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LONDON — Chelsea remain in pole position to claim fourth spot in the Premier League and a return to the riches and prestige of the Champions League next season.

However, a slump in form from Frank Lampard’s men has left the door open for Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal to secure a much-needed return to Europe’s top competition, while Wolves and Sheffield United are also aiming to reach the promised land for the first time.

AFP Sport looks at all six sides’ ambitions heading into the final 15 league games of the season.

Chelsea — 39 points

The Blues still have a five-point cushion, but should already be out of sight for the chasing pack.

Chelsea have won just four of their last 11 league games, a poor run that includes defeats to Bournemouth, West Ham, Southampton, Newcastle and Everton.

Arsenal at home on Tuesday is followed by Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United, giving them the chance to finally pull clear, but it could also hand those behind them another lifeline.

Man United — 34 points

United’s challenge for the top four will depend largely on what business they do before the end of the January transfer window.

Top scorer Marcus Rashford will be out for at least six weeks due to a stress fracture in his back, while long-term injuries to Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay have already left the Red Devils light in midfield.

United have what looks like the most appealing fixture run-in for the final seven games after the March international break.

However, they have to ensure they are still in the running by then with Wolves, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham and Sheffield United all to come before Rashford returns.

Wolves — 34 points

Wolves’ stunning fightback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at in-form Southampton on Saturday reignited their Champions League challenge, which had stalled in recent weeks.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men face Liverpool in their 40th game of the season on Thursday and a short squad could well run out of steam, particularly as they return to Europa League action next month.

But as they proved in beating Manchester City twice and running Liverpool close with a much-changed side last month, Wolves are a match for anyone on their day and go to Stamford Bridge on the final weekend of the season in what could be a winner-takes-all clash for fourth.

Sheffield United — 33 points

Most Blades fans would have settled for survival in their first top flight season for 13 years, but United manager Chris Wilder demands much more of his players.

Wilder has led the club up from League One to seventh in the Premier League and was scathing of his side’s performance for most of Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Arsenal.

Another daunting task awaits when City visit Bramall Lane on Tuesday, but even Pep Guardiola is a big fan of Wilder’s ways.

“If you can improve watching other games and other teams and other managers, then this is the one,” said the City boss.

After City, a run of games against Crystal Palace, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aston Villa, Norwich and Newcastle could propel Wilder’s men further up the table.

Tottenham — 31 points

Spurs are almost back to where they started under Jose Mourinho as early optimism and an upturn in results has fallen away in recent weeks.

The loss of Harry Kane for potentially the rest of the season is being felt in a lack of goals, with Mourinho’s men taking just two points from their last four matches.

A return of 31 points from 23 games is 20 less than at the same stage last season.

Spurs have grown used to Champions League football over the past four seasons, but there has been little evidence from Mourinho’s first two months in charge that they will put together the sustained run needed to overhaul his old club Chelsea.

Arsenal — 29 points

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted the trip to Stamford Bridge is a must-win to maintain any hope of a top-four finish.

The Gunners’ performances have improved since the Spaniard took charge last month, but they have won just one of five league games under Arteta.

1-1 draws with Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Sheffield United have been symbolic of what has held Arsenal back this season.

Other than Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, a lack of clinical finishing at one end has been compounded by consistent errors from an unsettled defence.

MADRID — Quique Setien may want a different Barcelona but he needed the same old Lionel Messi on Sunday as the Argentinian gave his new coach a winning start by scoring in a 1-0 victory over Granada.

Messi’s strike in the 76th minute decided a cagey contest at the Camp Nou and prevented the much-anticipated launch of Setien’s new era becoming something of a damp squib.

Victory also sends Barca back to the top of La Liga on goal difference, after Real Madrid had briefly claimed first place following their win over Sevilla on Saturday.

“I have seen many things from the team today that I want to see,” said Setien. “But I already saw some of them against Atletico [last weekend] because Barca has been doing great things for many years.”

