Former Manchester City star Nigel de Jong has claimed that Arsenal and Tottenham could both finish this season in the top four at Chelsea’s expense. The Blues’ shock 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened Everton on Sunday has seen them slip back into the Champions League race.
Arsenal battled to a 2-1 win at West Ham and Spurs also saw off Leicester on Sunday. The weekend’s results left the third-placed Blues just three points clear of the Gunners in fourth and five ahead of Antonio Conte’s side.
All three teams have four games remaining but Chelsea are in the worst form, having won just two of their last six Premier League games. And De Jong believes the west London outfit are at risk of finishing outside of the top four if they don’t arrest their recent slump.
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"They [Arsenal] closed the gap on Chelsea. You cannot forget that. We all thought Chelsea had secured their place," De Jong told beIN Sports. "It’s not undoable also for Tottenham, no? Five points is the gap with Chelsea. They need to get some points on the board, or it’s not looking good for them."
The Blues should have enough to get over the line, with a tricky looking trip to relegation-threatened Leeds on May 11 the only real cause for concern in their remaining fixtures. They will also benefit from the fact that Tottenham and Arsenal will meet in the north London derby the following day.
Chelsea will hope to get back to winning ways when they host Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, Spurs face a daunting trip to title-chasing Liverpool later in the day.
Arsenal will fancy their chances of winning their fourth successive game when they welcome Leeds to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
