Manchester City has given Chelsea a safety net they should not need

Manchester City’s Champions League ban is rumored to hand fifth place a Champions League spot. It is a safety net for Chelsea that should not be needed.

The ramifications of Manchester City’s Champions League ban will be felt throughout the game for years to come. It still remains to be seen what form it will fully take (if it sticks through an appeal at all), but the rumor is the fifth placed Premier League team will receive the fourth Champions League spot instead of Manchester City.

For every club fighting for Champions League, that just added a new layer to the battle. Suddenly the bar has expanded lower, offering opportunity for the likes of Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanders, Everton, Manchester United and Arsenal. A safety net has been added for the likes of Chelsea, Leicester, and Tottenham.

But the Blues should not need that safety net at all. Yes, the battle for top four has gotten uncomfortably close and no reinforcements arrived in January. But that should not be an excuse as Chelsea has everything they need to finish in the top four as it is.

Before the season started when the ban was expected to be both the summer and winter, many fans believed top four would be a big ask for the club. Those doubts were mostly put aside prior to the November international break as Chelsea created a healthy lead between top four and the rest. But the proceeding months have only chiseled away at that lead, even with rivals faltering just as much as the Blues.

Prior to the Manchester United match, Chelsea’s lead in the top four is down to just a lone point over Tottenham (albeit with that United match as the game in hand). Sheffield United is only one point off of Tottenham, though whether or not they can continue to sustain their form is a relevant question. Wolverhampton, Manchester United, and Arsenal will need to cope with the Europa League. Everton has only the Premier League to worry about as they find their way under Carlo Ancelotti.

The picture will become clearer for the Blues after the next month of matches almost entirely against aforementioned teams aiming for that fifth placed spot. But one thing the Blues have going for them is what they had going for them last season; all of the rival teams are just as stop start as Chelsea.

Every time a rival has dropped points this season, it seems like Chelsea has as well and vice versa. On paper, even with the transfer ban and youth revolution, the Blues have a stronger squad than nearly every team in the Premier League. The early season run of form showed not only that, but also that the Blues can sustain a run once the momentum gets going.

The next month is a rough slate of games that could make or break the season. But the run in after the March international break is kind to the Blues. It is highly likely that Chelsea will only have to worry about the Premier League and maybe one other competition at most at that point. Rival clubs may be in a similar boat but top to bottom Chelsea is better equipped to deal with that.

Chelsea has everything they need to finish in the top four. Even though it would have been an accomplishment at the beginning of the season (and still would be all things considered), it can still be an expectation at the same time. The safety net of fifth place is nice to have just in case, but the Blues really should not need it if they play to their abilities.