It would have been different if Granada’s Yan Eteki hadn’t struck the post with just over 20 minutes left or their central defender German Sanchez not been sent off for a needless second yellow card soon after. 

The extra man was the boost Barca needed and Messi duly poked home his 17th goal in 21 games this season following good work by Arturo Vidal, Antoine Griezmann and the 20-year-old Riqui Puig. 

All three had reasons to impress, particularly Puig, whose inclusion on the bench was an early indication of Setien’s belief in youth. Puig’s contribution after coming on should mean more opportunities are to come.

Setien said last week that if he could make one guarantee, it was that Barcelona would play good football while he is in charge and although few could argue this was a transformative display following the sacking of Ernesto Valverde, there were certainly some encouraging signs.

The passing was faster, the pressing higher and Messi spent most of the match playing down the middle, with Griezmann on the left and Ansu Fati, another youngster, on the right.

Slick Barca dominate

Setien claimed on Saturday he would never go home happy after winning and playing badly but a 1-0 victory gets his tenure off to a positive start and, with Real Madrid showing no sign of stuttering, he could hardly afford anything less.

His team had 83 per cent possession in the first half but chances were not as clear-cut and, as it was under Valverde, nearly everything went through Messi. 

His driving run teed up Fati, who shot over, and then a cutting reverse pass set Alba away but Fati failed to finish at the back post. 

Messi won the ball back on the ground and then nipped past two players. He flashed wide at the end of a fluid team move and missed from two free-kicks. 

Barca were slick, evidently trying to pass faster and press with more aggression. Messi and Sergio Busquets chased and Griezmann did too, at one point earning the approval of the home fans after sprinting to provide cover at right-back. 

Vidal has always harried and when he won the ball back early in the second half, Barca had a four against two. But Messi’s pass was heavy and the angle for Vidal became too acute. 

The game drifted and tension grew but two moments proved crucial. First Eteki’s shot was kept out only by the post as he drove hard past the right hand of Ter Stegen.

Then, less than five minutes later, Granada were reduced to 10 men after German picked up a second yellow card for a late hack on Messi. It left Granada needing to survive 21 minutes and they only made it through eight. 

Puig, on for Ivan Rakitic, recovered possession in the corner before Messi picked up the ball centrally. In a flash, he played in Griezmann, who found Vidal, whose swivelled a flick back into the path of Messi and he poked a finish into the corner.

Setien threw both arms into the air and looked to the sky, with joy and also relief. 

Earlier, two challengers for the top four stumbled as Valencia were thrashed 4-1 away at Real Mallorca and Real Sociedad beaten 3-0 by Real Betis.

After Sevilla and Atletico Madrid both lost on Saturday, Real Madrid and Barcelona are now eight points clear of the chasing pack, in what looks increasingly like a two-horse race.

MADRID — Real Madrid started without their top scorer, captain and record signing on Saturday but claimed a scrappy 2-1 win over Sevilla that sent them above Barcelona and top of La Liga.

Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard were all absent at the Santiago Bernabeu but Casemiro stepped up in their place.

His first double as a Real player proved the difference amid a three-goal flurry in the second half, during which Luuk de Jong had briefly pulled Sevilla level.

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s team were largely underwhelming, at times reverting to the stodgy days of last season when they struggled for goals under Julen Lopetegui, who was this time in the dug-out of Sevilla.

Yet, given those missing, the opposition and the performance, this might be the kind of victory that could prove crucial to Madrid winning the title in May.

“It makes the win even more important,” said Zidane. “It’s only three points but we needed them and we got them by suffering.”

Sevilla stay fourth, eight points off the top while Atletico Madrid in third are now the same margin behind after falling to a surprise 2-0 loss away at Eibar.

Barca can reclaim first place on Sunday by beating Granada at Camp Nou, where Quique Setien will be overseeing his debut game since being appointed coach early last week.

Setien has said he will not be satisfied if his team win while playing badly, but Zidane is likely to be less choosy.

