Emmanuel Petit sends top-four warning to Chelsea with Newcastle lurking
Speaking to Ladbrokes (h/t Metro), the former Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has sent a warning to the Blues and Manchester United that Newcastle United pose a genuine threat to their top-four ambitions.
A win away at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday has put the Magpies up to fourth in the table, on the same points as fifth-placed Chelsea, but with a better goal difference having played a game more.
Graham Potter’s men, despite being unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions since the change in manager, drew their previous two league games, the latter being against direct top-four rivals Manchester United.
Talking about Chelsea’s top-four chances and how Newcastle pose a threat, here’s Petit (h/t Metro):
“I don’t think Tottenham will qualify for the Champions League; I think they’re going to have a difficult season.
“I also think Chelsea have had too many troubles over the last six months or so for anyone to confidently back them to make the top four, they’ve had too many injuries to players and problems off the pitch, so I think they’ll miss out.
“I’ll throw a surprise in there and say Newcastle finish fourth. I can see their owners being active once again in the January transfer window, and they’re not playing in a European competition which will be a massive benefit for them in the latter stages of the season.”
If we look at the bigger picture, Newcastle have no European football schedule to contend with in a crazily tight season due to the World Cup. This might come as an advantage to them as Eddie Howe can rest players between games and rotate if necessary.
For Chelsea, along with injuries and niggles mounting, they have a horrendous schedule till the start of the World Cup. They have been playing games every three or four days since the start of October and will continue to do so till the second week of November.
If they reach the next round of the Champions League, along with domestic cups starting, the schedule post the World Cup isn’t any forgiving either.
So, it kind of makes sense why Petit is choosing Newcastle over Tottenham, United and Chelsea. For the Blues, it is about collecting as many points as possible till the break and then seeing what the situation is like from December onwards. They do look short in midfield with the injury to N’Golo Kante and niggly setbacks to Mateo Kovacic.
Up front, they would need more goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with able support from the likes of Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount.
More Chelsea News:
- Transfer News: Kevin Campbell tips Chelsea to sign Cristiano Ronaldo on loan in January
- Chelsea receive possible encouragement from Frenkie de Jong over a January move
- Report: Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic will push for January exit
Quality-wise, Chelsea should have enough to at least finish fourth in the table. But, given the caveats around this season, nothing is guaranteed.