FIVE reasons why Chelsea can win the league title As the Premier League title race enters the final furlong , it is Jose Mourinho’s “little horse” that currently leads the race. Chelseaare four points clear of both Liverpooland Arsenal, and are six points clear of fourth placed Manchester Citywho have two games in hand.While on paper it would seem that The Blues are clear favourites to win the league, Mourinho has chosen to rule out his side being victorious come May.He claims that his team’s target was automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League, and has since described his team as a “little horse” in this season’s title race.Even on Saturday after The Blues won 3-1 at Fulham, the Portuguese once again wrote Chelsea’s chances off, when told that his side were top, Mourinho was quick to point out that if City are victorious in their two games in hand they will return to the summit of the league, and he labelled Chelsea’s lead as “fake.” However Touchline Talk have revealed five reasons why Chelsea can win the title and why The Special One is wrong to rule his team out. 1.Experience The Chelsea squad is full of experienced footballers that have won domestic titles, cups and even European competitions.The likes of Frank Lampard, John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech have all won the Premier League before and know what it’s like during a title run in and that experience will undoubtedly help the younger players most of which have never experienced a title run-in in England before. Mourinho himself has experience of winning the league and knows what it takes to pull through this time of the season where the games come thick and fast. When you look at the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool it’s fair to say that when it comes to the experience of a title run-in they are not as well equipped at Chelsea. 2.Strength in depth The Blues boast possible the best squad in the Premier League, with the exception of Manchester City.Their strength in depth will be crucial as when Mourinho looks to give players a rest the overall quality of the squad does not go down. This was emphatically demonstrated on Saturday as Andre Schlurre came in to replace Willian for the trip to face Fulham, the Brazilian had been earning rave reviews regarding his performances in previous weeks, but all that was soon forgotten when Schurrle bagged himself a hat trick. Their midfield especially is full of some the Premier League’s finest, such as Eden Hazard, Oscar, Lampard, Ramires, Nemanja Matic as well as the aforementioned Willian and Schurrle. 3.Jose Mourinho One of the most influential figureheads in Chelsea’s title push will undoubtedly be their charismatic Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho.The Special One will be no stranger to the prospect of a title run-in, having won domestic honours in Portugal, Italy, Spain and of course previously in England. Loved by the media, Mourinho has certainly not disappointed with his press-conferences this season and they usually contain a cheeky dig or two at some of his rivals.While people may have differing views on Mourinho’s mind game tactics it could prove to be useful as his comments more often than not aid in Chelsea’s success.His ability as a manager is also a reason why Chelsea are title contenders, he is one of very few managers that is able to go into a game and set his team up to get exactly what he wanted, you only have to look at the recent win at the Etihad for evidence of his managerial abilities. 4.Fixtures The fixture list is another positive for Mourinho’s men, Chelsea possibly have the easiest run-in out of the current top four. The Blues face relegation candidates Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Norwich City and Cardiff City in their run-in, and given the lowly league positions of those sides it should result in Chelsea taking maximum points from those fixtures. The only potential banana skin for the London club is a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool, who boast a clinical home record having registered victories over Manchester United, Arsenal and Everton this season.But Chelsea’s run-in is significantly better than The Reds, who face the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and of course Chelsea at the end of April. Arsenal’s stand out fixtures include Spurs, Manchester City, Everton and have to make the trip to Stamford Bridge on March 22nd. Finally Manchester City must face Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool in their title run in. 5.Eden Hazard Chelsea’s Belgian superstar has easily been the most influential player for The Blues this season.His performances have impressed all that have had the pleasure of watching him this campaign and he is up there for player of the year this season. The 23-year-old this season is starting to justify the £32 million Chelsea forked out to acquire his services in 2012, he currently has 12 goals in 28 Premier League appearances, and on his day, arguably there is no full-back in the league that can stop him. If Hazard keeps his sublime form up the duration of Chelsea’s run-in, then Mourinho’s men will certainly be there or thereabouts come the conclusion of the campaign.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 10:04:57 +0000
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