Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League took a potentially devastating blow at the weekend when they dropped two points at home to Ipswich Town.
Enzo Maresca came in for criticism from Blues fans as they dropped outside of the top five of the Premier League, the sides who will qualify for the Champions League this season.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 32 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 51 | 38 | 13 | 57 |
| 4 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 31 | 17 | 5 | 9 | 56 | 40 | 16 | 56 |
| 5 |  Man CityManchester City | 32 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 62 | 42 | 20 | 55 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 32 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 56 | 39 | 17 | 54 |
| 7 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 32 | 15 | 9 | 8 | 49 | 46 | 3 | 54 |
| 8 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 32 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 52 | 40 | 12 | 48 |
The manager blamed a variety of factors for the disappointing result. He criticised the atmosphere inside the stadium as well as Enzo Fernandez and Robert Sanchez’s long passing.
While the Blues will almost certainly advance from the second leg of their Conference League quarter-final tie against Legia Warsaw.
Despite this, the feeling amongst supporters has not been lower this season than it is now, with many believing finishing inside the top five is an absolute minimum.
Romeo Lavia returns to Chelsea training
The Premier League form has not really turned around after Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke both made their long-awaited returns from injury. The former is still yet to find the net in 2025.
However, the boss is gearing up for one final boost ahead of the final six league games of the season, as one of his top stars prepares to make his own return.
According to Football London, Romeo Lavia has been training with the first team squad following another setback he suffered a couple of weeks ago.
Chelsea fans were fearing the worst when Lavia’s comeback was delayed, although he could be about to return at the perfect time as far as his head coach is concerned.
Lavia return may impact Reece James
In the absence of the Belgian midfielder, club captain Reece James has found the majority of his minutes in recent weeks come in the central midfield position.
Maresca is a fan of James in midfield, however there have been continual calls from outside to return him to right-back, the position he has played the majority of his career in.
Having Lavia available alongside Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez would complete the trio who many see as Chelsea’s best, and allow the skipper to move back to his strongest role.
The majority of minutes in that position have been played by Malo Gusto, however his underwhelming season should not see him keep James on the bench any longer.
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