In poker, the famous phrase used when one decides to take the ultimate gamble by going for broke is called "going all in".
That is exactly what this author believes Roberto Di Matteo must do for the Champions League this season. And forget the domestic league. Here's why.
To qualify for next season's Champions League via the domestic route, Chelsea must at least finish 4th. They will then get a shot to go through to the group stages via a knockout stage. They currently sit 6th in the league with 5 more games left to play. They trail 4th place Spurs and 5th place Newcastle by 2 points. Their remaining fixtures are away at Arsenal (this weekend), at home to QPR and then at home to Newcastle (within a span of 3 days), then travel to Liverpool before wrapping up their season at Blackburn.
Their fixtures look tough and tricky. Arsenal and Newcastle are 3rd and 5th respectively in the league and would be looking for maximum points to ensure Champions League qualification. QPR and Blackburn are embroiled in a bitter relegation scrap and would be fighting tooth and nail to avoid the drop. Then there's Liverpool, whom they would face in the FA Cup final and who are trying very hard to salvage a poor season as well.
The alternative to qualifying for next year's Champions League would be to win the goddamn thing this season. Champions automatically qualify for the next season's edition.
Fixture-wise, they are not too far away. 2 more games remain between them and the Champions League. They have played the 1st leg of the semi-finals against Barcelona and came out with a 1-0 home win. They need a minimum of a draw to go through at Nou Camp. Based on their stoic defensive display in the 1st leg, this does not seem too far a reality. Barcelona will also be careful not to concede the dreaded away goal through a quickfire Chelsea counter-attack (which would count as 2 goals in the event of the aggregate scores being equal) so they may not commit to an all-out attacking strategy. To compound matters further for them, Barcelona face a tough and exhausting el classico against Real Madrid this weekend, where they are chasing Real's slim lead at the top of the La Liga. Barcelona clearly needs to keep an eye on each competition simultaneously.
If Chelsea does manage to overcome Barcelona, they would be facing either Real or Bayern. Both these teams are extremely tough, tactically astute as well as full of class. However, we all know how a game can turn in a span of 90 minutes when the pressure cooker is turned on full.
As such, the 'easier' route to Champions League qualification for next season actually lie in winning it this season.
Hopefully, Roberto Di Matteo realises this. Hopefully, Roberto Di Matteo rests all his key players (read: big, strong, burly fighters) to keep them fresh for the Barca fight. Hopefully, he does so by trusting his 2nd team and Torres to get a result against Arsenal, who are badly missing their injured midfield anchor Arteta, this weekend.
It's time Robbie realigns his priority from the league to the Champions League by going all in. Hopefully, it will pay off.
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