Are Chelsea the actual deal within the Premier League title race? It’s a query barely on the agenda firstly of the month, however by Sunday night we may have the reply, and it would simply be “sure.”
After spending virtually £1.5 billion ($1.98bn) on new gamers for the reason that Todd Boehly/Clearlake takeover in Might 2022, a Chelsea title problem is arguably overdue. It ought to actually be the pure consequence of such lavish funding within the enjoying squad. However did anybody actually imagine that Enzo Maresca’s younger facet — FIFA Membership World Cup winners or not — was able to tackle Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester Metropolis this season?
If Chelsea beat Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, their title credentials will not be up for debate.
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Regardless of Arsenal’s dominant season to date, with Mikel Arteta’s facet topping the tables in each the Premier League and the league part of the Champions League, the Gunners’ six-point home lead could possibly be halved this weekend in the event that they lose to Chelsea. Third-place Metropolis are additionally prone to make up floor in the event that they defeat struggling Leeds United on the Etihad on Saturday.
Metropolis will stay a menace, though their very own inconsistencies this season threaten to derail Pep Guardiola’s workforce. Whereas Erling Haaland stays match and in prolific goal-scoring type, Metropolis are able to difficult for a fifth title in six seasons. Arteta and his gamers know from bitter expertise that Guardiola’s males have type for late-season surges.
Chelsea are extra of an unknown amount underneath Maresca, though they proved after they defeated UEFA Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain within the Membership World Cup remaining that they’re able to upsetting the percentages and beating the very best. They’re unpredictable and inconsistent, full of supremely proficient however inexperienced younger stars corresponding to Estêvão and Alejandro Garnacho, and they’re on a roll, which makes them a harmful proposition for Arsenal on Sunday.
Arsenal are formidable and robust, a workforce whose lack of aptitude and spontaneity is greater than compensated by their capability to capitalise on set-pieces with targets from free kicks and corners. However they do not possess the liberty and X-factor that has propelled Chelsea into the title race. The Blues are all the pieces that Arsenal should not — constructive and damaging — so Sunday is a conflict of kinds and philosophies and the end result will inform us simply the place the title is headed.
After shedding 2-1 at dwelling to Sunderland on Oct. 25, Chelsea dropped to eighth within the Premier League. It was their third defeat in 9 league video games, and the shortcomings which have affected Chelsea ever since that 2022 takeover — too many modifications, an excessive amount of youth, not sufficient expertise — all contributed to their inconsistent begin to the season.
However that Sunderland defeat now seems to be like a blip in a extra spectacular run of only one loss in 11 video games in all competitions — a sequence of video games performed with out the injured Cole Palmer — by which Chelsea scored 27 targets and registered six clear sheets. It’s a run that additionally consists of wins in opposition to Liverpool and Barcelona.
The early issues this season over Chelsea’s defence and goalkeeper have dissipated, the midfield axis of Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández is now constantly performing as probably the greatest in Europe — whereas Pedro Neto has additionally been a key performer in midfield — and 18-year-old sensation Estêvão is suggesting he might turn into one other teen star on the world stage. Apart from the shortage of title-winning expertise in a facet whose oldest gamers are goalkeeper Robert Sánchez and defender Tosin Adarabioyo (each 28), the explanations to again in opposition to Chelsea sustaining a title problem are melting away.
One apparent space in want of enchancment is the variety of targets Chelsea get from Maresca’s strikers, with centre-forward João Pedro tied with Fernández and Neto on 4 targets because the workforce’s high scorer within the league. It’s uncommon for any facet to win a title with out a ahead scoring 20 league targets in a season, and no one at Chelsea is coming near hitting that focus on at this stage.
However the flip-side is that targets are being scored from all departments, and Chelsea’s complete of 23 Premier League targets to date this season is bettered solely by Arsenal and Metropolis (each 24). And defensively, solely Arsenal (six targets conceded) and Metropolis (10) have higher defensive information than Chelsea (11) up to now, so Maresca’s facet fairly clearly go into the Arsenal sport as a real title rival for Arteta’s workforce.
Sunday is about greater than the top end result, although. The result will outline the mentality of either side for the rest of the title race. If Arsenal win, they are going to transfer 9 factors away from Chelsea and hammer out an actual assertion of intent. However a Chelsea victory would blow the title race large open and infuse Maresca’s younger facet with the assumption and confidence that they will go all the way in which, similtaneously injecting doubt and concern into the Arsenal ranks.
Whereas Arsenal will at all times view neighbours Tottenham Hotspur as their conventional native rival, Chelsea have turn into the London workforce that has outdone them at each flip and displayed the ruthless profitable mentality that has eluded the Gunners lately. Since Arsenal’s final title success in 2003-04, Chelsea have received 5 Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues. They’ve mastered the artwork of holding their nerve and profitable.
If Chelsea win once more on Sunday, they would be the actual deal and it will likely be Arsenal’s flip to carry their nerve.