"The manager is cooking up something" – Micah Richards makes confident claim on where Chelsea will finish this campaign

Ex-Manchester City star Micah Richards has insisted that Chelsea will miss out on a top four spot in the 2024-25 Premier League standings.

Last season, the Blues won all five of their final league matches to seal a sixth-place finish. They ended the term on 63 points from 38 outings.

Now, Chelsea are set to begin a new era under ex-Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino earlier this June.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Richards asserted that the west London outfit will again fail to secure UEFA Champions League qualification. The 36-year-old elaborated (h/t TBR):

"I'm thinking [that they will] just miss out on the Champions League. I think the manager is cooking up something. In the pre-season, they were trying to play out even when they were conceding. It's a bit dangerous but they were having a bit more confidence."

Richards, who helped Manchester City lift the title in 2012, concluded:

"If they can keep [Ben] Chilwell fit this time, I just think they have a better squad than they had last year. I'm going to say [that they will] miss out on the Champions League but get Europe."

Chelsea, who registered one win in six pre-season games, will take on Manchester City in a home league encounter on Sunday (August 18).

Chelsea star opines on tough debut season

Speaking to club media, Chelsea attacker Christopher Nkunku claimed that he endured a difficult time last season. The 26-year-old remarked:

"To be honest, I don't have the feeling I had a first season here. It was very difficult. I played just a little bit. Some minutes here, some minutes there. I was very frustrated all the season. Last year, I didn't have one moment in the season where I can say I felt good."

Nkunku, who left RB Leipzig for around £52 million last July, continued:

"After my knee injury, I didn't feel like I now do. I had my knee, then my hip, then a muscle injury in a row. It never stopped. That's why I was very frustrated. The most important thing now is to be ready to work and to be happy in myself. I wasn't happy for one year, so the most important thing is to be happy."

Nkunku, whose current contract will run out in June 2029, has bagged three goals in 14 matches across all competitions for his current club.

Prior to joining the Blues, the Frenchman contributed 70 goals and 56 assists in 172 overall outings for RB Leipzig between 2019 and 2023.