The party line continues to hold firm, but beyond the walls of Cobham the question of whether Chelsea are in the title race is being asked with a little less mischief and a little more sincerity.
Whatever Enzo Maresca says, right now, the answer is emphatically, yes. Thanks to their win over Tottenham on Sunday, and with a little help from Storm Darragh, the Blues have closed the gap to Liverpool to four points, albeit the Premier League leaders have a game in hand.
At that range, as closest pursuers, if Chelsea are not in the title race then we do not have one at all. Arsenal are two points further back and few are definitively ruling them out yet.
Whether Maresca’s side can keep up the gallop across 38 games, rather than the 15 they have played so far, remains to be seen. The manager himself suggested last week that a slump at some stage is almost inevitable, given the inexperience of his squad. However, there are reasons for optimism…
Squad depth
Chelsea’s biggest strength by some distance lies in the depth of their squad, which is pretty much unprecedented in Premier League history. Other teams have had stronger XIs and even benches, but Maresca could name two full lineups of senior players and still have some kicking their heels.
For much of this season, the Italian has done just that, often rotating his entire team for midweek cup fixtures to keep his star names fresh in a way that simply is not feasible for the likes of Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola as they compete in the Champions League.
Nicolas Jackson, for instance, has made only 15 appearances in three-and-a-half months so far this season. Mohamed Salah, Kai Havertz and Erling Haaland have each made 21. Last week, that extended into the Premier League, with the Blues making seven changes for Wednesday night’s win at Southampton.
Come Sunday’s meeting with Tottenham, fatigue was no issue for Maresca’s side, while Ange Postecoglou was forced to start two half-fit centre-halves, neither of whom finished the game.
Cole Palmer
“Keep saving us,” Levi Colwill joked as he presented Palmer with the man of the match prize after his two penalties had helped see off Tottenham on Sunday.
It is now 50 goal involvements in just 48 Premier League appearances for the 22-year-old at Chelsea, an extraordinary level of production. Only Haaland, Salah and Andy Cole have hit that landmark in fewer games for one club.
While the Blues are not as over reliant on the Englishman as they were under Mauricio Pochettino last season, it still feels inconceivable that they could sustain their current form without him.
Already this season with injuries to Martin Odegaard and Rodri we have seen the impact that losing one central player can have on even the best sides.
Palmer, along with Salah, has been the country’s outstanding footballer this term and has the ability to win matches on his own, as he did when scoring four against Brighton in September. He seems unlikely to be fazed by the pressure of a title run-in.
Fixture list
Everyone plays everyone eventually, of course, but that does not mean the fixture list always falls equally in terms of difficulty and congestion. Over the pivotal festive period and into the New Year, Chelsea’s run is notably kind.
The Blues play seven league matches between now and visiting Manchester City in late January. In that time, the only top-half teams they are due to face are Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham (who are 8th, 9th and 10th respectively) and all three games are at home. The other four matches are all against teams in the bottom six.
Come through that run in good shape and suddenly, 22 games into the season, title talk will seem less fanciful.
January transfer window
There are still flaws in Maresca’s squad but, with the January window looming, still chance to address them.
Whether the club will or not remains to be seen, because the internal view is that a four-window overhaul of the first-team squad has now been completed and recruitment will be more refined from here.
Still, Robert Sanchez is not a title-winning goalkeeper and, however strong Maresca’s public backing, he must surely know that an upgrade will be needed at some stage. At present, No2 Filip Jorgensen looks a better bet.
There is also a strong case for adding full-back cover, with Reece James so unreliable in terms of fitness. Sidelined by another hamstring injury, the club captain has made only four appearances this season and is not expected to return until 2025.
