Chelsea: Nicolas Anelka's Champions League Double Provides Hope For Blues

In all honesty, Chelsea are probably not going to win the Premiership. Still, the Champions League silverware could be theirs. Tuesday's 2-0 victory over FC Copenhagen could help them achieve that.

While FC Copenhagen are not a great squad, they are still tough at home. Despite the tough environment, Nicolas Anelka scored twice to give Chelsea a huge upper hand in their two-leg Champions League clash. With this win, Chelsea move extremely close to the quarterfinals. Although Torres has not been in form and Drogba seems to be stuck on the bench, Anelka was able to put the team on his back and earn a decisive 2-0 victory.

As well as they have played in the Champions League, Chelsea have been sub-par in the Premiership. This win could give them some necessary momentum. They are currently two points away from a Champions League spot, and they need to pick up that ground quickly. Without mentioning the prestige and respect a Champions League appearance gives a team, Chelsea need that spot in order to continue earning a high amount of revenue, especially if they have any inclination of spending money this summer.

Unfortunately (or fortunately), they have a difficult Premiership schedule remaining. If they can win consistently, they can make up ground quickly. However, if they are unable to earn three points on a weekly basis, they will have almost no chance to finish in the top four.

For a club that has such high aspirations, Chelsea cannot afford to miss next year's Champions League. This win could provide them with enough momentum and confidence to start returning to form in the league. That form needs to start next Tuesday, when they invite Manchester United to Stamford Bridge.

The win over Copenhagen doesn't necessarily mean much on paper, but it could provide Chelsea with a mental advantage for the remainder of this campaign.

For the past couple months, Chelsea have been struggling. Big time. It doesn't need to be noted any further, especially because everyone knows it. Now, the Champions League is the only competition that is realistically within Chelsea's grasp. Tuesday's victory puts them in a commanding position, and they should advance, barring anything horrible happening (we're not going to address the possibilities of a 3-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge).

They had hopes of defending their F.A. Cup and Premiership crowns, but they won't be able to do so. Now, the Blues need to try and blaze a new trail and win their first Champions League title.

The Blues have not been in form for a long time, but Nicolas Anelka's double has given fans hope. He illustrated how deep Chelsea are at the striker/wing positions, which is dangerous for any team to face. While the Premiership may be out of their hands, their qualification for next year's Champions League as well as this season's Champions League run seems to have new life.