Chelsea stretched their lead at the top of the table to 10 points with a 1-0 win against Man United on Saturday. However, many were slightly grumpy at the manner of their victory which has provoked a debate; are the Blues worthy Premier League winners?
It is no secret that the Chelsea side many are currently a shadow of the team which destroyed all before them earlier on this season. The likes of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic have suffered a loss in form which has hampered the west London club.
Even Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger had a little dig in his post-match press conference following the FA Cup semi-final, mocking Chelsea’s constant ‘1-0’ victories.
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Eden Hazard seems to be carrying Jose Mourinho’s side over the line, but how can a club leading the Premier League for almost the whole season be deemed unworthy winners?
Here are five reasons why Jose Mourinho’s men deserve their first league title since 2010.
1. Consistent dominance
According to the Metro, Chelsea are set to break the record in terms of days spent at the top of the table, which was previously held by Manchester United with 262 days in 1993/94. The Premier League has clearly become significantly more competitive since then and Chelsea should be commended for that.
2. Joint top goal-scorers
In the history of the Premier League, the eventual champions have held the best record at both ends of the pitch and Chelsea are no different. The Blues are currently on 65 goals, joint-top with Man City (via Premier League). Far from negative.
3. Big game players
Once again, Chelsea are set to top the mini-league between the top clubs and have only lost to Spurs out of their fixtures against the Premier League’s top seven sides so far this season. Improvement in that department coupled with their ruthlessness against the lower sides has been crucial for the champions-elect.
4. Star quality
This Chelsea side is starkly different to Mourinho’s previous two title-winning teams in 2006, power has been replaced by technical superiority. The fact that Eden Hazard and Cesc Fabregas are the leaders of this side proves that. The result? When it clicks, they can produce goals like the one above.
5. Winning ugly
Sir Alex Ferguson was often lauded for his teams’ ability to grind out results when they weren’t at their best; Chelsea should be equally praised. In a physical London derby against a Queens Park Rangers side fighting for their lives and missing some key players, Chelsea demonstrated all the qualities of a title-winning team by snatching all three points at the last minute.