The Blues currently lead the Premier League, with 29 points from 11 games leaving them four clear of second-place Southampton, and eight clear of Manchester City who are in third place.
City, who were considered to be Chelsea’s biggest challengers in the race for the domestic title, have already lost twice this season, and drawn three games, whereas Jose Mourinho’s men have yet to lose a game in any competition.
They look well set to continue their unbeaten run in the coming weeks, with Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas said to be fully match fit in time for the Premier League’s return this weekend, and, having played Manchester United, Liverpool and City all away from home, the Blues have arguably the easiest run in of any of their challengers in the second half of the campaign.
They possess both a strong defence and strong attack, and, whilst the goals from Costa have allowed the defensive stability seen in recent years to be reduced somewhat – with 11 goals conceded in 11 games – it is still hard to imagine them ever collapsing in the way seen by City and Liverpool this year.
It is their consistency that many believe will win them their first Premier League title since 2010, and QPR boss Harry Rednapp – who has seen his side lose to the Blues already this term – told talkSPORT that they are odds-on favourites for the title, as there are no weaknesses to be exploited in their playing squad.
He said: “They haven’t got a weakness. They are physically strong, they’ve got great ability also – they’ve just got everything.
“They have got winners in the team like John Terry. They are just a complete team and they are nailed on [to win the Premier League].”
The 67-year-old did concede that Manchester City would be the only side capable of catching the West Londoners in the title race, but, with the Manchester club currently enduring a poor run of form, he thinks they are too far off the pace already.“You can only see Man City chasing them,” Redknapp added. “But they are having a dodgy spell and I can’t see Chelsea slipping up.”
Mourinho has used just 20 players in the Premier League heading into mid-November, whereas the Red Devils have been forced to field an incredible tally of 31 individuals. Mourinho has been lucky with injuries – although Diego Costa and Loic Remy’s simultaneous absence resulted in Didier Drogba leading the line for a few games – and he has yet to dig into the youth ranks to call-up a player who would be unlikely to feature in the first-team ranks this season – something United have had to do.
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The three top clubs – Chelsea, Southampton and Man City – have been incredibly reserved with their player choice, with the Blues and City using 20 each, and the Saints using 21. Whilst the argument could be dismantled by comparing Chelsea and City’s fortunes – with the latter faltering despite using the same number of players in an arguably more talented squad – it must be noted that Chelsea have consistently kept the same defensive line, whilst City don’t have one ever-present individual in their team.
Cesar Azpilicueta only lost his place in the starting XI through suspension, and Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry and Gary Cahill have all featured in all 11 games so far. On contrast, Vincent Kompany is the only City defender to have reached the 10-game mark this season, whilst Martin Demichelis and Pablo Zabaleta – the second-highest selected defenders – have made just seven appearances each.
Whilst injuries and suspensions may cost the Blues their unbeaten run, they could well secure an invincible season should they be fortunate enough to continue the squad policy that has been used so well heading into the hectic Christmas period of the Premier League campaign.
@AnthonyNlebem
ANTHONY NLEBEM
