Paul Merson on Chelsea: Champions League has to be target for Blues next season

6 May 2024, 13:52 | Updated: 10 May 2024, 07:51

In his latest column, Paul Merson explains why Chelsea must be back in the Champions League next season...

Merse also discusses why West Ham may rue letting David Moyes go, his worries for Tottenham's lack of Plan B under Ange Postecoglou, and sympathises with Arsenal who he believes will lose out in the title race despite having done "nothing wrong".

Champions League has to be target for Chelsea next season

Chelsea haven't been consistent enough. They've been good in the cups - that's what sometimes happens when you're a young team.

They're doing well at the moment, fair play, and they're right in the race for Europe. For me, they've got to get in - they've got into a final, a semi-final, they were bang unlucky in both, and it could turn out to still be not a bad season.

But they'll have to go and buy players, and not sit and think that they got it right all along. No, they haven't. They're miles off Man City and Arsenal. You've got to look at the all-round picture.

They've got to bring in experience in the summer. It looks like Thiago Silva's going, he's their main experienced player.

So they've got to add to that, you need that if you want consistency when things aren't going too well, and they can just calm it down a bit. They probably need an experienced centre-half to take Silva's place, and they could do with another centre-forward too.

They want to be getting into the Champions League next year, surely. So they've got to start bridging the gap to Arsenal and Man City.

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This is Chelsea, not a run-of-the-mill team. Chelsea are used to winning things, they want to win stuff - not finish fourth in the league like Tottenham wanted to do, and celebrate about it.

I can't see how Poch isn't in charge next season, though nothing surprises you. I haven't thought they should ever get rid of him, he's a good manager. Individuals don't win anything, and as long as they can keep sorting that out and keep playing as a team now, they'll be alright.

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I'd have kept Moyes - we've seen this happen before

West Ham have got to be careful what they wish for. Moyes has pulled up trees there, won a European trophy. Solid seventh, eighth, ninth, top half of the table again.

I'm not saying it'll happen overnight, what happened to Charlton, but I remember many years ago when I played their fans were asking to get rid of Alan Curbishley, saying it was boring, middle of the table, they wanted to kick on.

They've never been seen since. This manager is top, top drawer. They won a European trophy! It's just madness.

I wouldn't have got rid of him in a month of Sundays. You'll get West Ham fans coming back, saying this and that, throwing every stat in the world. But I'll just throw you the biggest stat of them all. He. Won. You. A. Trophy.

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I don't care all about this entertaining football, we don't play that well, we should be doing better with these players. They won a trophy! You look at Arsenal, they're unbelievable and they could end up with nothing.

Arsenal have done nothing wrong - and they're still not going to win the league

I said before, Fulham was the only game which could trouble Man City. You look at it at the moment, what chance have Tottenham got? What chance have West Ham got? This is the only game.

Fulham were at Brentford last week and got a 0-0. But the moment Man City score, you can't see Fulham netting two or three. Hopefully they'll make it a hard game, but I said a while back when Arsenal lost to Aston Villa, I didn't give them a chance.

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They've done great to stay in there, if I'm honest. They haven't done anything wrong, bar one game against a team who are a good side - but can't win a game now! This is why people go on about playing for big clubs - this is the difference, everyone wants to beat you.

Since then, Villa have hung on against Chelsea, got turned over by Olympiakos and then been beaten by Brighton.

Fulham's the last-chance saloon. If they win that game, it's over.

Ange can't afford a repeat season next year

I've said before, it's not going to be the same next year for Tottenham. This is one of those situations where you look at it and go yeah, free hit, free hit, it's a lot better than last year.

But there's no way they're having this next year, getting beaten by four and five, having no Plan B. That's what's happened though.

Everyone's jumped on the set plays. He'll be working on them - the man's a good coach. But every time they let in a goal from one now, they're in trouble.

Everybody loved him, the press loved him, everyone did unless you were an Arsenal fan. Now everyone's jumping on him.

I like Ange, don't get me wrong. For a neutral, he's brilliant. If you're a fan, I'm not so sure. It's easy to live with that philosophy when you're manager of Celtic. 'We're going to go out and play front-foot football.'

You can't do that at Tottenham. No disrespect, but you can do that at Celtic. If you open the game up there, you have a shot, we have a shot, you win the game. It's not the case at Spurs.

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You've got to be cute, that's why people like Mourinho and Conte went in and played the way they played. They could've gone in and played like that, weighed it up and said they'd win a lot of games - but in the big ones, you'd get rinsed.

He's got to change next season. Tottenham fans are getting restless already; their season ranks on stopping Arsenal winning the league now. You can't keep on living like that, and the players have got to stand up as well.

Maddison's come back from injury, he hasn't touched the ball. It's not just the manager, he did have injuries, but you can't just keep on doing what you're doing. I like him, I like the way they play, but it's no good if you're a fan.

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