Is Guus Hiddink right? Can Chelsea finish in the top four?

Chelsea stretched their unbeaten run to four games in the Premier League with a 3-0 triumph over Crystal Palace, prompting Guus Hiddink to suggest his temporary charges can launch a late assault on the top four.

With 18 games remaining, the Blues are 13 points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham – and 19 off front-runners Arsenal.

"When I started, we said mathematically when we could get to a Champions League position it would be lovely," Hiddink told BBC Sport.

"It's difficult because this league has become so strong. Everyone can win from everyone, which means it's very difficult to get there.

"But as long as we play like today we can be happy and then results will come. It's possible still, but a long way to go."

In one short interview, Hiddink destroyed his cushy job and heaped pressure on himself. It’s fine to have bold ambitions, but broadcasting them after a four-game unbeaten run – especially since they were abject against Manchester United in December’s goalless draw – is silly.

All he had to do was avoid calamity, overseeing a steady climb up the Premier League table, and it would have been regarded as a success.

Now, when his season is evaluated, he will be judged against these comments. Sure, he admits it’s a tricky proposition, but fans will already start dreaming. The squad is slowly gelling again and will pick up more points in the second half of the season, but it all seems a little premature given that they are still only six points off the relegation zone.

Yes, primarily due to Leicester’s current involvement in the top four. Thirteen points is a big margin, but the jump to fifth-placed Manchester United is only 10 points.

While it would take a remarkable run – and everyone else continuing to drop points – it’s far from out of the question, since the league table is rarely this compact.

The tally to finish fourth has varied over the past five seasons – 70, 79, 73, 69, 68 – and has even dropped as low as 60, albeit over a decade ago.

For Chelsea to accumulate 68 points (the lowest total in the past five seasons), they would require 2.5 points per game. That's five wins for every defeat; or, if you prefer, 16 wins and two losses, or 15 wins and three draws in what remains of the season. Practically impossible for a team that still has major problems to solve.

For Chelsea to accumulate 79 points (the highest total in the past five seasons), they would require 3.11 points per game. Certainly impossible.

However, this season continues to baffle. Everyone is beating everyone. The figure could feasibly be closer to, say, the 62-point mark. That would require 2.17 points per game – an achievable total just short of the 2.29 ppg they produced during the 2014/15 campaign.

Not in the top four.

They tore apart Palace, but only once scoring against the run of play, and in any case one victory doesn’t excuse their pitiful campaign up to this point. There are many reasons they are marooned in the bottom half; it’s not solely Jose Mourinho’s fault.

An ascent up the table is inevitable, but one that will halt around sixth or seventh.