Has Benitez ‘rotated’ Chelsea out of Champions League qualification?

The 2-1 defeat at Southampton left Chelsea dangling in fourth, a far cry from table-toppers Manchester United, who are a massive 22 points ahead of the Blues. They are currently sandwiched in fourth, with two points separating them from Spurs and Arsenal, who are third and fifth respectively. With just eight games to go, they face a dogfight to secure a spot for next season’s Champions League.

However, Chelsea are still in the hunt for a double, and face Rubin Kazan in the quarter-finals of the Europa League as well as Manchester City in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The drawback of challenging on three fronts is that they face a excruciating fixture schedule, playing no less than six times in 16 days.

With games coming thick and fast now, rotation seems necessary, and Benitez knows all about reshuffling his pack. His time at Liverpool has been marked by unnecessary rotation of star players, for which he took a lot of flak.

However, his rotation policy at the Bridge has been necessary, given the Blues’ hectic schedule. The Spanish tactician rested several key players for the trip to Southampton, which culminated in their defeat, but his decision was vindicated with their 1-0 win over United in the FA Cup on Monday. But where do Chelsea’s priorities lie this season?

Should they aim for a cup double and play their star performers in those competitions? Or should they strive for a place in Europe’s elite for next season to retain and attract quality talent?

Whatever is your opinion, Benitez will surely be gunning for a trophy, as he would want to put a positive spin on what is surely a disappointing campaign for the Blues. They started the started like a house on fire, and were at the top of the table for the first three months of the season.

It has steadily gone downhill from there, with the Blues becoming the first holders to bow out in the group stages of the Champions League, before controversially sacking Di Matteo, who famously led them to Champions League glory only six months ago. They also missed out on the Club World Cup under Benitez’s tutelage, losing 1-0 to Corinthians in the final.

With Benitez preferring to play his best side in the cups, it means their top-four aspirations could take a beating. Spurs boss Villas-Boas has insisted his primary objective is to achieve Champions League football for the club, and is expected to field his strongest side in the league matches. Arsenal have the easiest of run-ins and could very well secure a place in the top four at the expense of Chelsea or Spurs

It seems like the battle for the last spot could very well be between Chelsea and Spurs, given their tough fixtures and Europa League participation, and their Premier League encounter could go a long way in determining who will play in the Champions League next season and who gets demoted to the Europa league.

Arsenal EPL Fixtures – West Brom (A), Norwich (H), Everton (H), Fulham (A), Man United (H), QPR (A), Wigan (H), Newcastle (A).

Chelsea EPL Fixtures – Sunderland (H), Spurs (H), Fulham (A), Liverpool (A), Swansea (H), Man United (A), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H).

Tottenham Hotspur EPL Fixtures – Everton (H), Chelsea (A), Man City (H), Wigan (A), Southampton (H), Stoke (A), Sunderland (H).