This is the pressure that Enzo Maresca and Chelsea wants to avoid but with the way they’re playing and their league position currently, you just have to ask, are Chelsea title contenders?
Currently, Chelsea are second on the Premier League table, six points behind league leaders Arsenal and one point above third-placed Manchester City. With just 12 games playe, the Blues are making a case for themselves as possible title contenders.
But they can actually be tagged as title contenders if they somehow manage to beat Arsenal.
Arsenal have cleared almost everyone in their path, bar Liverpool in the early stages of the season. The Gunners are unstoppable and their statement against Bayern Munich has sent a strong statement to the whole world.
Chelsea on the other hand, are no pushover. Their demolition of Barcelona is among the list of their elite performances this season and if anyone can stop Arsenal, they may just be the ones.
Interestingly, if Chelsea beat Arsenal, they’ll still remain second but will close to the gap between themselves and thr Gunners to three points.
Being three points behind the league leaders by December puts you in the title race. No?
Chelsea have been here before and this time last season, they had the results to actually go on to win the league but they ran the “we’re not in the title race” gimmick till they actually fell out of it and almost lost out of the top 4.
This season, the Blues seemed to have taken a new approach.
On Chelsea’s title chances, Maresca said: “We will see where we are by March and April. Then we will see. I think these players in 18 months together showed they can beat teams. PSG in the Club World Cup final, this season Liverpool and Barcelona, we compete always and it’s important to show we can compete against any team. I think we are in the right direction.”
The Blues are gunning for the title regardless and by Sunday, depending on the result, we can’t rule them out of the title race. They have the squad and if you believe it or not, they also have the manager.
They are helplessly in the title race even if they don’t want the title and if the result of Sunday’s game against Arsenal could determine their title ambitions.
