Chelsea: Winning the Europa League must be the focus for Maurizio Sarri as top four chances slip

Chelsea: Winning the Europa League must be the focus for Maurizio Sarri as top four chances slip
Chelsea are not guaranteed to play Champions League football next season and only have themselves to blame for that.Against Burnley on Monday night, the Blues had the perfect chance to capitalise on their top-four rivals Easter weekend slip-up, but failed to seize the initiative, drawing 2-2 at Stamford Bridge and have now played a game more than Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal.4

Chelsea failed to beat Burnley on Monday

So, while Chelsea have been making hard work of securing a top-four spot for next season, they have reached the semi-finals of Europes secondary competition unbeaten and virtually unscathed.MOL Vidi, Malmo, Dynamo Kiev and Slavia Prague to name a few, have been the opposition for Chelsea en route to the final four and the only time the Blues looked remotely troubled was when they suffered a familiar second-half collapse to concede twice against Prague in the quarter-final. While the Europa League has become more of a distraction than a reward for many of the teams from major footballing nations, lacking the glamour and reputation of the Champions League, it has proved to be a welcome relief at times for both Maurizo Sarri and his players this season.After Chelsea were humiliated by Manchester City, 6-0 back in February, the players quietly slipped away to Sweden and regrouped to beat Malmo 2-1 and more comfortably than the scoreline suggests.And it was the same opposition who helped restore a paltry amount of pride, when Chelsea were dumped out of the FA Cup by Man United.When Wolves left Stamford Bridge with a well-deserved point, the Europa League was once again a shoulder to cry on, as Chelsea emphatically beat Kiev out in Ukraine.4

Chelsea have been untroubled in the Europa League this season

In the process, Chelsea have equalled Atltico Madrid’s competition record of 15 games unbeaten to give themselves an excellent chance of reaching the final, with many believing it will be an all-English affair against Arsenal, but first they must get past free-scoring Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt, which should be straightforward enough, after all the Blues do have the competition’s top scorer in Olivier Giroud.Hyperbole of course, but they should be given credit for taking the Europa League seriously and such is its reputation as inferior and mainly for teams with modest aspirations, Sarri has taken no chances and was right to do so such is there inability to secure a spot in the Champions League via their domestic league.Though many will question the standard of opposition, it can also be argued that Chelsea have saved some of their best performances this season for Thursday nights.4

The competition has been a welcome break from domestic action at points this season

The next three fixtures for Chelsea in the Premier League are by no means an easy one, Man United away on Sunday, followed by a home clash with FA Cup finalists Watford and a final-day meeting at Leicester and such is the unpredictability for which Chelsea have shown this campaign, there is the chance they could win all three as easily as they may lose them.The Premier League is the most competitive in the world and, while City and Liverpool aside have been exceptional, the chasing pack of United, Arsenal Chelsea and Tottenham have all lacked the consistency to match them, let alone nail down a top four spot.4

Chelsea will hope to reach the final and then enter the Champions League as a result

The other incentive to reach the Champions League would be to avoid a nightmare scenario, which would mean the team who finishes sixth, will have to begin their Europa League campaign in the qualifying rounds on July 25.Chelsea potentially have six games remaining this season, should they reach the final and that game will easily be their most important of 2019.Win that and they will have salvaged what has been a underwhelming season in west London.

---

Liverpool's Guinean midfielder Naby Keita will miss the rest of the season after sustaining an injury in Wednesday's Champions League semi-final clash with Barcelona. The 24-year-old was forced off midway through the first half in Camp Nou with what is understood to be a groin injury.
Naby Keita ruled out of Champions League final - Read Liverpool

---

Rafael Benitez has hit back at criticism surrounding his decision to prioritise Newcastle's survival bid over the FA Cup. A section of the club's fans have condemned the Magpies boss for fielding a weakened line-up when his side were held 1-1 at home by Blackburn in the third round.
Benitez defends his decision to prioritise Premier League

---

Manchester United news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer tells Alexis Sanchez to get out of his seat after the forward was forced off through injury Written by: fpnews Posted on: January 6, 2019 Alexis Sanchez had the awkward moment of being told by his manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, to get out of his seat after being substituted in Manchester United's
Manchester United forward Alexis Sanchez did something Ole

---

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been urged to sign Norwegian teenage sensation Erling Haaland. The 18-year-old shot to fame on Thursday after he scored NINE goals in a single game
Man Utd news: Solskjaer hints Roy Keane's criticism of United

---

The January transfer window is well underway and it's set to be a busy month for clubs in the Premier League. Leaders Liverpool are keen to add to their squad to aid their title push while the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are trying to improve their top four hopes.
Transfer news LIVE: Chelsea in Hazard to Real Madrid update

---

NewsNow aims to be the world's most accurate and comprehensive Manchester United news aggregator, bringing you the latest Red Devils headlines from the best Man United sites and other key national and international news sources. Whether it's the very latest transfer news from Old Trafford, quotes from an Ole Gunnar Solskjaer press conference
Manchester United team news: How Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side

---

Last season, aged 38, Brown was playing in the Indian Super League for Kerala Blasters, who were coached by former United man Rene Meulensteen. Dimitar Berbatov also played for them.
Man United brimming with confidence after perfect January

---

Man City manager Pep Guardiola asked about Kyle Walker deleted tweet mocking Liverpool FC. The Manchester City manager was asked about Kyle Walker's tweet mocking Liverpool after their 1-1 draw
Pep Guardiola plays down significance of Kyle Walker tweet

---

Everton have launched an investigation after reports England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was involved in a street brawl. A video posted on social media allegedly shows the England player in the middle of a late night scuffle in Sunderland. It was captured hours after the 25-year-old had watched his
Everton FC investigating reports Jordan Pickford caught up in

---

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has revealed new signing Denis Suarez went in to train alone at the club's training ground on Monday as he looks to get up to speed following his loan move from Barcelona.
Arsenal news: Unai Emery provides hopeful transfer update on

---

Porto vs Liverpool FREE live stream: How to watch without paying extra plus TV channel, kick-off time and line-ups It's another huge night of Champions League quarter-final action this evening By
Portugal vs Switzerland live on talkSPORT: Full commentary

---

Football clubs around the world with the most academy graduates in the Premier League in 2018/19 by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 22 May The Premier League is home to stars from across the globe. In 2018/19 the division had seen representatives from 109th different nationalities of the 207 affiliated with FIFA.
Football clubs around the world with the most academy

---

Sadio Mane plays down Real Madrid transfer link and insists

---