His side are now 17 games unbeaten, a streak that included them winning the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last weekend. 

Benzema came on in the second half after shaking off a dead leg but Ramos and Hazard need more time to recover.

Gareth Bale was not even in the squad, despite training on Friday. 

Lopetegui was back at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time since he was sacked by Real last season, 138 days after they appointed him.

His Sevilla side arguably deserved more too but converting impetus into goals has been their problem all season, and so it proved again.

De Jong thought he had scored when he was given a suspicious amount of space in the area to head in from a corner and VAR showed his marker Eder Militao had been blocked, albeit only by a small, but seemingly deliberate, step from Nemanja Gudelj.

Marcelo was lucky not to concede a penalty for a shirt-pull.

Sevilla were controlling the midfield and denying their opponents routes through to the front three. Yet, 12 minutes into the second half, some creative brilliance saw the hosts take the lead.

Casemiro muscled through on the edge of the area, Luka Jovic found him again with a deft backheel. Casemiro chipped the ball in and pointed at Jovic in celebration.

Sevilla could have wilted but instead they equalised, only to concede again five minutes later.

First, Raphael Varane, Casemiro and Marcelo all missed tackles and after Munir El Haddadi stumbled, De Jong took over, banging the ball into the far corner.

Yet, parity was short-lived as Casemiro nodded in Lucas Vazquez’s cross from a standing start after being given too much space by Jules Kounde.

Atletico put in two of their best showings of the season at the Spanish Super Cup but any hopes of a boost were dashed at Ipurua, where Eibar secured a deserved win.

Esteban Burgos tapped in at the back post after 10 minutes before Edu Exposito’s drive in the 90th sealed it for Eibar and left Atletico even further adrift.

MILAN — Gennaro Gattuso said he was “worried and scared” as Napoli fell 2-0 at home to Fiorentina on Saturday leaving last season’s Serie A runners-up scrambling to save their season.

A third consecutive defeat saw the southern giants slump to 13th position as they sit closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places.

Napoli are without a league win at their San Paolo Stadium since October 19 ahead of hosting Barcelona in the Champions League in a month’s time.

For Gattuso the “soulless, unwatchable and embarrassing” defeat was his fourth in five league games since replacing Carlo Ancelotti on December 11, with the club then in seventh spot.

“I’m very worried,” admitted the 42-year-old former AC Milan coach.

“We have hit rock bottom and we need to understand what we are going towards.

“We’re not looking at the Champions League, we’re looking at the scary ranking. We’re playing with fire.”

Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic scored in either half to give Fiorentina a valuable win in Naples.

“The performance was embarrassing, we must apologise to the fans and the city,” continued Gattuso. 

“We only did a little bit in the first 20-25 minutes, then we were unwatchable. We tickled the opponents, without competitive fury.”

Gattuso said the team had agreed to head straight to a training retreat at Castel Volturno, northwest of Naples, before hosting Lazio in the Italian Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday and welcoming champions Juventus to Naples next weekend.

“We have to look at each other, be together, let off steam and look for solutions. What we are doing is not enough,” explained Gattuso.

“I was convinced that we would have a great performance today, but I saw a team that did the opposite of what we had prepared.” 

Ancelotti was sacked despite a 4-0 win over Genk sealing Napoli’s spot in the Champions League last 16 in December.

The veteran coach disagreed with club owner Aurelio De Laurentiis ordering the players into a week-long training camp after a 2-1 league defeat at rivals Roma on November 2.

The players broke the lockdown and returned home, and were reported to have been fined a combined total of 2.5 million euros ($2.7 million) for their insubordination.

“It would be too easy for me to say that the problem is the fines, but this is a team that does give me so much in training,” said Gattuso. 

“When we get out there for a match, we don’t do anything that we had prepared.

“It’s not just a technical and tactical issue, but a mental one. 

“I’ve played football with some really irritating people, but I always gave what I had on the pitch, even for those I didn’t like.”

