Chelsea handed major Champions League blow as £37m former player comes back to haunt them, Mauricio Pochettino is to blame

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Chelsea have seen their chances of qualifying for the Champions League for next season take some major blows over the past few weeks.

The drop in their own form has contributed to them now being outside the top five of the Premier League with just six games left to go.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
3	NewcastleNewcastle	33	18	5	10	62	44	18	59
4	Man CityManchester City	33	17	7	9	64	42	22	58
5	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	32	17	6	9	51	38	13	57
6	Aston VillaAston Villa	33	16	9	8	53	47	6	57
7	ChelseaChelsea	32	15	9	8	56	39	17	54
8	B’mouthBournemouth	33	13	10	10	52	40	12	49
9	FulhamFulham	32	13	9	10	47	43	4	48
10	BrightonBrighton	33	12	12	9	53	53	0	48

Results have not gone their way ahead of the West London derby with Fulham, with Manchester City and Aston Villa picking up victories.

Enzo Maresca is under pressure, and is not coming into the game with form on his side. They recently lost their 100% record in the Conference League this season with an embarrassing 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw.

Chelsea supporters have continued to aim their frustrations at the manager as well as their players. The European defeat saw fans turn on goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

The most devastating blow of Saturday’s Premier League games came at Villa Park, with a player who used to perform at Stamford Bridge inflicting the wound.

Villa’s 4-1 win over Newcastle saw them leapfrog the Blues in the table, with former defender Ian Maatsen putting his side in the lead in the second half.

Maatsen joined Villa for £37m last summer, and has enjoyed far more minutes this season than he was getting during his time at Chelsea.

The Blues have been left with just one option in the left-back position this season, with Renato Veiga leaving the club in January just six months after joining.

Mauricio Pochettino to blame for Maatsen’s exit

It was Mauricio Pochettino who was in charge of the club when the Dutchman was given his chance in the Chelsea first team, however minutes were not coming his way frequently.

The former manager decided he wanted to play Maatsen in a more attacking role, seemingly not trusting his ability to defend.

It was reported that Pochettino believed Maatsen was too small to make the impact he desired, with him moving on loan midway through last season to Borussia Dortmund.

While he may not have been in for regular minutes under Maresca, the Blues could be about to pay the price for letting their academy graduate leave.