins a team at Europe’s top table.
By July, the promises of new energy and faces will have trumped the tiredness felt in the last weeks of the campaign. Tuchel, the players, the fans, and everyone associated with the club want this season to end.
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