With everyone talking about this year’s title hunt as a two horse race between Manchester United and Arsenal, current Premier League champions Chelsea may well be eyeing up sneaking in unnoticed in the final run-in.
The Blues have struggled to recreate the form they showed on the way to clinching the Premier league crown last term, but after their recent renaissance in form, they are still in with a decent shout. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are now nine points off United with a game in hand and there are plenty of reasons why they should still be hopeful of retaining their crown.
For one, the Blues are the form team in the division with five wins and one draw in their last six games. They’ve also got a motivated Didier Drogba on song as the Ivorian looks to prove his point that he is still the top striker since Fernando Torres’ arrival. When Drogba is in the mood, Chelsea are a devastating animal and it is no coincidence that the Blues showed one of their best attacking displays of the campaign on Saturday with Drogba in top form. He already has three goals this month and if he carries on in that manner Chelsea have every chance of picking up the relevant amount of points in order to topple United.
Ancelotti’s men also have a great deal of experience in such a run-in, on top of their gathering momentum. They still have to play United at Old Trafford in what will be a decisive fixture if they are to overhaul the Red Devils. They went there and won last season in a defining match near the end of the campaign, so will no doubt have the confidence to go there and do it again. A trip to Old Trafford remains their toughest fixture as they can look forward to four home games from their remaining six matches, two of which are against teams in the bottom half, one in mid-table obscurity – Newcastle – and the visit of a Tottenham side who do not travel well against the league’s big guns. Chelsea fans will no doubt look upon these games as very winnable, although what on paper seems relatively straightforward is a far harder task in reality. However, it’s a nice run-in, for sure.
Table-topping United meanwhile still have the Champions League firmly in their minds, which as well as serving as a distraction to their domestic duties, will also have an effect on a squad that may well be feeling a bit jaded at this time in the season when you consider their three-way trophy hunt. The Red Devils also have to play Arsenal at the Emirates in their run-in, which will suit Chelsea whichever way the result goes. Whilst not writing off the Gunners’ hopes yet, Arsene Wenger’s men have spent the season unceremoniously slipping up at vital times. On top of that, they face a very difficult run-in, with a trip to White Hart Lane today, as well as the aforementioned United game and a further three tricky away games at Bolton, Stoke and Fulham.
So as we enter the final chase for glory, it’ll be intriguing to see just how the title race unfolds. Manchester United undoubtedly still hold all the aces at the moment, but Chelsea have a chance to put themselves in a genuine position of reclaiming a title that has looked far beyond them for the large majority of the season.
