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It is one of the most-exciting sub-plots of each and every Premier League season as the clubs that have missed out on the title challenge push for a lucrative place in the UEFA Champions League. With Manchester City set to serve a ban from European competition next season, the additional place has offered an opportunity for a couple of unlikely candidates to step into the breach. Here’s a closer look at the credentials of those challenging to compete in Europe’s premier club competition.
#1 Chelsea’s youth and exuberance
Frank Lampard faced a huge challenge when he took charge of his beloved Chelsea last summer. With just a season of managerial experience behind him, his decision to accept a job that could prove to be the pinnacle of his coaching career showed just how much belief the former England midfielder has in his own ability.
A transfer ban came at a time of transition for the club, and while the situation suggested that Lampard could not lose, it also questioned if he could realistically succeed under such confines. However, as a player himself Lampard was thrust into the spotlight at West Ham United as a prodigious teenage talent, and his own experience has been crucial in bringing the best out of young players like Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Mason Mount, and most recently, the exciting Billy Gilmour.
The faith shown in youth is a far cry from the traditional transfer approach of the Roman Abramovich era, and while there will be investment in the squad in the future, the excitement generated by the production of these youngsters has shown a need to continue to invest equally in the youth system. For years, Chelsea boasted one of the strongest youth teams in Europe, but failed to promote players through to the senior squad.
It has taken someone like Lampard to show Chelsea’s hierarchy that there is another way, and the fans at Stamford Bridge have more than embraced this new era. Too many big signings of the past have failed to produce under the weight of expectation and the revolving door of the manager’s office, and if this new direction in recruitment can bring Champions League football this season, Lampard’s faith will be vindicated in what would be an incredible debut campaign.
But there is more to Chelsea than just youth and exuberance, and the balance with the experienced members of the squad is credit to the work that Lampard has produced in a short period of time. His status at the club was always likely to allow him sufficient time to take the club forward, and the enforced transfer ban would have bought him more time if a step backwards had first been necessary. However, just as he did as a player, Lampard has exceeded expectations, and Chelsea are benefiting from his talent for a second time.
#2 The arrival of Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United have made too many headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years, and with Ole Gunnar Solskjær now moving into the second year of his tenure, he has lasted longer than many of his critics believed he would. The biggest contributing factor in their recent revival has been the signing of Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder has brought a confidence and belief to the home changing room at Old Trafford, and he could be a deciding factor in the club earning a Champions League place.
It was the surprise Champions League victory over Paris Saint-Germain last season that ensured Solskjær would take charge of the club on a permanent basis, while it was his heroics as a player in the 1999 final of the competition that elevated him to the position of his previous caretaker role. The Champions League is a defining competition in the history of the club, and it has shaped the careers of individuals like Solskjær who have played a key role in their European success.
Fernandes settled into life at Manchester United from the very first day he arrived. He carries no baggage, and the negative headlines usually reserved for fellow midfielder Paul Pogba have now been replaced with positivity surrounding the exciting new man in the middle. The feel-good factor that has been missing has finally been found through his creative and attacking contribution to the team, and he is the one figure who can inspire the club to reaching the Champions League in a season when their city rivals will be restricted to domestic competition only.
Qualifying for the Champions League will be a pivotal moment for Solskjær in his managerial career at the club, and he has assembled not only a squad that can help him achieve this aim, but also grow into it next season should the opportunity arise. However, balancing the demands of domestic and European competition against the very best of the continent will be his toughest challenge to date, and will decide just how equipped he is to succeed at a club of this magnitude.
#3 Brendan’s bravery
Claiming the Premier League title with Liverpool may have eluded him, but Brendan Rodgers is on the verge of delivering Leicester City’s return to the Champions League. His team showed all of their attacking attributes in the 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Monday evening, and the confidence that Rodgers has instilled in his side in contrast to his predecessors at the King Power Stadium is testament to his man-management style.
