A Shot at Immortality
We are only 11 games into the
season but the talk of ‘Chelsea Invincibles’ just refuses to go away.
Admittedly, the press is the source of most the noise with betting websites
like Paddy Power instigating matters by paying out on Chelsea to win the premier
league. All this hype and the drama raises one serious question: can Chelsea actually
do it?
The season is 38 games long. We
are not even 30% through the season but for objective reason let’s look at the
crucial data pragmatically. Chelsea’s closest rivals are Manchester City. Due
respect to Southampton but it would be a legendary tale if the Saints keep up
this form until the end of the season. So Chelsea have gone to their closest
rivals and come away with a hard-fought draw. What could the other tricky fixtures
be? Anfield, Goodison Park and for all their struggles, Old Trafford. Been
there, still shining. So the first issue of the so called ‘tough fixtures’ is
out of the way.
The second is how the team and
more specifically the injury situation holds up. Any great team needs strength
in depth. You cannot overstate the need for a deep squad that can bail you out
of an injury crisis. Do Chelsea have an injury fool-proof squad? Sadly, no. But
neither do Real Madrid in certain positions. Chicharito, for instance, is no
replacement for Karim Benzema. Likewise, Loic Remy is no replacement for Diego
Costa if, say, Costa is injured for a prolonged period which he has shown
symptoms of. But the two positions Chelsea cannot afford to have injuries in
are the CDMs. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas are virtually irreplaceable at
Chelsea. If you consider the replacements, John Obi Mikel and Ramires, they are
of a vastly inferior quality due to the form the aforementioned players are in.
A serious injury to Fabregas and the team would lose its brain. Injuries are a
major factor and ultimately may prove to be the deciding factor.
Thirdly is the often ignored
factor of ‘mentality’. A football player is only as good as he believes he is.
Similarly, a football team fuels itself on team spirit. Chelsea lost it near
the end of last season and more so against the smaller teams. This season they
have shown no cracks but they have been conceding a lot of late goals and goals
from winning positions. In fact the two draws away to the Manchester Teams were
both a result of late goals and both games ended 1-1. If you want to go the
whole season unbeaten, you need to show killer instinct and close games down.
At 1-0 you should be thinking about dominating possession and making it 2-0, not
being tentative and dropping deep defensively, something Chelsea have been
guilty of. If Chelsea can keep focus and if Mourinho doesn’t let them lose perspective,
it’ll be another box ticked.
Fourthly, you cannot ignore the
number of competitions Chelsea have entered. Balancing a league cup midweek
with a monster premier league game on Sunday evening and then playing at Nou
Camp on Tuesday is a real possibility. You’ll need every player to show up. You
simply cannot afford any passengers. Most of this is down to Mourinho. How he
tinkers with the squad will have a huge effect on the outcome before and more
specifically towards the business end of the tournament.
All in all, there is a fair
chance that Chelsea can go undefeated. You get the feeling that Chelsea haven’t
yet hit peak form. They are bound to do so at some point during the season and
the thought itself is scary. Having said
that, they could just lose to West Brom this evening if they are not careful
enough! Such is the premier league these days. You simply cannot take anyone for
granted. Rest assured, Mourinho will have the boys in blue rooted to the
ground. You cannot go to sleep when you play at this level. Although the
manager’s target is to win ‘the next game’, I am sure a short at immortality
would be brewing at the back of Jose’s mind. And if he can indeed go unbeaten
this season, in this competitive climate, that is what it will be –
immortality.
