Newcastle have gained the upper hand over Chelsea following the weekend’s action and Eddie Howe’s side are on track to pip Enzo Maresca’s men to Champions League qualification
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher said he “fears” for Chelsea in their pursuit of Champions League football. However, the former Liverpool defender was more positive when it came to Newcastle United’s efforts to finish in the top five.
Newcastle overtook Chelsea and climbed into fourth place over the weekend with a 4-1 victory over Manchester United on Sunday afternoon. Chelsea had dropped points earlier in the day, trailing 2-0 at home to Ipswich before recovering to draw 2-2.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues sat in second place at Christmas but are now down in sixth. Their run-in isn’t the easiest, either, with a home game against champions-elect Liverpool and away games against two of the teams above them in Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Chelsea finished last season in sixth place under Mauricio Pochettino. That was only enough for a spot in the Conference League, thanks to eighth-placed Manchester United qualifying for the Europa League through their FA Cup win.
This season, the team in fifth will qualify for the Champions League due to English teams’ fine showing in Europe. Chelsea are one of five Premier League representatives across the quarter-finals of the three European club competitions, but Carragher has cast doubt on their ability to ensure they get a shot at the top table next term.
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“It’s a massive blow, that,” Carragher said when asked about Chelsea’s dropped points at home to Ipswich. “It’s not just the two points they miss out on, it’s one of those fixtures that you look at on paper and think ‘that’s a guaranteed three points,’ because Chelsea have got really tough fixtures between now and the end of the season.
“I don’t see them making the Champions League. I don’t see it. I keep talking about connection but you see it with Newcastle and the supporters and players.
“You’ll see it with Forest as well, they’ll still have that, they’ll still be fighting to get their team over the line. I don’t think we see that with Chelsea right now, I don’t think there’s any real connection between the manager and the supporters there… I fear for Chelsea in terms of making Champions League football.”
He was more positive when it came to Newcastle, though. “I think it’s looking like that,” Carragher told Sky Sports when asked if he thought Newcastle would qualify for the Champions League. “They’re on a great run of form, playing as well as anybody in the country right now. Their intensity, the power in the centre of midfield is fantastic.
“Going into that game yesterday, I just didn’t see any way how Manchester United could win that game. There’s a great connection between the [Newcastle] players and the supporters now, especially on the back of winning the cup final, and I think it’s almost a guarantee that they get top five.
“They’ve got the game in hand, Crystal Palace at home in midweek, so if they win that it puts them in a great position, and they’ll have a little eye on Arsenal in second position. If Arsenal certainly continue to the semi-finals of the Champions League, they’ll think ‘they’re within our sights,’ let’s put it that way.”
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