Chelsea currently lead the Premier League table by 10 points and are clear favorites to run away with the title. The intention of bringing Antonio Conte in to the set-up was to ensure the return of silverware, but it has happened somewhat sooner than expected. A lot wasn’t expected after Chelsea started the season slowly, but they have picked things up remarkably since Conte tinkered around with the formation and made them play a 3-4-3 formation which suited his ideologies a lot more.
The Blues have swept away most of their opponents and have been successful in establishing a healthy dressing room environment that has almost given them the look of Champions. It clearly isn’t premature to say that they have been the best team in the country, by a mile.
The likes of Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, David Luiz and Thibaut Courtois have all been instrumental in Chelsea’s success so far this season. Even the wingbacks, Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses have put on more than decent showings to take Chelsea to where they find themselves today. Although they have 12 games remaining, it can be taken for granted that come the end of the season, Stamford Bridge will be the place for title celebrations.
Chelsea have left no stone unturned in ensuring they assert their dominance in the league with their victorious showings against most teams. But of the 12 remaining fixtures that include matches against the 2 Manchester clubs, Chelsea could still end up on the losing side in some of those games. Here are 3 games (barring the 2 games against the Manchester sides) that Chelsea could still come up short.
(H) Vs Southampton – Sunday 23rd April
The Saints recently put up a strong showing at the League Cup final where they narrowly lost to a late goal from Manchester United, with the result ending 3-2 in favor of the opponents. Southampton certainly looked like a very good side and are buoyed by the January acquisition of Italian goal poacher Manolo Gabbiadini.
They could certainly give the Chelsea team a run for their money. It’s down to Claude Puel getting his team selection and tactics right. If they put on a performance similar to the League Cup showing along with some defensive nous, they could end the day on a victorious note.
(A) Vs Everton – Sunday 30th April
A week after the game against Southampton, Chelsea will come up against the Blue side of Merseyside. Goodison Park has certainly been a happy place this campaign thanks to Ronald Koeman’s astute impetus. Their star players including a certain Romelu Lukaku have been on fire this term and that has propelled them to an impressive 7th place, despite having a youthful side.
It’s that youthful exuberance that outdid Manchester City in the 4-0 drubbing of Guardiola’s side. If Everton are to reach those heights again, they will have to play out of their skin and outplay Chelsea considerably. They certainly have the players to do it and if Chelsea fail to overcome Southampton in the previous matchday, it could open up the door for Everton to snatch a win and make a case for Europa League qualification.
(H) Vs Sunderland – Sunday 21st May
This year’s relegation battle has been a very close one and there are several teams that are embroiled in the fight to avoid the drop. Among them are Sunderland, who are currently at the foot of the table and could find themselves needing a win on the last day of the season in order to have any chance of staying up.
By the time the last matchday comes around, it’s safe to say Chelsea will be Champions of England and as much as they would like to finish on a high, Sunderland might just need the 3 points on the day more and should put in a performance that’s befitting of their desperate need. Conte could look to blood in a few youngsters and that could just open up the door for David Moyes to go for a victory.