How Chelsea will beat Manchester City and Arsenal to the Premier League title

The Blues have their destiny firmly in their own hands

Tom Sheen
Wednesday 25 March 2015 15:01 GMT
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Jose Mourinho's Chelsea are firmly in the driving seat in the final two months of the Premier League season.

To be frank, if they don't win the title it will be their own fault and a repeat of the mistakes they made last season.

The Blues have a very good run-in between now and the end of the season, with five games coming against teams in the bottom half of the table, another one at home to 10th placed Stoke City, and two of their three tough games at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea currently enjoy a six-point lead over Manchester City with a game in hand and a slightly better goal difference.

Jose Mourinho's team should win the title from here on in
Jose Mourinho's team should win the title from here on in (Getty)

They still have absolutely massive games against Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool, but will have to believe they will get the job done in those three games, having picked up seven points and gone undefeated in their previous matches with the trio this season.

In fact, Chelsea have not lost to any of the three clubs since Jose Mourinho returned, the last defeat coming in October 2012.

Local rivals Queens Park Rangers have caused Chelsea some problems in recent years, but the Blues should be confident of getting a win against Chris Ramsey's team, who are really struggling in the wrong half of the table.

Leicester City and Sunderland are both fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table but, like QPR, the two sides have only won a game each in their last 10 matches.

Chelsea still have to play Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, but last lost to one of those three sides in October 2012
Chelsea still have to play Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, but last lost to one of those three sides in October 2012 (GETTY IMAGES)

Stoke and Crystal Palace are seemingly caught in limbo, with too many points to go down and not enough to challenge the European spots - the two sides are playing for little more than pride.

West Brom are just about in the relegation battle, five points clear of Hull in 15th, but by the time Chelsea travel to The Hawthorns, one would expect Tony Pulis' side to be well clear of trouble.

There are a couple of red flags for this Chelsea team, however. The most obvious one is the injury to Diego Costa, who limped off at the KC Stadium, while Cesc Fabregas is walking a tightrope with suspension that could potentially see him miss the matches against Manchester United and Arsenal.

Chelsea have also struggled to put in a truly convincing performance since the 5-0 win at Swansea on 17 January.

Since then they've gone undefeated in their seven Premier League matches (winning four), but they've not really impressed in any of them. All four of the wins have been by just a single goal, while the Blues have especially struggled in front of their home crowd, drawing matches with Manchester City, Burnley and Southampton.

Since January, the only really good performance has come in the Capital One Cup final where they had Tottenham where they wanted them for the majority of the 90mins. Defeat to Bradford City in the FA Cup and Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain were two real low points.

Despite this, Chelsea are still a team (despite that PSG embarrassment) where you get the feeling that they will produce a result when it matters most.

They are the only team undefeated against the other teams in the top four, and even if don't beat Manchester United, Arsenal or Liverpool, as long as they don't lose they should win the title.

Diego Costa
Diego Costa (GETTY IMAGES)

Last season defeats against clubs in the lower-half of the table - Aston Villa, Norwich, Sunderland - cost them in their quest for the title.

Jose Mourinho rarely makes the same mistake twice.

CHELSEA REMAINING FIXTURES

Stoke (h), QPR (a), Manchester United (h), Arsenal (a), Leicester City (a), Crystal Palace (h), Liverpool (h), West Brom (a), Sunderland (h)

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