A lot has been made about how Chelsea’s lack of European football could have been the key to their success this season.

The benefits of being in the Champions League to a club as a business and to a player are well documented, the huge financial rewards and chances to test yourself against the best are almost unparalleled in football.

However, the ramifications of being in Europe are also just as well documented, especially if a club finishes in the Europa League places the season prior.

Players can often become burnt out and tired by the constant run of games and travel, meaning their league performance and standing suffers as a consequence and the prospect of being back on the continent for the next season seems far away.

With Antonio Conte having inherited a side which finished 10th in the Premier League last season, there have been no such issues for the Italian in his maiden season in English football.

The lack of continental competition has meant that the former Juventus and Italy manager, who is well versed in having to balance a side in order to compete in a schedule where there can often be two or three games in a week, can field a settled, comfortable and full strength eleven each gameweek in the Premier League.

Whereas those within the Champions League or its little brothers, such as Tottenham or Southampton, had to rotate and, at times, saw their league form slip as a consequence.

However, not only has it been a help to Antonio Conte that he has not had to rotate his side too much this season but Europe’s blue riband competition has been helping in another manager.

Whilst the west Londoners seem to be putting more and more daylight between themselves and the chasing pack on a weekly basis, those within said the pack are getting caught up in their own mini league.

With five sides all battling to ensure that they are in one of the three Champions League places left behind the Blues, Conte’s side could almost be left to get on with things at their own pace.

With such top managers having been brought into the big roles in the Premier League over the last year, it almost seems unfair that two of the ‘big six’ will be missing out each year, however, that is the case and, as they scrap to make a top four spot their own, little pressure is being put on Chelsea.

Few fans at Stamford Bridge would have expected to be in this position given their finish last season, however, whilst their woeful campaign meant that there would be no Champions League excitement in west London this term, the competition is still having quite the impact on their season.