Chelsea will return to action in the Premier League this weekend as the only side yet to be beaten this season. Injuries to key players that would have caused them major problems last year have been little more than minor hiccups, and their overall dominance of crucial games has led to many pundits crowning them champions elect after just 11 games.
However, this is the time of year that the Blues traditionally come unstuck, and Jose Mourinho will need to make the most of his squad depth to avoid a similar situation this season.
Chelsea will play twice a week every week between now and the new year. A trip to Germany to face Roberto Di Matteo’s Schalke will follow Saturday’s match against West Brom, with a schlep to Sunderland the following weekend.
Although the Blues are pretty much guaranteed to qualify from their Champions League group, Mourinho will want to secure the top spot with a win in this game. His starting XI in the Champions League so far has contained a few notable differences from his nailed-down Premier League XI, and it is this use of the full squad that should see the Blues through to the knockout stages.
A London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on December 3rd will give Mourinho the atmosphere that he has been missing, before he looks to exorcise the demons of last season’s diabolical performance at St James’ Park the following weekend.
Sporting Lisbon and Hull City are the next two sides to visit Stamford Bridge, before attentions turn again to the Capital One Cup in the form of a midweek trip to Derby County. Mourinho has used this competition to give youngsters and fringe players some game time, and a good performance in this match could see them included in the first team when the festive fixture list begins to pile up.
I think everybody who turned up to stand in a puddle of melted snow for 90 minutes deserves 5 extra loyalty points. http://ift.tt/1p5KW3t
— Rowanne Westhenry (@agirlintheshed) January 21, 2013 The trip to Stoke on December 22nd precedes another London derby against West Ham on Boxing Day, while the following fixture at high-flying Southampton will likely provide the toughest test of the period.
If they can maintain their current form, there is no reason Chelsea cannot end the calendar year clear at the top of the table with a massive psychological advantage over their rivals. However, if their unbeaten run is brought to an end against one of the “smaller” teams that they are scheduled to face, there is a chance that their title challenge could crumble.
Manchester City’s fixture list is similar to the Blues’, while Liverpool will have to face Arsenal and Manchester United over the same period. Assuming that City are able to address the issues that have seen them slump to shock defeats at the hands of Stoke City, Newcastle United and West Ham, they could easily close the eight-point gap that stands between them and the top spot.
Tradition says that the team that tops the league at Christmas will win the title, but Liverpool proved last season that this is not always the case. Chelsea will need to avoid falling victim to the complacency that has often characterised their collapse at this point in the season to ensure that they can keep the festive spirit alive at Stamford Bridge.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1HuN1vS
via IFTTT November 21, 2014 at 04:33AM
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