In his playing days, Gattuso won two Serie A and two Champions League titles in 13 years at AC Milan.

He also won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.

He stepped down as coach of AC Milan last May after they missed out on the Champions League places on the final day of the season to city rivals Inter.

“I want to find a solution, I didn’t come here to stay two months. I like difficult challenges,” he warned.

Napoli have not won a trophy since their only Serie A titles in 1987 and 1990, and the UEFA Cup in 1989.

LIVERPOOL — Thirteen months on from the match that finally drew the curtain on Jose Mourinho’s time in charge of Manchester United, the Red Devils again find themselves living in Liverpool’s shadow ahead of their return to Anfield on Sunday.

A 3-1 defeat for Mourinho’s men last December that left United 19 points behind Liverpool at the top of the table was the final straw for the club’s decision makers.

But over a year on, little progress has been made under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Defeat this weekend will see the gulf between the teams grow to 30 points with Liverpool also having a game in hand to come over fifth-placed United.

As a player, Solskjaer was used to having the upper hand in the rivalry between English football’s two most successful sides.

The Norwegian won six Premier League titles in the Alex Ferguson era as the pugnacious Scot delivered on his promise to knock Liverpool off their perch.

Ferguson won 13 league titles in total, but the first of which in 1992/93 ended a 26-year drought for United.

At that time, few would have believed that Liverpool, English football’s dominant force in the 70s and 80s, would go at least 30 years without winning the league.

That three-decade wait looks certain to come to an end this season with Jurgen Klopp’s men 14 points clear at the top of the table, but Liverpool’s long route back to the top is a warning for United of what could lie ahead if they do not move fast to arrest their slide.

“We are working hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. Let that be a lesson for us,” said Solskjaer on Friday.

“We can’t let ourselves go another 24 years till we win the league and I’m sure won’t because I believe in this club. We started the rebuild now that I believe is going to take a little bit of time, but we’ll get there.”

‘Team of superstars’

The problem for United is Solskjaer’s rebuild is just the latest of many that have so far failed since Ferguson retired in 2013.

United are now onto their fourth permanent manager in that time and are now pursuing a policy of signing young, emerging talents after being burned on splashing big money on players past their prime like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Alexis Sanchez and Bastian Schweinsteiger in recent times.

Liverpool have spent far less in the transfer market of late, but it is the right structure in place above the German allied to Klopp’s ability to inspire and improve players that has made the Reds Champions League winners and English champions in waiting.

“Klopp has moved Liverpool so far ahead because rather than buy a team of superstars, he has made a team of superstars,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher wrote in The Telegraph this week. 

“What Klopp is achieving at Anfield is more a triumph of coaching and management, aided by skilled recruitment, than the flexing of financial muscle.”

Liverpool are unbeaten in the league in over a year and have taken 104 points from their last 38 games compared to United’s 59.

Klopp’s galvanising effect shows the difference having one of the world’s top managers can make, and one is now on the market should United decide to change course again.

Mauricio Pochettino was United’s primary target when Mourinho was sacked just over a year ago, but the Argentine was contracted to Tottenham at the time.

Solskjaer needs a strong end to the season if he is to be given another campaign to right the United ship.

And there would be no better way for him to prove that progress is being made under his watch than ending Liverpool’s unbeaten run at Anfield in the Premier League stretching back to April 2017.

AMMAN  — The national U-23 Olympic football team takes on South Korea on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the 4th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship currently under way in Thailand.

Jordan held the UAE 1-1 to finish second in Group D after it beat North Korea 2-1 and held Vietnam 0-0. With the top two teams from each group moving on to the quarters, Jordan needed to win its last match. However, North Korea’s 2-1 win over Vietnam kept Jordan in second spot and moved it to the quarters of the qualifying tournament for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Vietnam needed to win by a difference of two goals to secure the second qualifying spot from the group; however, it exited the event finishing fourth in the group.

Jordan has done extremely well to reach the quarter-finals and there has been no shortage of players who have stood up for them.

