Paul Merson tips Chelsea to finish in the Premier League top four this season

Chelsea v Everton - Premier League
Chelsea v Everton - Premier League

Former Arsenal player Paul Merson believes Chelsea are in "pole position" to finish in the Premier League's top four and qualify for next season's Champions League.

Chelsea are currently on a run of nine games unbeaten in the Premier League. The Blues are yet to lose under Thomas Tuchel since he replaced Frank Lampard.

Chelsea's form has seen them climb up in the Premier League table in recent weeks. The Blues are currently in fourth, two points ahead of fifth-placed West Ham, and just three points behind third-placed Leicester City.

Many considered Chelsea's defense to be a major weakness and it was a thought to be a big concern for the club's hierarchy. However, the Blues have managed to keep nine clean sheets in their 11 games under Tuchel.

Thomas Tuchel's side are on a great run and secured back-to-back wins over Liverpool and Everton last week. However, Merson believes that the job is not done yet.

"Chelsea are now in pole position to finish in the top four after a big week of results, but it is not a foregone conclusion. They have to keep producing right until the end of the season," Merson wrote on his BBC Sport column.
"There are not too many concerns about injuries at the moment. They have a really good squad and we've seen it utilised in the last few weeks by Tuchel. Kante and Mount were rested on Monday, Olivier Giroud is on the bench and Tammy Abraham is not even getting a look in. It's far from job done, though. They need to keep this run going because we've already seen this season that things can change very quickly."

A few clubs continue to apply pressure on Chelsea for a Champions League spot

Chelsea v Everton - Premier League
Chelsea v Everton - Premier League

Despite being on a stellar run of form, Chelsea must continue to churn out victories in the Premier League to create distance between themselves and the chasing pack, according to Merson.

"West Ham keep winning and Tottenham are flying again. It's lucky Chelsea have been on this brilliant run and are in the position they are in because otherwise, they'd have been out of it."

Chelsea will face Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday, and then switch focus to the Champions League where they face Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their round of 16 tie.

Quick Links

Edited by Alex Turk