8 points up on the title, but still 16 games to go. We need to at least keep a reasonable pace down the stretch here.
Seems like the next two games will decide it. If Chelsea win both games it's basically over, but if they lose both it's suddenly a giant mess at the top.
A couple draw will tighten things up but still leave them as heavy favorites.
If they win both they'd have to have a massive collapse to drop the title I think. Draws will also leave them in good shape.
Arsenal and Liverpool will essentially need to win 3 more games than Chelsea does out of the next 16 to move ahead of them. It's a tough ask for anyone, but not impossible.
Spurs have the easiest schedule yet. They're already done with Chelsea and ManCity, have Arsenal and ManU at home and have 9 straight matches to make hay against non-top 6 clubs.
Having not qualified for European football this year has tremendously helped Chelsea so far. But man, would I love to see this year's team against the powerhouse teams.
We'd get exposed, pretty badly IMO by the true powerhouses.
Yeah, honestly, we'd get beat pretty bad. Definitely not at a point of competing continentally quite yet, and I think the lack of European competition is the main reason we're doing so well in the league.
If they win both they'd have to have a massive collapse to drop the title I think. Draws will also leave them in good shape.
Arsenal and Liverpool will essentially need to win 3 more games than Chelsea does out of the next 16 to move ahead of them. It's a tough ask for anyone, but not impossible.
Chelsea are in the position they're in is because they found a way to win those "draw" games. Barca had 4 last season. RM had 6. Juve had 4. LC had 12. Arsenal in 2nd place had 11. When Chelsea won the EPL they had 9.
Currently Chelsea ONLY have 1 draw. This will definitely change and teams like Arsenal, Spurs, and others will make up ground. Now, please don't think that I believe Chelsea will lose the title, I would rather be in their position than us, or Manchesters' for that matter.
Yes and no. It's also a testament to how Chelsea has done in terms of grinding out results. In order to be a title-winning side (in an average season), you gotta be able to squeak three points out of the tight games. Chelsea last year had 14 draws because we were terrible at grinding out those results. We've had come-from-behind victories where there was more mental toughness on display then we've had in a LONG time (title winning season included), and frankly we've just beaten the teams we've had to beat. Like today for instance, we played like garbage against a team we should be beating and won 2-0. So is the amount of draws we have unsustainable? Yeah, probably, and there probably will be draws in the second half of the season. But it's not entirely luck that we have so few so far, it's a reflection on our ability to win the games we need to.
Title is absolutely not in the bag yet, the next two weeks will show a lot.
I guess it helps that Hazard might actually occasionally make an effort this year.
Ridiculous how such a talented player could contribute so little last year. Got to wonder how many of those draws would have been wins if he had cared for more than Spurs not winning the league.
This season reminds me a bit of Ferguson´s last season. ManUtd ran away with the league without being that good. Not that Chelsea don´t deserve to be on top, but.....
Reports that Ryan Mason suffered a fractured skull and cranial bleeding and is currently just hanging on in hospital. Thoughts and prayers, really rooting for him. Scary ****.
Reports that Ryan Mason suffered a fractured skull and cranial bleeding and is currently just hanging on in hospital. Thoughts and prayers, really rooting for him. Scary ****.
Hazard showed up clearly out of shape last year and got off to a bad start, and he wasn't the only one. Carried through most of the season until the last 5-10 games at least.
Fab said the players got too much freedom from Mourinho and they took advantage of it. Most did not train properly.