By mid-season, Chelsea had emerged as Liverpool’s main rivals for the Premier League title, defying expectations under new manager Enzo Maresca to climb up the table.
Chelsea even had the opportunity to take the top spot in mid-December, but over the past three months, Maresca’s team has slipped to fifth in the Premier League, trailing leaders Liverpool by 21 points. ..Continue Reading
This decline has frustrated Chelsea fans and put Maresca’s job under scrutiny. However, securing a spot in the Champions League and winning the Europa Conference League would still satisfy the Stamford Bridge faithful.
Achieving a top-four finish and a trophy would allow Chelsea to salvage their season, but they face stiff competition for the former.
Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Bournemouth, and Brighton are all vying to join Liverpool and Arsenal in the Champions League next season.
Stamford Bridge legend Terry believes that qualifying for the Champions League is the ‘minimum’ expectation for Chelsea, one of the world’s biggest clubs.
‘Is the Champions League, still a possibility? Who knows,’ the five-time Premier League winner told DR Sports.
‘We’ve showed signs this year of being a really young squad I think. And I say that in terms of performances where you see a really good spell, then we’ve come off of it lately.
‘It was always going to be one of those seasons for me, even when we started well I thought we’d have a little bit of a drop off and we have done that.
‘Listen, Champions League has to be the minimum every year for me. When you’re playing at a top club like Chelsea the mentality has to be Champions League football year after year.’
After assessing Chelsea’s season, Terry was asked to pick out the three players who have impressed him most at Stamford Bridge this campaign.
‘Well, Cole [Palmer] sticks out straight away,’ he added. ‘And I think Enzo [Fernandez] has been very good.
‘Noni [Madueke] as well, I think, has done well this year, he’s done a lot better and been really direct.’
Three defeats in five league matches has left Chelsea outside the top-four places with 11 games left.
Discussing the team’s form, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly recently said: ‘December was peak but, eight weeks out, things are a little different now.
‘If you look at the foundations being built, new management team, new academy leadership, sporting director leadership and player mindset.
‘All that’s there and now it is about cultivating the development of the team. You are always going to try to get better.’
