Chelsea News: The Blues will need to pick up as many points as possible if they are to still make the top four despite a possible points deduction on the horizon
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Chelsea's next five Premier League games could prove to be pivotal in deciding their top four fate, especially with the threat of a points deduction looming in the far distance.
Thursday, March 10 will not be remembered in a fond way for fans of the west London club as their owner of 19 years has been sanctioned, meaning Chelsea Football Club are frozen as a result.
If no compromise was to be made in the next 80 days or so, it has been reported that the club could even go into administration and face a points deduction if worse was to come to worst.
Thankfully, the team on the pitch ended the day on a high note with their convincing 3-1 win on the road against relegation fodder in the form of Norwich City.
Goals from Trevoh Chalobah, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz gave Chelsea fans some respite on a rather difficult day with more of these type of days projected in the near future.
"I think we were only relieved because of the game. We played a fantastic first half and were 2-0 up, but we played the second half as if we were three or four-nil up," Tuchel reflected in his post-match press conference.
"It is never decided in the Premier League at 2-0. We were high enough in control in the first half but the opponent changed things up and were stronger. They had nothing to lose, took more risks and we struggled, we conceded and it was a tight one.
"Everybody needs to know it is never over and you need to take care of it better. That's the relief in the end, I think, in general. It is not about the situation because the situation might change again tomorrow, but it won't go away."
With everything taken into account, football.london has compared the Blues' next five Premier League fixtures to their close top four rivals.
Chelsea welcome Newcastle United on Sunday to Stamford Bridge in a game that is highly anticipated by many, especially considering the Toon's improving form.
Eddie Howe's side managed to overcome Southampton on Thursday night courtesy of Bruno Guimaraes' world class finish and come into the game against the west London club with nothing to lose, having moved away quickly from the relegation dogfight.
Howe himself has been speaking about the Abramovich situation and doesn't reckon it will have an affect on how the Blues perform on the pitch.
He said via the Northern Echo: "I can only answer in terms of the football, and I don’t think it will have any bearing on Chelsea and how they play.
"For us, it can’t change our preparation in any way.
"I’ve been watching Chelsea historically, and I’ll be trying to build a game plan to go there and win. I don’t expect anything on the pitch to be any different really. In terms of the wider impact, it’s difficult to know."
Tuchel's side ran away 3-0 victors at St James' Park in October courtesy of a Reece James inspired performance and he will certainly be hoping for a repeat come kick off at 2:00pm.
After respective action in the Champions League and FA Cup, the current third-place side may well have a new owner by the time they take on Thomas Frank's Brentford outfit on April 2nd.
The Bees have been in wretched form since their tight 1-0 loss in the reverse fixture at the start of this current campaign, but their win against Norwich in their most recent outing may spark a new lease of life for the Premier League newcomers.
Maybe even Christian Eriksen can do something in SW6 like he used to do when he was playing for Spurs.
On Saturday April 9, Tuchel's men travel to Southampton in what is expected to be an exciting game between the two German managers.
Southampton currently are going through a rocky patch with their 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Aston Villa and their most recent defeat against Newcastle fresh in their minds,
Chelsea will certainly hope the Saints' recent form continues ahead of their clash at the start of next month.
Timo Werner was imperative to the Blues gaining all three points in the reverse fixture this term.
The following weekend, Chelsea are set to travel up to Yorkshire to play Jesse Marsch's struggling Leeds side.
Leeds haven't quite responded yet to the new management style of March just yet, as shown in the Lilywhites' recent defeats to Leicester and Aston Villa respectively.
Nonetheless, a trip to face a long-term English rival is never an easy task, so Chelsea will certainly be in for a battle against a side who need all three points in this one to help ease their relegation woes.
With a reduced capacity, Tuchel will need the fans to help spur the team on to enact some kind of revenge on an opposition who defeated them earlier this season.
David Moyes' side ran out 3-2 winners at the London Stadium in what turned out to be a forgettable day for the Hammers.
Edouard Mendy will be looking to right the wrongs of what happened in Stratford when he has the opportunity to face up to his mistakes in that specific contest.
Brighton (A)- Saturday, March 12
Arsenal (A)- Wednesday, March 16
Watford (H)- Saturday, April 2
Man City (A)- Sunday, April 10
Aston Villa (A)- Saturday, April 16
Leicester City (H)- Sunday, March 13
Liverpool (H)- Wednesday, March 16
Aston Villa (A)- Sunday, March 19
Crystal Palace (A)- Monday, April 4
Brighton (H)- Saturday, April 9
Tottenham (H)- Saturday, March 12
Leicester (H)- Saturday, April 2
Everton (A)- Saturday, April 9
Norwich (H)- Saturday, April 16
Arsenal (A)- Saturday, April 23
Man United (A)- Saturday, March 12
Brighton (A)- Wednesday, March 16
West Ham (H)- Sunday, March 20
Newcastle (H)- Sunday, April 3
Aston Villa (A)- Saturday, April 9
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