Chelsea are now six points off the Champions League places, and with just 10 games remaining, time is running out. Liam Rosenior, though, is adamant that Chelsea's minimum target is to finish in the top four.
The Blues' 2-1 away defeat to rivals Arsenal last weekend has made them outsiders to finish in the top four.
And Wednesday night will see the side take on Aston Villa in a match that will have major implications in the race for Europe.
Unai Emery's side are six points ahead and Chelsea's failure to close the gap would surely see them miss out.
But Liam Rosenior isn't throwing the towel yet. In fact, the 41-year-old won't settle for anything less than top tier European football next season.
Liam Rosenior demanding Chelsea qualify for Champions League
Determined to finish the season as strongly as possible, Rosenior, who knows time is against him, has set the Blues an ambitious target.
Speaking to the official Chelsea website, Rosenior believes anything less than a top four finish could not be considered a 'successful' campaign.
"A successful season for this club has to be to qualify for the Champions League. It has to be. That’s the level that this club is. So, where we are, we still have a very, very good chance of achieving that.
To win a trophy would also be amazing; it's something that's achievable. It’s funny because this week was the first time we’ve trained with the white balls – and that’s normally a sign we’re into that period of the season.
When those white balls come out, you can't make the mistakes we've been making because we're running out of time. That's the message my staff and I have given the players."
Having failed to win in the Premier League since their 3-1 victory over rock bottom Wolves at the start of February, Chelsea must end their winless run when they travel to Villa Park later on Wednesday.
Everything hinges on the next three games
It isn't just the Premier League that Rosenior has his eyes on though.
The fixtures are coming thick and fast for the Blues. The side are competing on multiple fronts, including in the FA Cup and Champions League.
The side play Wrexham on the weekend in the FA Cup fifth round before travelling to the Parc des Princes for a mouth watering Champions League Last 16 first leg against holders PSG, and Rosenior has made his feelings known.
" I don't look at it that way. I want to win every game I play. That sounds very cliché and generic, but it's true. I want to win every game we play. That's why we're here at this club.
So no matter what the competition, no matter what the starting line-up, no matter what the opposition, whether it's Arsenal away, Aston Villa away or Wrexham away, we want to win and we expect to win every game we play."
The team are entering a crucial period. There is no more room for error because by this time next week, the Blues' season could be all but over.