It’s only mid-December, but it feels like Chelsea may be a step behind the likes of Man City and Liverpool. Yesterday’s game against Everton was a must win for the Blues but failure to do so means they are now four points behind City. With tough fixtures coming up, all injury and covid problems in the squad, and the Club World Cup in February, it looks like Chelsea’s title charge may be coming to a premature end.
Chelsea are faltering, and the other two are picking up pace
Chelsea’s dip in form could not have come at a worst time. They have dropped points in four of the last six, and the two wins against Leeds and Watford were also fortunate ones. At the same time, City have embarked on an eight-match winning run, and Liverpool six. That has left Chelsea, who were three points clear of City, now four points behind the Champions. Both City and Liverpool have been there, done it, and won’t drop points in the manner Chelsea are.
Fixtures are coming thick and fast for the Blues
A trip to Molineux, a trip to Steven Gerrard’s revitalised Aston Villa and a home game against Brighton await in December. The new year starts with fixtures against Liverpool, Man City and Tottenham. Then they travel for the Club World Cup. At the moment, all those fixtures look tough. They need to stay in touch with the top two before fixtures against them.
Chelsea’s squad is depleted and performances are underwhelming
To be fair to Chelsea, covid and injuries have depleted their squad. Mateo Kovacic, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku etc. are all out of action and it’s affecting them badly. In spite of those injuries though, they would have expected to pick up three points against Everton, who were similarly depleted and on a horrendous run of form. But Chelsea have suddenly become a team incapable of holding on to leads, and just don’t look secure at the back. In the end, they looked like they have run out of ideas and might not have scored even if they were given 90 more minutes.
Stamford Bridge isn’t the fortress it needs to be
Even though Chelsea have lost just once at the Bridge, and that too against Man City, it’s at home where Chelsea have struggled more. They were lucky to win against Leeds and earlier against Southampton, while they dropped silly points against Burnley and Everton. They should have also won against Man United, who were low on confidence and had just sacked their manager. Home stadiums of title winners are usually fortresses, but teams now visit the Bridge with belief of getting a point at least. This is not the case at the Etihad or Anfield.
Their title rivals couldn’t have been tougher teams
Let’s face it, City and Liverpool are in the top three teams in Europe right now. Over the past few years, they have shown they have what it takes to win the Premier League title. The players and managers have loads of experience playing at this level and some of them are in the forms of their lives. Pep and Klopp are beginning to steer clear of others, and although Chelsea are close behind, the gap could increase in an instant and if that happens, it will be difficult to catch them.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, as four points is not a big gap yet. They desperately need their key players back, but by then, it could be late.