Looks like it's been an uncharacteristic struggle for you guys of late, especially when you take into account the way your season began.

It would seem though the EPL is out of your reach and some outside of your club believe Carlo/Roman are focusing on the FA Cup & CL.

I certainly thought that the your £71m purchase was Roman's intention to go for another concerted tilt at the CL.

My questions is can you guys keep your top 4 status? Scum are keeping pace with you and Scousers are hot on your heels.

I have to say it makes a refreshing change to see my team have swapped position and being spared the hassling questions like the battle for fourth spot.... Has Arsene finally lost the plot?.... Arsenal going backwards.

You get the picture....

Welcome mate, hope you manage to outlast most of the wind up merchants that only join here when their team is doing better than ours...

As to the rest of the season in my opinion we'll be ok and up to yesterday I still had an out side hope of catching UTD and yourselves, had UTD lost Yesterday and we got three points tomorrow a 7 point gap with two games against them and 12 games left for me was not impossible, a lot depends on how well Torres settles and if a partnership with Drogba starts to pay dividends...its possible we will end up playing one main striker but the thought of the two of them working well would certainly be reason enough to expect a decent points tally in the remaining games.

I think the CL is in Romans mind as always and again any chance we have in that competition is reliant on that front pairing hitting some form, Barcalona look untouchable and it will take something special to evict them from the competition, good luck with that.

I'm not too worried about holding on to a top four place and have every confidence we will, I think we will hit a bit of a run but obviously hope its sooner rather than later.

three points behind the Spuds and five ahead of the scousers with a game and two games in hand respectively while being five behind city again with two in hand is not as scary as a lot would have you believe, surely the January signings will help us kick on enough even if they don't slot in well enough for us to threaten the top two.

Thanks for the welcome and I'll try to avoid anyone trying to get me banned ;)

To be honest I don't hold too much hope beating Barce.

Thanks for the welcome and I'll try to avoid anyone trying to get me banned ;)

To be honest I don't hold too much hope beating Barce.

Its certainly a big ask, but you have to stay optimistic, whats the point of watching your team get to these stages and then giving up hope? I feel the same about our league position and CL expectations and you just have to try to enjoy it whatever happens.

I don't think you'll find many on here trying to get you banned, its just a matter of a bit of respect and as long as you don't expect to slag everything Chelsea off there is no reason why you won't get on fine, I myself welcome opposition fans input its just most usually quickly change from people you can have a reasonable debate with to name calling idiots...judging by your Champagne Charlie Avatar I doubt you fit into the young kids mould that I would imagine most of that sort of stuff comes from.

My thoughts are along the same lines as Chippy's. Whilst there is a mathemtical possibility I am not giving up on the league however there is no denying it is as likely as Mikel scoring a hat-trick (even on Hackney Marshes in a five a side game).

If we had taken 3 ponts off Liverpool then I do think we would have back in the mix however losing was a major blow and I think the players know it.

However top four is crucial and the players will be aware of that as they won't want to be doing what Liverpool have been doing this season and playing against the baker and candlestick maker on a Thursday night. For that reason I am still confident we will finsish top four. I actually think we will be top three as I think City will drop to fourth.

If Barca play the way they did last night Arsenal will have a chance however if you play your usual game you might find yourself picked apart. Obvious to say that Fabregas's performance will be key as you are vulnerable when he doesn't play or has a quiet game.

We certainly can finish in the top four, but will we? .... that's the big question. Finishing 5th or lower obviously means we'd have to win the Champions League to qualify. A tough ask at the best of times, but not beyond the realms of possibility by any means

Failure to qualify for next season's Champions League might be the end of the world, but it will certainly be a major setback, not least financially. Obviously, the loss of revenue and loss of status would hit us hard, even though it could be argued that no Champions League to worry about next season (would we really be bothered about the Eurpopa League?) would make the Premiership title a hell of a lot more straightforward.

Fortunately for us, it's still in our hands. Last week was a must win and we blew it, which just makes tomorrow's game that much more of a must win. We've still got to play Tottenham and Man City at home.

