Chelsea's minimal aspiration for the current season is, according to Enzo Maresca, qualifying for the next campaign's Champions League. Well, if you look at the Premier League table at the moment and the Blues' upcoming run of fixtures after next month, you'll see an opportunity for the west London outfit to grow and consolidate a great position. Arsenal, of all clubs, might perhaps be there for the taking at present.
One or two UCL places have effectively opened up for the English capital side. The big six are in a stage of realignment and evolution at present. With Chelsea Football Club once again banging on the door of the most prestigious and desired competition. Maresca and his men aim to give their elite EPL competitors no breathing space whatsoever.
Chels' are a way off Man City and possibly Liverpool right now, however, they can disrupt proceedings and expectations due to unforeseeable circumstances and their own emerging prowess. So, how can the Blues claim third all of a sudden? Is it likely that CFC can enter the CL in 2025/26? And are the Gunners about to endure a tough time in spite of generally being the division's most entertaining outfit for a while now? That is irrespective of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City's supreme dominance.
Chelsea's next sequence of matches isn't easy but offers possibilities if the team has truly grown
If CFC beat Newcastle United and Arsenal lose on Sunday, the former take third place as it stands. The north London side's injuries means those around them could supplant. Victories for Brighton & Hove Albion or Aston Villa does alter permutations.
But it is unlikely the aforementioned pair finish in the top four this term. Meanwhile Maresca and Co. have some difficult outings over the upcoming period, yet the festive and New Year spells are extremely promising for CFC with encounters vs lower table teams galore.
A force to be reckoned with?
Are the Blues a force to be reckoned with again, as under Roman Abramovich? Yes, they are pretty much there in my opinion. Slight EPL progress coupled with the second string side's advancements in the League Cup and the Uefa Europa Conference League shows positive development has occurred under the Italian manager.
Stamford Bridge is not the fortress it once was, though the stadium is not an easy place to come to at this point. Chels have improved on the road under Maresca as well; a visible evolution under the eye test, if not as dramatic statistically. Good times are on the horizon on Fulham Road; how close success is remains uncertain.