The 2-1 defeat at Southampton left Chelsea dangling in fourth, a far cry from table-toppers Manchester United, who are 22 points ahead of the Blues although the FA Cup quarter final showed that the Blues do have the measure of the Red half of Manchester. Chelsea are just two points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal and face a dogfight to secure a spot in next season’s premier competition.

However, Chelsea are still in the hunt for a double, having beaten Man United in the quarter-finals of the FA cup as well as still contesting the Europa League. The drawback of challenging on three fronts means they face an excruciating fixture schedule, playing no less than six times in 16 days.

Playing so many games in a short span necessitates rotation, and Benitez knows all about reshuffling his pack. His time at Liverpool was marked by unnecessary rotation of star players, for which he was widely criticized.

However, his rotation policy is a must, given the Blues’ hectic schedule. Chelsea fans understand that Benitez rotated his pack which culminated in their defeat at St. Mary’s, but where do their priorities lie?

Should they gun for a cup double and play their star players in those competitions? Or should they only focus on a place in Europe’s elite for next season to attract quality talent?

Whatever is your opinion, Benitez is clearly aiming for a trophy since without it many would say his has been a disappointing spell in charge of the Blues. It started with Chelsea missing out on the Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup and there have not been many high points since.

This means their top-four aspirations could be hurt as was the case on Saturday as Benitez looks like he will look to play his best side in the Cups. Arsenal have the easiest of the run-ins for the top teams and could very well secure a place in the top four at the expense of Chelsea. The Blues are yet to face United, Everton, Spurs and Liverpool in the league and their clash against Spurs could determine the final league positions.