Ihab Al Khawaldeh initially started the tournament on the bench but forced his way into the starting line-up got the goal that drew against the UAE.

Officials hope Jordan will advance past the quarters and has a chance at reaching the Olympic Games. South Korea is strongly favoured to win the title. They reached the quarters after they beat Uzbekistan 2-1, China 1-0 and Iran 2-1. In other quarterfinal matches, Saudi Arabia plays Thailand, Australia plays Syria and Uzbekistan plays the UAE. 

In 2018, Jordan’s U-23 team was knocked out of Round 1 of the 3rd AFC U-23 Championship. In 2016, they reached the quarter-finals and in 2014 they finished third. 

Compounding the Jordanian team’s injury list was leading star Mousa Ta’mari not being released by his Cypriot club to join the team.

Jordan’s other national teams were eliminated in Asian competitions last year. The U-16  squad was eliminated in qualifiers and failed to advance to the U-16 AFC Championship which serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.  In the earlier edition,  Jordan bowed out of  the Round 1 of the 2018 AFC U-16 Championship. 

The U-16 women's squad was eliminated in qualifiers and failed to advance to the AFC U-16 Women's Championship. Similarly, the U-19 women's and men's teams were also eliminated from qualifiers for the AFC Championship. 

The U-19 men's team had impressive results in five past editions. The best performance came when it finished fourth in 2006 and advanced to the FIFA Youth World Cup in Canada in 2007. Jordan exited the first round in 2008 and 2010 and 2018 and reached the quarters in 2012.  This was the third time Jordan failed to qualify after the 2014 and 2016.

MILAN — Cristiano Ronaldo was too ill to play, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic spent the evening resting on the bench, but even without their biggest stars, Juventus and AC Milan cruised into the last eight of the Italian Cup on Wednesday.

Juventus beat visiting Udinese 4-0 in the late game, after Milan had dispatched SPAL, 3-0. 

In the first game of the evening, 10-man Fiorentina beat Atalanta 2-1.

Ronaldo was sidelined after suffering an attack of sinusitis in the afternoon, but he is not the only ace in the Juventus pack. 

After 16 minutes, Paulo Dybala carved through Udinese with a series of quick one-twos, finishing with a couple of exchanges with centre forward Gonzalo Higuain. 

When his Argentine compatriot played a pass one little behind him, Dybala spun and floated the ball onto Higuain's chest and he strode forward and scored. 

"That was a goal of rare beauty, to see three or four exchanges like that at high speed. It was worth the price of the ticket," said Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri.

"I love to see goals like that with fast passing, but they can only work with players of great technical quality."

Ten minutes after the opener, Udinese goalkeeper Nicolas tripped Federico Bernardeschi and Dybala converted the penalty.

Dybala scored a in the 58th minute, clipping the ball over Nicolas from the right edge of the box. Two minutes later Douglas Costa converted Juventus’ second penalty after Bram Nuytinck handled. 

In Milan, Krzysztof Piatek, who is reportedly on the verge of a move to Tottenham Hotspur, outpaced the sluggish SPAL offside trap to give the home team the lead after 20 minutes.

Samuel Castillejo curled a precise left-foot shot inside the far post just before half time.

Fullback Theo Hernandez added a third in the 66th minute, surging upfield and smashing home a left-foot shot from just outside the penalty area.

In Tuscany, Spaniard Pol Lirola collected Erik Pulgar's long pass before charging towards goal and slotting home his first Fiorentina goal six minutes from time, winning the tie for the hosts despite German Pezzella's sending off 14 minutes earlier.

Patrick Cutrone also scored his first goal for the club when he put Fiorentina ahead in the 11th minute of his first start since arriving on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers last week.

The away side scored a deserved leveller when former Fiorentina man Ilicic turned in a superb Ruslan Malinovskiy cross.

