It’s advantage Tottenham in title race after Chelsea’s slip-up to Manchester United at the weekend. Well, at least that’s what a lot of people, none more so than Spurs fans themselves, will be thinking.
However, that could not be further from the truth.
The Blues’ loss to United on Sunday afternoon was no doubt a disappointment and frustrating for Chelsea fans. Antonio Conte’s men were tactically awash and were out-smarted in almost every area of the field buy a resurgent Manchester United.
Ander Herrera kept Eden Hazard completely out of the game; Marcos Rojo pestered and prodded a familiarly angry Diego Costa for 90 minutes; Marcus Rashford showed why he should really be leading the line for United as he caused Chelsea’s back three problems.
With six games remaining and with a four point advantage at the top of the Premier League table, the title is still very much Chelsea’s to lose.
So here are five reasons why Chelsea will not bottle the title despite their loss to Manchester United on Sunday…
Done it Before
The aftermath of Sunday’s result bares striking similarities to that of Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Tottenham just after New Year where two Dele Alli headers either side of half-time bought the Blues’ 13 game winning streak to an abrupt end.
It was certainly a blow to Antonio Conte’s side, especially seeing as they were on the brink of making Premier League history with their winning run.
Chelsea didn’t lose again for three months after that defeat. They bounced back once and they will bounce back again.
Run-in
Manchester United was always going to be the toughest fixture of Chelsea’s last eight games, despite how un-captivating and unimpressive the Red Devils have been all season. Jose Mourinho was a man with a point to prove, especially having already lost twice to his former side this season, so it was all but inevitable the Portuguese boss would be the man to throw a spanner in the works.
The Blues’ remaining six games are as follows: Southampton, Everton, Middlesbrough, West Brom, Watford and Sunderland. It’s fair to say that is a kind end to the season for Conte’s side.
The only potential tripping point would be Everton away but considering Antonio Conte’s man thumped the Toffees 5-0 in the opposing fixture earlier in the year, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Strength in Depth
Much was made of the loss of Marcos Alonso just before the defeat to Manchester United and how that was the major factor in the Blues loss. Not true. While it certainly didn’t help, that was not where the problem lied this weekend.
Antonio Conte possesses a strong squad with plenty of experienced and young players who are more than capable of stepping in and doing a job.
The likes of Cesc Fabregas, Willian and Michy Batshuayi are fine options as back-up, while young faces such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathan Ake and Nathaniel Chalobah are both bright sparks for the future who will be keen to make an impression.
One-off mistake
Antonio Conte has admitted it was ‘his fault’ that the Blues succumbed to United at the weekend, stating he was unable to “transfer the right concentration, desire, ambition to win this game” onto his players, adding that “[United] showed more desire, more ambition, more motivation. In this case the fault is of the coach.”
The continual changes to formation and inability to shake things up when on the losing side also contributed to Chelsea’s downfall. Mourinho’s set-up was a surprise for Conte and his side and one they did not know how to deal with.
Expect the Italian to learn from it, not to ponder over it.
Proven Winner
Antonio Conte knows what it takes to win titles. You only have to look at his record at Juventus, with whom he won five consecutive Serie A titles.
That winning mentality followed him to the Italian national side, where given the lack of resources at his disposal, he by far over achieved with what was described as the ‘weakest Italy side in half a century.’
Part of being a winner is learning from a defeat, and there is no doubt the passionate Italian will do that. You don’t win title after title by wallowing when defeat inevitably strikes.