Thanks for the welcome and I'll try to avoid anyone trying to get me banned ;)

To be honest I don't hold too much hope beating Barce.

Hello, welcome to the forum. Regarding the Barca game, this might be a good time to play them considering they dropped points at the weekend and apparently Puyol is injured. That's probably about as vulnerable as this Barca team is going to get...

In theory we should finish in the top four. Carlo has to decide on his strongest starting XI now we've incorporated Luiz and Torres into the squad. As long as we don't get any more injuries, there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to hit a little run of form. Although anything could happen of course. I'm sure you'll join us in wishing the Spuds nothing but malevolent ill-will.

We'll finish in the top four easily enough; amazing how the maggots come out of woodwork whenever we have a bad result. Torres' disruption of a winning formula for the one game isn't the end of the world; he'll gel (so will Luiz) and we'll be back on track. 'Liverpool hot on our heels'? -played two games more and 5 points behind? - I don't think so. Spuds are the only worry- but a faint one.

Remember- we have to play United home and away yet.

At worst we'll finish third- and as the pressure's off- maybe we can have a decent pop at the Champions League this year. We won't be meeting Arsenal at any point though.

Gonna sound like a maggot but it might not be as easy as a lot of people think. It's not just one game, we haven't been playing top four football for a long time. It's only the very early season wins keeping us in the hunt right now.

If you transpose the results over the last twenty games over the games that are left we finish 5th. If you transpose the results over the last ten? 5th. If you transpose the results over the last six? Yep, 5th.

It's only if you look at our results over the last four that we move into the top four.

I know I make it sound bad, but if we keep the recovery going that we had in the three games pre-Torres, or return to the untouchable form we had for the first six games, we're in. Anything else isn't good. All of the games left are important, but how vital are those two home games against The Spuds and Citeh?

Gonna sound like a maggot but it might not be as easy as a lot of people think. It's not just one game, we haven't been playing top four football for a long time. It's only the very early season wins keeping us in the hunt right now.

You're right.

We haven't really excelled since early season and that's somewhat worrying. The goals have dried up significantly (although pre-signing Torres we banged in 8 in 2 games if I'm not mistaken?) and we're not playing like anything more than a 3rd/4th/5th placed team. I think it's gonna be more challenging than some will admit to come 4th, especially considering we've gotta play United twice.

That said, Spurs have been lucky of late, that's gotta run out soon especially when the CL resumes 'cause they're not particularly used to massive mid-week fixtures and then backing up in the PL at the weekend.

The top 8 as it stands:

Man Utd 26 57

Arsenal 26 53

Man City 27 49

Tottenham 26 47

Chelsea 25 44

Liverpool 27 39

Sunderland 27 37

Bolton 27 36

The four remaining games against Spurs, City and United (2) are of paramount importance, obviously.

Edited February 14, 201115 yr by GaryWalsh

Done some quick predicting... how we could miss out on 4th if form doesnt dramatically improve ....

Our remaining league fixtures:

Chelsea v Man Utd - we'll draw at best

Blackpool v Chelsea - should win it, probably end up 3-3 though

Chelsea v Man City - probably lose

Stoke v Chelsea - winnable, but probably a draw

Chelsea v Wigan - win

West Brom v Chelsea - win

Chelsea v West Ham - draw

Chelsea v Tottenham - draw (at best)

Man Utd v Chelsea - lose

Chelsea v Newcastle - win

Everton v Chelsea - draw

gives us 17 - 20 points.

