Chelsea beating Middlesbrough takes the club a step closer to European qualification and the chance for more new faces to get their chance under Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea took a huge step toward securing European qualification as they smashed Middlesbrough in the League Cup semi-final to win 6-2 on aggregate. It was a top performance from plenty of the club’s players, in particular from left-back Ben Chilwell and summer signing Cole Palmer, who enjoyed a brace and.
The winners of the League Cup this season are rewarded with qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League next season. Chelsea have somewhat recovered their league form, winning their last three games which means they are now just four points off sixth spot.
The Conference League is often looked upon rather disparagingly by many supporters due to the its standing amongst UEFA’s competitions, although West Ham supporters might argue differently having enjoyed a famous win in the final last season. That said, it could provide the Blues an opportunity of not only a trophy but the chance to develop their young squad without the risk of Premier League pressure.
Oppositions in the first stage of the tournament will be heavily weighted toward Chelsea being an overriding favourite and therefore the investment in so many young stars from abroad could finally get some experience for their parent club rather than going on loan. Chelsea have already recalled the likes of Cesare Casadei – who played plenty of games for Leicester – Andrey Santos and Diego Moreira.
Others from the youth side like Omari Hutchinson, Harvey Vale and Deivid Washington could also see a pathway to more senior minutes. However, there is always the chance that the spending spree in West London continues making that route to senior action all the more difficult.
Chelsea will face Liverpool in the final who are almost certain to finish in the top four of the league, if not win it in its entirety. If they do and were to beat Chelsea in the League Cup final the Conference League qualification spot would fall to seventh place in the table if a top five finisher also wins the FA Cup.
That said, with sixth place in the league looking to have true potential for Mauricio Pochettino to target and the likes of Manchester United, Brighton and West Ham in their way, their recent form would perhaps see few bet against them pushing for it come may. Although Chelsea have some very difficult remaining fixtures such as trips to Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa still to come.
For now Pochettino will be taking each game as it comes with the next a tricky FA Cup clash with Aston Villa but a chance to knock out a potential favourite considering Unai Emery’s side’s strong form this campaign. This is followed by a visit to Anfield in which Liverpool play both Chelsea and Arsenal in the space of five days.
