Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes Chelsea have a better chance of clinching Champions League qualification this season than his former club Manchester United.
Mauricio Pochettino‘s side secured their third win of the campaign against Burnley at the weekend and, when asked where the Blues could finish in the Premier League table, Neville said:
“Chelsea I think [can] probably [finish] nearer to it [top 4/5] if they could just go on a run because they have got some really talented young players, their age is a lot better than Manchester United’s squad.”
The Blues have certainly looked more likely to go on the run recently, having racked up 2 wins in a row but you would be hesitant about calling them genuine contenders for a Champions League place at the moment.
The table doesn’t lie
Pochettino’s men are six points adrift of 4th place Liverpool at the moment, and we are only eight games into the season.
The key for Chelsea is consistency. They have certainly shown signs of life in recent weeks but you need to see them performing well over a long period, rather than just a couple of matches.
Chelsea have a tough run of fixtures after the international break
The Blues’ Champions League credentials will be tested soon enough, as they face 2nd place Arsenal in their next game on Saturday week.
They then take on Brentford at home (which won’t be an easy match), before fixtures against Tottenham (away), Manchester City (home), Newcastle (away), Brighton (home) and Manchester United (away).
If the team can get through those 7 league games unscathed then there will be plenty of justification for talking about finishing in the top 4/5 come the end of the campaign.