Spurs fixtures

...looks much easier, maybe considering their form:

Blackpool v Tottenham - win

Wolverhampton v Tottenham - win

Tottenham v West Ham - draw possibly, but more than likely a spurs win

Wigan v Tottenham - win

Tottenham v Stoke - win

Man City v Tottenham - lose

Tottenham v West Brom, win

Chelsea v Tottenham, - draw

Tottenham v Blackpool - win

Liverpool v Tottenham - draw

Tottenham v Birmingham - draw

21 - 24 points

Man City:

Man City v Fulham - win

Man City v Wigan, - win

Chelsea v Man City - draw (at best)

Man City v Sunderland - win

Liverpool v Man City - draw

Man City v Tottenham - draw

Blackburn v Man City - win

Man City v West Ham, - win

Everton v Man City - draw

Man City v Stoke - win

Bolton v Man City - draw

23 points

I am not saying this will definitely happen, of course I cant predict the future... but it looks somewhat realistic to me..

Edited February 15, 201115 yr by Zola

Done some quick predicting... how we could miss out on 4th if form doesnt dramatically improve ....

Our remaining league fixtures:

Chelsea v Man Utd - we'll draw at best

Blackpool v Chelsea - should win it, probably end up 3-3 though

Chelsea v Man City - probably lose

Stoke v Chelsea - winnable, but probably a draw

Chelsea v Wigan - win

West Brom v Chelsea - win

Chelsea v West Ham - draw

Chelsea v Tottenham - draw (at best)

Man Utd v Chelsea - lose

Chelsea v Newcastle - win

Everton v Chelsea - draw

gives us 17 - 20 points.

Spurs fixtures

...looks much easier, maybe considering their form:

Blackpool v Tottenham - win

Wolverhampton v Tottenham - win

Tottenham v West Ham - draw possibly, but more than likely a spurs win

Wigan v Tottenham - win

Tottenham v Stoke - win

Man City v Tottenham - lose

Tottenham v West Brom, win

Chelsea v Tottenham, - draw

Tottenham v Blackpool - win

Liverpool v Tottenham - draw

Tottenham v Birmingham - draw

21 - 24 points

Man City:

Man City v Fulham - win

Man City v Wigan, - win

Chelsea v Man City - draw (at best)

Man City v Sunderland - win

Liverpool v Man City - draw

Man City v Tottenham - draw

Blackburn v Man City - win

Man City v West Ham, - win

Everton v Man City - draw

Man City v Stoke - win

Bolton v Man City - draw

23 points

I am not saying this will definitely happen, of course I cant predict the future... but it looks somewhat realistic to me..

Manu and Arsenal are way ahead of us...considering ManU win Title and Arses to maintain 2nd spot......we can be in only if Citeh or Spuds drop out of current Top 4...

We have home fixtures against both these teams...we are unlikely to win both these fixtures if we go by our current form....

City play Everton and Scousers away and Spuds at home

Spuds have to play Arses home and City away and a tricky one against Blackpool.

If they happen to drop points in these above mentioned fixtures and we are able to win crucial ones(ManU twice ) in that.....we can get into Top 4.

But Looking at the way we play....I say be prepared for the worst case scenario.

We could be looking at a 6th p[lace finish if Liverpool continue their improved run of form.

This could be a disaster of a season.

After last night I cannot see us finishing in the top four. It is likely that the next time we play Spurs will be 5 points clear, as they haev Blackpool. My god this season is truning out to be a nightmare.

Zola , great job posting the fixures list .. chelsea playing this way , you sound practical with your predictions ...

We better prepare ourselves for the worst .. Financially it will be a big problem .. we can't attract players .. and the list goes on ....

When someone started a similar thread by december , I was laughing inside thinking guys are stretching too far with their imaginations .. what is happening at CFC ?

We need insider information on what happened really !

Edited February 15, 201115 yr by sizzler85

we shouldn't be surprised as we have seen the results ourselves, but this article really hammers home how bad we have been by showing the league table if the season had started in November:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8325404/Chelsea-would-be-10th-in-the-Premier-League-if-the-season-had-begun-in-November-scoring-less-than-West-Brom.html

we shouldn't be surprised as we have seen the results ourselves, but this article really hammers home how bad we have been by showing the league table if the season had started in November:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8325404/Chelsea-would-be-10th-in-the-Premier-League-if-the-season-had-begun-in-November-scoring-less-than-West-Brom.html

That really says it all. pull your finger out Blues!

