'Absolutely': Steve Nicol makes claim about Chelsea finishing in the Premier League's top four this season
The fact that Chelsea currently sit third in the Premier League table means there’s a level of expectancy on them going forward this year.
While Chelsea may have been a bit of an unknown quantity going into the 2024/25 season, their positive start under Enzo Maresca’s management has created a feel-good factor at Stamford Bridge.
As it stands, the Blues are third in the league standings across this international break. Incidentally, their next top-flight match is a trip to Leicester City on 23 November, whom Maresca helped guide to the Championship title last season.
Opta predicts Chelsea are most likely to finish fourth in the Premier League this season. If they get back into the Champions League competition, it’s got to go down as a really successful campaign.
Steve Nicol thinks Chelsea are in pole position for fourth spot
ESPN pundit Steve Nicol admits he’s been surprised by the success of Chelsea in the opening few months of the season. In fact, he now thinks they’re in a great place to secure fourth in the league.
“I didn’t see Chelsea being in the top four. Along with the Man United game, I actually thought Chelsea were the better side at Anfield against Liverpool. That is a real surprise for me,” Nicol told ESPN.
“Even though they’re in third right now, Chelsea absolutely look as though that fourth spot is theirs to grab. Not only because of what they’re doing, but because the teams around them that we expected are very inconsistent.”
Craig Burley insisted this month Chelsea aren’t in a title race, which should be a popular opinion. Instead, their focus needs to be keeping themselves in the top four spots.
Pat Nevin said Chelsea went toe to toe with Arsenal in last weekend’s 1-1 draw, so now it’s all about building on a decent start and keeping up the momentum.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool |
11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 28 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City |
11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 22 | 13 | 9 | 23 |
| 3 |  ChelseaChelsea |
11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 19 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal |
11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 19 |
| 5 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest |
11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 19 |
| 6 |  BrightonBrighton |
11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 19 | 15 | 4 | 19 |
Chelsea have the attacking power to fire them to top four
One reason to be optimistic about Chelsea’s chances of ending up in the top four is their attacking depth.
So far, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer have been firing in front of goal in the league. There’s so many other forwards in the Blues squad that can contribute, though.
Here is a look at the Premier League’s top scorers so far in the 2024/25 season:
| Rank | Name | Club | Goals |
| 1 | Erling Haaland | Manchester City | 12 |
| 2 | Mohamed Salah | Liverpool | 8 |
| 2 | Bryan Mbeumo | Brentford | 8 |
| 2 | Chris Wood | Nottingham Forest | 8 |
| 5 | Cole Palmer | Chelsea | 7 |
| 5 | Yoane Wissa | Brentford | 7 |
| 7 | Nicolas Jackson | Chelsea | 6 |
| 7 | Danny Welbeck | Brighton | 6 |
| 7 | Liam Delap | Ipswich Town | 6 |
from Latest Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/U3AtbNR
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