While it cannot be disputed that Chelsea are firmly on track to claim the Premier League crown for the first time in five years, it is also fair to say that they are limping over the finishing line.
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The swagger which laced their performances in the first half of the campaign has long since disappeared, and the gritty resilience for which Jose Mourinho’s sides are renowned is dragging the Blues through their battles.
Cash-rich owner Roman Abramovich is sure to back Mourinho in the transfer market again this summer, with a recruitment plan driven by the desire to build on the successes of 2014-15 but also tweak the squad to fix the chinks in the armour.
Several first-team heavyweights are in line to pay the price for a worryingly unpredictable 2015, which saw Chelsea lift the League Cup and close in on the title, but also crash out of the Champions League to Paris Saint-Germain and exit the FA Cup after a shock surrender against League One Bradford City.
Here are the five Chelsea players most at risk of the axe this summer:
5) Petr Cech
The emergence of Thibaut Courtois this season has undoubtedly given Cech itchy feet, and when Mourinho selected the young Belgian for the first game of the season it represented a changing of the guard.
While Cech would leave Stamford Bridge with a heavy heart, it is difficult to envisage a different outcome because, at the age of 32, the Czech Republic international is far too talented to be warming the substitutes’ bench for another year.
4) Gary Cahill
The departure of England man Cahill was almost unthinkable at the beginning of this term, such was the formidable partnership he built with skipper John Terry at the heart of the defence.
However, he fell out of favour in January following a slump in form which culminated in a poor display against Bradford City in the FA Cup, with Frenchman Kurt Zouma stepping in. For the first time since arriving in west London, Cahill looks dispensable.
3) John Obi Mikel
Long-serving Mikel is in line to reach his testimonial if he sticks around for another year, but he is in danger of falling 12 months short of that milestone.
Restricted to only 21 appearances in all competitions this season, the Nigeria midfielder is a cameo act these days, often called upon to stifle a game late on, and with only two years left on his contract he could leave on the cheap.
2) Juan Cuadrado
It may seem too soon to make a judgement call on Cuadrado’s short Chelsea career – he only joined at the end of the January transfer window after all – but early signs have been less than encouraging.
He has made little impact in any of the eight appearances which followed his £26m switch from Fiorentina, and if he does not convince Mourinho of his worth he could find himself on the loan market this summer.
1) Didier Drogba
It is never easy to say goodbye, although Drogba has experience in this field, having left the club in 2012, soon after winning the Champions League final for Chelsea with the decisive penalty in a shoot-out against Bayern Munich.
All the evidence suggests it is definitely time to hit the road again. His presence in the dressing room is important to Mourinho, but the 37-year-old has not scored since December 6 and he is playing second fiddle to hitman Diego Costa these days. An ambassadorial role possibly beckons.