Carlo Ancelotti's side have endured a torrid time since Ray Wilkins left the club in early November

Yet another "it's all fallen apart since Wilkins left" article that neglects to mention the defeat at Anfield, or any of the earlier dodgy performances.

we shouldn't be surprised as we have seen the results ourselves, but this article really hammers home how bad we have been by showing the league table if the season had started in November:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/8325404/Chelsea-would-be-10th-in-the-Premier-League-if-the-season-had-begun-in-November-scoring-less-than-West-Brom.html

That is scary reading ............and should be blown up and pinned everywhere in Cobham and the changing room at the Bridge a very clear message as said above pull your finger out boys

It doesn't exactly need spelling out that our form since November has been worse and more prolonged than the run of results that got Scolari the sack. Ancelotti himself expressed his surpise at not getting the sack a few weeks ago. I think the players and management are away of the seriousness of the situation. The big question that remains is what should be done about it?

The only solace I take from the disaster that has befallen us since October is that this club can survive a finish outside of the top 4. We will be equipped to do it financially, but the problem is attracting the players to make us better. Arsenal, Man Utd, City and Scum will all do that. How many great players can we pull in by offering a chance at a redemption season that might get us back to Europe? Or will we be signing the likes of Mireles or Poulsen like the dippers.

Again, I hate to be the one to look a gifthorse in the mouth, but 50 million pounds was alot to spend on one player, when it couldve have improved us at 3-4 positions across the park. Management recognized there was a need to spend and that was great. But to paraphrase Zidane, they went for a new coat of paint on the car when the engine needed work.

We had a terrible patch from mid-Nov to mid-Jan in particular. However even allowing for our last 2 games we have 10 points from our last 5 ( 2 points per game) thanks to a mini revival just before that. If we reproduce the sort of form we showed against Sunderland we should be able to maintain an average of 2 points or more a game I think. However that is a big IF and probably relies on Carlo quickly finding a good blend with the new squad. The 2 most important fixtures remaining are Spuds and City at home. If we win both of those I'd say we have an excellent chance of finishing top 4. Lose both and we are in for a struggle.

Rumours around that theres severe unrest in the squad , probably complete bollox but theres cause for concern . We have just completely fallen apart since Wilking left , so i can see reasons why people are asking questions on the departure of Wilkins and our current situation.

And uncle Ray got the sack on November 11. Maybe last year's double and the good early season form was down to Ray and what we're seeing now is Carlo on his own.

I sort of agree with you Tim, though don't think Carlo is useless without him, probably more that they had a unit together. Good managers have a management team or assistant Manager and feel this is where we have never recovered since Ray, as Carlo is left with.. well not much back-up on things. I am definitely in the 'things took a turn when Ray went' camp. I reckon Carlo and Ray brought unity in the dressing room, support from players and we could see that in our play, of course there is always going to be a few bad results, but we had a level of consistency.

Who to blame? There is no way in the world these same players that steamrollered teams and happily won a double can suddenly play like Sunday League. Players like Drogs, Malouda, Lampard etc have dipped form, but these are quality international players, so they are missing something from the training ground and dressing room, and it could be that figure that they use to see daily working alongside Carlo.

I feel sorry for Carlo, clearly a great manager who's hands must of been tied while his assistant, who he worked with at Chelsea from day one, was told they wouldn't give him another contract. Di Matteo or Zola filling Ray's role would be great, but I doubt it will happen. I think this is what has been lacking through our bad run. Maybe one man running the team is too much and he needs more help.

Do we blame certain people on the board? The same board that shelled out 75 million in a day after years of not spending. That isn't the answer to recent problems.

If Carlo doesn't get good back-up alongside to fill that hole, the only option is to get another manager, cause unfortunately for Carlo, I don't think he can handle it at the moment and he certainly isn't getting too much help by any designated assistant given by the club. The last thing I want is for Carlo to go, but I can't see any way out of it unless some sort of unity comes about again.

The Champions League will be a crucial time!