There has been much talk about Chelsea lately. Bold comparisons have been drawn between the current Chelsea team and Arsenal’s Invincibles. Like Arsene Wenger who recently remarked that the current Chelsea squad can hit a record 105 points; some pundits have already declared Chelsea the only possible winner of the Premier League title come May.

Similarly, bold comparisons have been made between the current Blues squad and their history-making back-to-back title winners of 2004/05 and 2005/2006. Well, truth be told, the current Chelsea team has the right depth to challenge for any title in any top-division football league in the world.

The Jose Mourhino Factor

The significance of the return of Jose Mourhino to Chelsea is often ignored by some soccer commentators, but it is the single biggest asset at the disposal of the Blues. Hate him or love him, Mourhino is a coaching genius. While many of his detractors point at the money he usually spends to create title-winning teams as a point of the Special One’s weakness, Mourhino easily turns his opponents into crying babies. But should money be an issue? Certainly, not! There is no top manager who wins titles without marshaling the best talents at a huge cost. Sir Alex Ferguson succeeded when he had some of the best players assembled at a substantial cost. Arsene Wenger’s most successful years at Arsenal depended immensely on impeccably talented players brought to Arsenal at a significant cost.

Moreover, the Premier League is an elite division. It is not an academy level. Therefore, managers at the Premier League level should have the latitude to identify and bring on board the players they consider suitable for their teams. And while Chelsea haters talk about Roman Abramovich’s money, they forget that no Premier League club exists in a vacuum. Whether they have a single shareholder or hundreds of shareholders, all the elite clubs are owned by moneyed individuals who are out to make more money.

Furthermore, even with all the money at their disposal, many coaches have failed to make Chelsea the terrific performer that it now is.

After Jose Mourhino’s departure following his successful first stint, Chelsea changed coaches like clothes, managing to win some honors, but still falling short of the dominant Premier League team that it was under Mourhino. And when he returned to the club which he publicly adores, the Special One recruited what he needed to re-engineer a new Chelsea dominance of English football and has deployed the talent at his disposal with one aim: victory in every game.

He detests losing in any competition. He challenges for everything. He rallies the media away from his underperforming players and blows off opposing managers with sweltering mind games.  Recently, he even turned the heat on Chelsea fans, asking them to stop being mute when the team plays. Indeed, of all the current managers in the Premier League, there is probably no coach as pragmatic and result-oriented as Jose. And most likely, he will win as many titles as he stays at Chelsea.

Leadership of John Terry and Didier Drogba

John Terry has been at Chelsea for over a decade. He has won titles and captained Chelsea through their most successful campaigns ever. He remains the central cog of an imperious Chelsea defense and a key figure in their dressing room. He has seen it all at Chelsea and is now recognized as a Legend. But for the team to remain successful, Terry must still be around to inspire the likes of Kurt Happy Zouma, Andreas Christenten and Cesar Azipiliqueta to give their fullest in training and on the pitch. He must also be around to help Cahill, Ivanovich and Filipe Luis to remain focused on their defensive responsibilities for the team. But importantly, Mourhino needs his most loyal captain to tame the egos of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, Oscar, Fabregas and Willian, by reminding them of what it takes to be a Chelsea player for over a decade.

Didier Drogba has returned to Chelsea when Mourhino needs him most.

Some people have questioned Jose’s decision to bring the legend back to the club, but they have failed to notice that Mourhino wants more dressing-room discipline than ever. He does not want to face rebellion as happened during his spell at Real Madrid. Already last season saw Eden Hazard criticize his tactics during their Champions League humiliation by Atletico Madrid and Mourhino knows that he needs club legends like Didier Drogba to show Hazard the way; even to remind Hazard of the illustrious Arjen Robben and Joe Cole. Indeed, Thibout Courtois recently alluded to the leadership role of John Terry and Didier Drogba after he had criticized his Belgium teammates for ignoring their defensive duties and for running less for their team’s course.

Illustrious Goalkeepers

Chelsea boasts of unmatched goal-keeping depth in the Premier League.

Thibout Courtois is already a Champions’ League finalist, La Liga winner, Super Cup Winner, World Cup Quarter-finalist and European Cup winner. While he has conceded more goals than was expected at this stage of the season, his saves have kept Chelsea alive in many games when they would have easily gone behind. For instance, in the Chelsea v Leicester game, the Premier League leaders could have easily conceded on two occasions with their keeper having to make one-on-one saves. Thibout is a source of security in set pieces. I am often baffled to see him allow only a two-man wall in most set-pieces, and his commanding presence will make Chelsea unbeatable this season.

But it is the Chelsea goal-keeping bench that is even more illustrious. The thought of having Peter Cech on the bench had never crossed the minds of most pundits, especially for this season. Last season, the keeper could only be rivaled to the Golden Glove by Arsenal’s keeper. He is just too good to be a back-up keeper and if Chelsea can keep him to the end of the season then surely they will win the title. Last season, Chelsea had to play with Mark Swartzer towards the close of the season, and while Swartzer did well against Atletico Madrid away and against Liverpool, he conceded some goals that marked the last-minute failure of Chelsea to win the Premier League title and to match on to the Champions League Final.

The Diego Costa Factor

When Chelsea last won the Premier League title, Didier Drogba won the Golden boot and the team set a new record for the Premier League’s most goals scored per season. Drogba was a terrific goal-poacher and a bully for many defenders. His presence in Chelsea’s forward-line allowed the team to play with more confidence, knowing that chances would not beg for finishing. In Diego Costa, Chelsea has more than a Drogba. Costa finishes with ease and can also create chances for other forward players to finish. His pace and muscle, and his goal-poaching instincts are covetable. If he can remain fit for most games and keep his yellow-cards record down, then he will easily lead Chelsea to the Premier League title come May. Besides, Chelsea can still rely on Remy and Drogba for goals.

The Midfield Blend of Creativity and Physicality

Watching Nemanja Matic playing is always dramatic. He takes on opponents with ease when he moves forward, and his tackles and clearances are superb. In fact, Matic appears to be a better defensive midfielder than the legend Makelele because he adds a greater vision and counter-attacking play to the Chelsea team. Currently, Matic is the only Premier League midfielder who can take on Yaya Toure at his best and diminish the Ivorian’s influence in the midfield.

But Matic is not alone. He operates closely with Cesc Fabregas and Oscar. With his ability to hold and pass the ball confidently at any place in the field, Fabregas boosts the stability of the Chelsea team and allows it to withstand pressure. Fabregas also adds impeccable vision and gives killer passes to Costa, Remy and Drogba. With him in the midfield, Chelsea can now overcome teams that put more men behind the ball. When Fabregas moves out of place and his space may be exploited by opponents to kill the Chelsea team, Oscar comes in handy, fills the spaces and makes the tackles that are necessary to keep off the threats. Oscar can also spray passes around, enabling Chelsea to create spaces in the field.

Eden Hazard was not so good defensively in his previous seasons at Chelsea. This season, however, Hazard has improved a lot. He defends from the front and works closely with his midfield partners to create goal-scoring chances. At his best, Hazard is a creative dribbler in the league of Messi. He has proved this season that he can rise up against big opponents like Arsenal and Man United, and tear apart solid defenses with his well-calculated runs. And when you add Willian, Schurle, Salah, Filipe Luiz, Obi Mikel, and the other talents that Chelsea have at their disposal at the moment, there is no reason to doubt that they are the new “Invincibles”.