ESPN pundit Craig Burley has been discussing Chelsea’s chances of finishing in the Premier League’s top four positions this season.
Chelsea have failed to finish in the top four during the previous two consecutive campaigns, but they’ve made a decent start to the Premier League this term under Enzo Maresca.
As it stands, the Blues sit fourth in the division table after seven games. We expect there to be plenty of competition for the Champions League positions, though.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 7 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 8 | 9 | 17 |
| 3 |  ArsenalArsenal | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 17 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 16 | 8 | 8 | 14 |
| 5 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 9 | 3 | 14 |
| 6 |  BrightonBrighton | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 12 |
Speaking this week via talkSPORT, Darren Ambrose insisted Chelsea have a real chance of a top four finish, especially because they’ve got superstar Cole Palmer in their ranks.
Craig Burley warning for Chelsea
Craig Burley expects Chelsea to be in and around the race for the top four this season, but he’s told them they must fix their defence to be successful. For now, he’s tipping Aston Villa to beat them to fourth position.
When asked if Chelsea will finish in the top four, Burley told ESPN: “Is Villa’s European exploits enough to take the edge off their Premier League season? And Tottenham are so unpredictable at the moment. So they have got a chance, they have a chance, but, they have to sort the defensive side of it out if they are going to do that.
“And I think at the moment you have to say Villa, you know, for example, if we think Liverpool, Arsenal Manchester City in any given order, that’s three teams, there’s one more space, then that fourth spot, and Villa at at the moment are just a better all-round squad.”
The Chelsea defence
It’s fair to point out that Chelsea’s backline is an area for concern in the opening couple of months of this season.
As seen above, Maresca’s side have conceded eight times in seven league games. They’re still picking up plenty of points because of their free-scoring attack, but the long-term answer must be to tighten up defensively.
Chelsea conceded 63 league goals last season under Mauricio Pochettino, so it’s no real surprise the issue has carried over to Maresca.
Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is definitely someone with the spotlight under him. While he’s pulled off some spectacular saves already this year, he’s also produced some howlers to cost the team goals.
As for the back four, we’re enjoying the consistency of Malo Gusto, Levi Colwill, Wesley and Marc Cucurella. It’s worth adding that the latter two are suspended for Chelsea’s trip to Liverpool after the international break.
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