But Lirola won the tie to set up a tough match with Serie A title chasers Inter Milan. The winner of that clash face either Lazio or Napoli in the semifinals.

On Tuesday, Inter thumped Cagliari 4-1 with Romelu Lukaku scoring twice.

Holders Lazio, who are on a club-record run of 10 straight wins in Serie A, made short work of Cremonese in their 4-0 victory in Rome.

Troubled Napoli eased into the quarters with a 2-0 win over Perugia thanks to two Lorenzo Insigne penalties.

In the last eight, AC Milan will face Torino who beat Genoa on penalties last week.

Juventus will play the winner of the last tie of the round, Roma at Parma on Thursday.

BARCELONA — Quique Setien began his first session as Barcelona coach on Tuesday morning just as the sacked Ernesto Valverde drove out of the training ground for the last time.

Valverde had said goodbye to the players, collected his things and left, closing the page on a brutal few days that had finally seen him sacked on Monday night.

After Barca's public pursuit of Xavi Hernandez ended in failure, they have turned to Setien, the 61-year-old who has dedicated his coaching career to a belief in exciting, possession-based football.

Barcelona confirmed Setien's appointment following a board meeting that lasted more than four hours at the Camp Nou on Monday afternoon. His contract runs until 2022 although there is a break clause in 2021, to allow for change after the club's presidential elections.

Valverde is the first coach to be sacked by Barca mid-season since Louis van Gaal in 2003 and if that points to chaos, Setien inherits a team in a healthy position too.

Barcelona sit top of La Liga, albeit level on points with Real Madrid, and face a winnable tie against Napoli next month in the last 16 of the Champions League.

"Normally you take over teams when they are in trouble but Valverde has left us with a team that is first," Setien said at his first press conference on Tuesday. "The job he has done is something to be grateful for."

Off the pitch, the club also came top of Deloitte's annual Football Money League table on Monday, after posting record earnings of 840.8 million euros ($937 million) for 2018/19. 

Some of that income might have to be channelled into signing a new striker this month, with Setien taking over a squad that will be without Luis Suarez for four months due to a knee injury.

More generally, he will have to find a way to marry his purist principles with results at one of the most demanding clubs in the world. His critics have suggested style can take precedence over substance.

"Having the ball makes you a football player, not running after it," Setien said last year. He once commented he would have cut off his little finger to play under Johan Cruyff. 

After Valverde's more functional approach, Barca will believe Setien's philosophy chimes better with the principles they see as part of their DNA. 

"I am a person with clear convictions. I have very clear ideas," said Setien on Tuesday. "I listen to everyone but I am the first to defend what I believe. If we have to die with our ideas, we will die with them because Barca has to follow its path."

His first game in charge will be at home to Granada on Sunday and a tricky first six weeks will include away games at Valencia, Real Betis and then Real Madrid at the start of March.

Busquets an admirer 

A former player at Atletico Madrid and Racing Santander who won three caps for Spain, Setien led Betis to a sixth-place finish in 2018 and qualification for the Europa League but, despite overseeing a thrilling 4-3 victory at the Camp Nou early the following season, results tailed off. 

Betis finished 10th and the club and coach parted ways, even if there was recognition for what had been achieved. 

Setien had presided over the team winning twice in a row at the Santiago Bernabeu and beating Atletico. After seeing off Barcelona — Valverde's only home defeat — Sergio Busquets presented Setien with a signed shirt. 

"For Quique," read the message. "With appreciation and admiration for the way you see football."

Previously, Setien had helped Lugo secure promotion to the second tier in 2012 and, in 2016, steered Las Palmas clear of relegation from La Liga. He has also coached Racing, Poli Ejido, Logrones and, for one game, Equatorial Guinea.

"I don't have a glittering CV or many titles but I have demonstrated even before being a coach that I love a certain philosophy," he said.

Setien's primary task will be to hold off a resurgent Real Madrid in a neck-and-neck title race after Valverde managed to sustain the domestic dominance enjoyed by Barcelona over the last decade.