THE TIGHTEST RACE IN YEARS..... I cringed when I took a look at the league table this morning….they are all coming in on the home stretch now and it couldn’t have looked tighter. As March blends into April, football really starts to get interesting. Just one place separates Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings, but theyre a world apart at the moment. Theres slick City, a circling thunderstorm showing no signs of blowing out as we enter the title run-in, blaring out another noisy signal of intent this week by humbling their neighbours. And then theres Arsenal, a shower petering out, their once thunderous hopes floating away on the breeze after a disappointing week. Im not playing it down, I dont play silly mind games, said Liverpool’s boss Brendan Rodgers. If City win their games, they win. Its simple maths. Maths, folks. Simple maths. Definitely not mind games. Rodgers couldnt sound more like his old mentor Jose Mourinho if he tried. But, actually, mind games or not, Liverpool hold most of the aces. They host City on April 13 and Chelsea on April 27 and so will determine whose ribbons will be affixed to the trophy in May. Anfield has become a true fortress as it used to be in the seventies and eighties - they have won 11 of their last 12 in the Premier League and have only failed to score in one of their last 16. But just hold on… Sorry Arsenal, City and Liverpool fans, but Jose Mourinho has NEVER lost the title when top at start of March, so is the race as good as over? Mourinho’s record covering the top-flight divisions in England, Spain, Italy and Portugal makes it all the more astounding. The 51-year-old began with two Primeira Liga titles in as many seasons at Porto in 2003 and 2004 after leading at the end of February, before continuing the record at Chelsea in 2005 and 2006. It carried on at Inter Milan when they were crowned Serie A champions in 2009 and 2010, and his seventh came in 2012 at Real Madrid in La Liga. He continues to insist Chelsea are not genuine contenders for the Premier League title but the statistics seem to suggest otherwise. Mourinho’s side sit top of the table at the end of February and the Portuguese boss has never lost a title from that position in seven times of asking. And as if that was not enough, there has been only one club to relinquish such a lead in the previous ten Premier League seasons. The Portuguese has seen and done it all, walked the walk. If there is one area of concern for Chelsea, it is their misfiring trio of strikers. The problem with Chelsea is I lack a striker. I have Etoo but he is 32-years-old, maybe 35, who knows? Jose Mourinho’s words back in February must haunt Chelsea’s strikers every night in their sleep. Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres have all had incredible careers which has seen them play for some of Europe’s best teams, but the time has now comes where all three seem a shadow of their former selves. The trio have found the net a combined total of 14 times so far this Premier League season, that’s one shy of Sergio Aguero’s goal haul this season. But what exactly is stopping them from finding the net? It may seem a little futile to question their strike force, as Chelsea are currently top of the Premier League table and look to be in the driving seat as we enter the final straight of the season. However, this problem could be the undoing of the blues season so far. You could argue that Romelu Lukaku is still waiting in the wings to fill the void, but the jury is still out as to whether Mourinho really believes that the big Belgian striker can carry the team Eden Hazard has deflected some of the pressure on the trio by equalling their goals tally for the season and in turn rivalling Luis Suarez for PFA player of the year. Chelsea cannot rely on the midfield maestro for goals though. But who exactly should they target to replace their bunch of misfit strikers? The Special One was quoted as saying: “I need a striker. Falcao needs a club. A player like him cannot play in front of 3,000 people. Monaco is a club to end (your career with)”. Is the Colombian striker what Mourinho needs though? With his reported age under scrutiny coupled with the sheer amount of money he is earning in tax-free Monaco, it would be a big gamble to make, a lot like Carlo Ancelotti’s signing of Fernando Torres in January 2011. Diego Costa would be the perfect remedy for Chelsea’s lack of goals in the striker department. With 21 goals in 25 appearances in La Liga this year and 7 goals in 5 games in the Champions League, there is no doubting his credentials. Plus, at only 25, the Brazilian born striker still has his best years to come. Another name that has been banded around Stamford Bridge for the past year is Paris St-Germain striker Edison Cavani. Whilst at Napoli last year the London term were reported to have made a £52 million bid, but PSG managed to take advantage of the changes at Chelsea and snatched him right from under their noses. Brazilian Hulk, who is plying his trade at Zenit this season, has also been mentioned after he was pictured in London. The colossal striker currently has a return of 7 goals in 9 games in for the Russian side and also impressed whilst at Mourinho’s former club, FC Porto. Whoever Mourinho decides is worth Abramovich’s millions in the summer, they could be the final piece of the puzzle that makes Chelsea the dominant force in Europe.
Posted on: Fri, 28 Mar 2014 02:34:47 +0000
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