Chelsea have been named alongside Liverpool as one of the two leading Premier League clubs most at risk of missing out on a top-four finish this season.
Former Manchester City and Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne believes Xabi Alonso’s side remain among the strongest candidates for Champions League qualification, but says their position is less secure than Arsenal or Manchester City’s.
Dunne made the assessment while discussing this season’s Premier League top-four race with Football.London.
Chelsea head into Friday night’s meeting with Brentford after an inconsistent opening four league matches, most recently being held to a 2-2 draw by Hull City at Stamford Bridge.
Richard Dunne identifies Chelsea top-four concern
Dunne still expects Chelsea to finish among the leading four sides, but believes both the Blues and Liverpool could come under pressure from the chasing pack.
“Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool are probably the four,” Dunne said, before identifying Chelsea and Liverpool as the pair he considers “most in danger”.
His comments come despite significant change at Stamford Bridge since Alonso took charge.
Chelsea underwent another major squad overhaul during the summer, while Alonso has also had to integrate several high-profile arrivals into a new tactical system.
The Blues have shown considerable attacking threat but have continued to concede goals, with the 2-2 draw against Hull extending their run without a Premier League clean sheet.
That inconsistency provides some context for Dunne’s concerns.
Chelsea face growing competition for Champions League places
Dunne believes the threat extends well beyond the traditional heavyweight clubs.
He specifically highlighted Brighton and Brentford among the teams who could compete towards the top of the Premier League, while Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa were also included among his possible challengers.
That makes Friday’s Premier League trip to Brentford particularly relevant for Chelsea.
Alonso’s side have already experienced the danger posed by clubs outside the expected title contenders this season, with Hull taking a point from Stamford Bridge despite Chelsea twice finding the net.
The current Premier League picture remains extremely early, however, with only four rounds of matches completed.
||||||||||
Team MP PTS W D L GF GA GD
1
Arsenal FC|4|12|4|0|0|8|1|7|
|2
Manchester City|4|12|4|0|0|8|2|6|
|3
Leeds United|4|8|2|2|0|7|3|4|
|4
Hull City|4|8|2|2|0|5|2|3|
|5
Brighton & Hove Albion|4|7|2|1|1|13|5|8|
|6
Chelsea FC|4|7|2|1|1|10|9|1|
|7
Brentford FC|4|6|1|3|0|7|4|3|
|8
Liverpool FC|4|6|1|3|0|6|4|2|
|9
Everton FC|4|6|1|3|0|5|3|2|
|10
Ipswich Town|4|6|2|0|2|7|10|-3|
|11
Nottingham Forest|4|5|1|2|1|4|4|0|
|12
Newcastle United|4|5|1|2|1|7|8|-1|
|13
Manchester United|4|4|1|1|2|7|7|0|
|14
Sunderland AFC|4|4|1|1|2|3|5|-2|
|15
AFC Bournemouth|4|3|0|3|1|6|7|-1|
|16
Crystal Palace|4|3|1|0|3|6|11|-5|
|17
Tottenham Hotspur|4|2|0|2|2|0|5|-5|
|18
Fulham FC|4|1|0|1|3|4|7|-3|
|19
Aston Villa|4|1|0|1|3|1|7|-6|
|20
|4|0|0|0|4|0|10|-10|
Injuries could test Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea squad
Availability could also play an important role as Chelsea attempt to compete on several fronts.
João Pedro’s withdrawal from the Brazil squad through injury has created another fitness concern ahead of the Brentford fixture.
Chelsea must also balance Premier League football with their European commitments and a Carabao Cup campaign which will now include an away fourth-round meeting with Liverpool.
Dunne nevertheless stopped short of predicting that Chelsea will actually miss Champions League qualification.
His projected top four still contains Alonso’s side.
The warning is instead that Chelsea and Liverpool could face greater pressure for those positions than Arsenal and Manchester City if the likes of Brighton, Brentford and Newcastle can maintain strong form.
For Chelsea, the immediate opportunity to strengthen their position comes at Brentford on Friday night.