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Chelsea crashed out of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, losing 8-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16
Liam Rosenior has been left no choice but to put all his eggs in one basket following Chelsea's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the last-16 of the UEFA Champions League. Luis Enrique's side stormed past the Blues over two legs, piling on the misery at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.
PSG enjoyed an 8-2 aggregate victory, leaving Chelsea with little to no choice but to climb the Premier League table. The west Londoners are currently sixth in the English top-flight, and three points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth place.
Although Unai Emery's side may be out of reach, Chelsea could still leapfrog Liverpool in fifth, with just a point separating the two clubs. Despite having been humiliated by the Parisians, Rosenior has been thrown a lifeline that could save his career in west London.
So long as results go in the Blues' favour, on both the domestic and European stage, only the Merseyside outfit will stand between them and a place in the Champions League next season.
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So, with that being said, football.london has looked at how Chelsea can still qualify for the Champions League.
What is the UEFA Coefficient Table?
The UEFA Coefficient Table measures the performance of participating clubs from each European country across the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League. At the end of the season, the two nations which perform best across the three competitions will be awarded European Performance Spots (EPS).
How is the UEFA Coefficient Table calculated?
UEFA calculates which two countries will be given the extra European Performance Spots by adding up performance-based coefficient points, then dividing that figure by the number of clubs from each domestic league who started this season in the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League.
So, Premier League clubs are essentially competing against the likes of those from La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A in a table called the 'association club coefficient'. A win in either of UEFA's club competitions earns a domestic league two points, while a draw earns one point.
Bonus points are also awarded according to where each club finished in their 'group phase' and for every knockout round they reached; these are incentivised based on the competition. For instance, England extended their lead at the top of the coefficient table at the end of last year when five Premier League clubs finished in the top-eight of the Champions League and automatically qualified for the last-16.
So, if England stays in the top two, the team that finishes fifth in the Premier League will qualify for next term's Champions League. Last season, Newcastle United benefitted from the rule, squeezing into Europe's top-flight competition on goal difference.
The coefficient score from the five most recent seasons is also used to rank clubs for seeding purposes; meanwhile, the coefficient score from the 10 most recent seasons is used to calculate revenue distribution.
Will the Premier League get a fifth Champions League spot?
As it stands, yes. Even though Chelsea and Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League on Tuesday night, England still tops the UEFA Coefficient Table by quite some distance, with an average of 23.069 points.
Spain trails in second place with an average of 18.656 points; Germany (18.142) is third, and Italy (17.928) is fourth. Although everything is still to play for, Spanish clubs are effectively 17 wins behind the English, with German and Italian sides 18 victories back.
Four Premier League clubs are still in the Champions League, with Arsenal being the first to secure a place in the quarter-finals. Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest remain in the Europa League, as do Crystal Palace in the Conference League.
Meanwhile, two of Spain, Germany and Portugal's teams were eliminated in the 'group phase' or playoff phase, and three Italian clubs also failed to reach the last 16. So, yes, as it stands, the Premier League currently looks set to earn a fifth Champions League spot.
Chelsea are currently sixth in the English top-flight, so they'd miss out anyway. Although the Blues will be looking to leapfrog Liverpool in fifth, they're closely followed by Brentford, Everton and Newcastle in seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively.
Can Chelsea qualify for the Champions League by winning the FA Cup?
No. The winner of the FA Cup will earn qualification to the Europa League, so long as they do not qualify for the Champions League. If the winners of the tournament do qualify for Europe's top-flight competition then the two remaining spots will fall to sixth and seventh.
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