Rosenior was disappointed with the defeatplaceholder image
Rosenior was disappointed with the defeat | AFP via Getty Images
Chelsea may be set for a double blow after their disappointing defeat to PSG.
Chelsea may well have shot themselves in the foot, and not just because they are halfway to exiting the Champions League at the Round of 16 stage. The Blues looked as though they would take PSG back to Stamford Bridge with a draw having levelled at 2-2 at Parc des Prince, but everything went downhill after a Filip Jorgensen mistake led to PSG’s third.
A Reece James error followed, and Chelsea collapsed to a 5-2 defeat, leaving their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals in pieces.
It’s going to take a famous comeback at Stamford Bridge for Chelsea to progress, and the result adds to a theme of the Blues coming up mightily short against the very best teams.
But their defeat to PSG over two legs, should it happen as expected, could have two-fold impact on Chelsea’s season. That’s because Liam Rosenior’s men are currently pushing for Champions League qualification in the Premier League.
A win over Aston Villa last time out saw them close the gap to third and fourth to three points, so they are very much in the mix, but their hopes of being able to finish fifth and qualify for the Champions League have been damaged this week.
In the current European model, two leagues are awarded an additional Champions League spot based on the best two performing countries across all European competitions in that season.
Currently, the Premier League leads the way with 22.51 coefficient points, ahead of Spain with 18.03 and Germany with 18.
But this week’s results mean the race is likely to get much closer. Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham are both three goals behind after their respective first legs, while Liverpool trail Galatasaray by one goal.
Arsenal are level with Bayer Leverkusen, but you would expect them to win at home, while Newcastle United are drawing with Barcelona, but they must go to Camp Nou for the second leg.
In all likelihood, only two Premier League teams will remain in the competition going into the next round, while there is also Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Europa League, as well as Crystal Palace in the Conference League.
Spain are likely to see three of their clubs progress to the quarter finals of the Champions League, while Real Betis and Celta Vigo are still in the Europa League. Rayo Vallecano are in the Conference League still.
As for Germany, Bayern Munich will progress in the Champions League after a 6-1 first leg win, while Leverkusen’s hopes are pinned on a big away performance at Arsenal, but Stuttgart and Freiburg in the Europa League and Mainz are still in the Conference League.
The Premier League - and indeed Chelsea - may well be relying on the Europa League and Conference League teams to pull their weight, unless they can get one or two teams in the Champions League final.
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