As a manager, Rodgers has never been an advocate of playing conservative football, even when it appears that the odds are stacked against his teams. Although Leicester City were surprisingly crowned Premier League champions in 2016, they have struggled to shake-off the inferiority complex that has been allowed to develop within the squad since that time. Rodgers has brought back confidence to the team that has seen them push boundaries in the Premier League this season, and the prize of Champions League qualification edges ever closer.
And just like the Premier League glory of 2016, an important figure for Leicester City this season has been striker Jamie Vardy. Few other forwards at the very highest-level have an appreciation for the status that comes with his career, having begun in the non-league pyramid system. Some observers may have thought that his powers were on the decline when he announced his international retirement, but the additional rest from the occasional international break has served only to lengthen his time at the very top.
Having a second shot at the Champions League will be a source of inspiration for Vardy, and will make up for the disappointment of the season that followed their title victory. Former manager Claudio Ranieri failed to make it through another campaign, and the devastation that followed the death of club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha has made life difficult for everyone who celebrated success with him just a few years ago. Following a difficult couple of seasons, Leicester City appear to be back on the right track under Rodgers, and he will embrace the opportunity to compete in the Champions League as much as anyone.
#4 The outside bets
Sheffield United went into their return to the Premier League as favourites for relegation, but manager Chris Wilder has defied the odds to put his side in contention for a Champions League place. Qualification for the Europa League would have been beyond the wildest dreams for the majority of Blades fans last summer, but the approach from Wilder has shown that there are more ways to win football matches than to throw money at the biggest names.
There is a raw honesty about Wilder’s Sheffield United team that is representative of the city and the people that form their community. Their approach has embarrassed a number of bigger clubs and big-name players and managers, and their achievements alone have asked questions of their rivals across the Premier League. A Champions League place remains unlikely, but they have already shown this season that anything is possible at this unique club.
Meanwhile, Wolverhampton Wanderers are currently experiencing the challenge of balancing domestic and European commitments as their Europa League campaign continues. Nuno Espírito Santo has been a welcome addition to the Premier League since leading Wolves to promotion, and the ambition that pushes the club forward does not appear to have peaked with what has already been achieved. With financial support behind them, Wolves can achieve more under their manager, and Champions League qualification is the next step in this process.
To qualify for Europe’s premier club competition, Wolves need to finish above the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, and it is a situation few pundits could have pictured so relatively early into this project. However, the demands of European football this season could ironically affect their chances of reaching the biggest stage next season, but winning the Europa League offers a second chance for the club should they fail to make it through the traditional channel.
#5 More misery for Mourinho
Considering the weak way that Tottenham Hotspur limped out of the Champions League against Red Bull Leipzig on Tuesday night, a break from the competition next season could actually prevent José Mourinho from suffering the same embarrassment again next season. Injuries to key players have inevitably affected the form of Spurs in recent weeks, but their recent results and performances are not reflective of the quality that is still available to the controversial Portuguese boss.
The new stadium and the appointment of Mourinho was intended to take the club forward into a new and exciting era of domestic and European success. The sad reality of the situation is that that Spurs under Mourinho are currently a shadow of the team that Mauricio Pochettino took to the Champions League final last May. The early enthusiasm that he brought to the job appears to have already wavered, and the season cannot end quickly enough for Spurs as the aura of his negativity spreads around the club.
There is always next season, but while they are desperate for the return of Harry Kane, failing to qualify for the Champions League could see the striker depart for a club competing against Europe’s best. The investment into the project at Spurs means that mediocrity will not be tolerated at the club for too long, and Mourinho will know that he is already under pressure to turnaround a concerning run of poor results and performances under his command.
The Champions League is a competition that has defined Mourinho’s career to date. From his initial success with Porto in 2004 that elevated him to prominence within the European game, to emulating his success at Internazionale in 2010, the Mourinho of today cuts a very different figure. While the desire may remain, the character and emotion that portrayed it at his professional peak now takes on a very different guise, and the Mourinho that Spurs appointed last year is not the same Mourinho they actually need to take this project forward.
