With only six games remaining in 2015-16, there is still a lot to gain and a lot to lose in the Premier League.
But in what would have otherwise been a title deciding fixture between Chelsea and Manchester City, both teams are nowhere near the league leaders, with the reigning champions struggling in 10th position and the Sky Blues in fourth place – 15 points behind leaders Leicester City. While the hype behing the game might not be as significant as we would have hoped, there is still something for both teams to fight for.
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Chelsea
Guus Hiddink stepped in as manager after the club sacked Jose Mourinho in December and has since provided a much needed steadiness to the team. The Blues were unbeaten from December up until last week, when that 15 game unbeaten run in the league ended at Swansea.
It has been a long and hard season for the South Londoners. They started as reigning champions but seemed to have lost their way ever since the first week. There is still hope for them to finish in a Europa league spot, but that is long shot now as they have to not only win their remaining games, but also depend on the teams above them to drop points. Apart from challenging for a European spot, Chelsea might have a little more to gain from the remainder of the campaign.
They have a number of young players who will be vying for a chance to get some first-team action. Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore have already impressed when given the chance and Chelsea must look to provide more youngsters with opportunities to gather some vital experience under their belts. Their youth teams have been impressive in recent years, but none of those players have managed to break into the first-team. It could be the best time to test these developing names out in the final few outings.
In their final run, Chelsea will still be challenged as they are yet to face title chasing Leicester City and Tottenham, along with Liverpool and Manchester City. It certainly would not be easy, but if the Blues do manage to perform well in these games, they might just be able to sneak into Europe next season.
Manchester City
Fresh off an impressive quarter-final win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, City now turn their attention back to the Premier League. Although they have won their last two domestic games, the Sky Blues had won only three of last 10 prior to that. While they have virtually no chance of winning the league now, there is still that coveted Champions League spot to fight for. They are now in fourth position, four points clear of the nearest team below them (Manchester United) but they are yet to play Arsenal, Southampton and of course Chelsea in their final six games. It will take a real fighting effort if they are to manage a top four finish.
With a couple of weeks until the Champions League semi-final, Manuel Pellegrini must also ensure that he keeps his players fit. City have had a quite disastrous season in terms of injuries and the Chilean manager undoubtedly will be wary of that. Raheem Sterling and Vincent Kompany are the key players on the sidelines at the moment, but are close to returning. They face three league games before returning to Champions League action and Pellegrini will have to give players like Sterling and Kompany some minutes if they are to return to full action, while also resting some of his other players.
Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero and David Silva have been at the helm of City’s recent run of impressive performances and considering their past injury problems, it would seem like Pellegrini would look to rest them for the Champions League semi-finals. There is no doubting the Chilean’s experience, but he will have to do well if he is to keep all of his players fit till the end of the season.
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