It’s ironic that with exactly the same number of games played last season, Manchester City trailed Arsenal and Liverpool by just one point, while Chelsea were one point behind Man City.
17 games into this season with one more game played, Manchester City FC are level on points with Chelsea FC, and the chase is on again, this time, City are chasing the blues of Chelsea.
Chelsea play Stoke tonight and if Chelsea draw or beat Stoke tonight, they remain top of the Premiership going into congestion fixtures of boxing day into the New year, 4 games in 10 days (including the FA cup).
Last season Arsenal lead City by a point during the congestion zone, until the 3rd week in January, but by the end of January, City’s pressure had toppled Arsenal from the top of the premiership.
By March, as City continued to steam roll every opponent and increase the heat on Arsenal, Arsenal slipped to six points behind Man City, creating a deficit they never recovered from, and effectively putting an end to their title ambitions for another season.
As City overtook Arsenal however, they grew from strength to strength, taking no prisoners as they marched on to the podium with Liverpool -profiteering from a lack of midweek football- the only realistic challengers to their title ambition.
This season City are on the move again, coming from behind, puffing, blowing, threatening and fuming, but this season it’s Mourinho’s eggs that they’re chasing after and they’re getting closer and closer.
Would the special one be able to protect his eggs from the ravaging City men?
Would Manchester United’s lack of midweek football –don’t forget they’re also out of the capital one cup as well- still provide another twist to the tale?
Would history repeat the chase and outwit Chelsea as they did to Arsenal last year?
Would the playground bullies triumph over another set of unassuming kids?
The title couldn’t be any closer this season:
Chelsea won 12 drawn 3 lost 1
Man City won 12 drawn 3 lost 2
Chelsea Scored 36 goals conceded 13
Man City Scored 36 goals conceded 14
It’s close but Chelsea have caught up with City in the goals department. By this time last season City had scored 19 goals MORE than Chelsea, a gap that Chelsea managed to curtail, thanks to Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas.
The two couldn’t help however as City gained five points on Chelsea during a seven day marathon of three games as Chelsea showed fatigue where City showed depth and strength.
In a week where Mourinho refused to rotate his team, Chelsea dropped points at Sunderland and Newcastle, ending their unbeaten run, but Mourinho has since rotated his team after the mediocre seven day cross-country that saw his team lose ground on City and give City renewed confidence in their title challenge. He has rested Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Fabregas, Cahill, Terry, Matic, Ivanovic, Azpilicueta, Courtois and Costa in recent games, so the there should be enough fuel in the tank for Mourinho’s men to mount the next assault on the title.
What next? I watched City probe Palace over the weekend and I watched them answer questions and make endless runs against the Palace back eight. The onslaught was relentless as City’s train rolled Palace over again; 3-0 and without any recognised striker.
Chelsea need to start answering questions the same way City do, over the course of the next few games especially as we enter the congestion zone of fixtures.
I think the next few games hold the key to how the story begins in the second chapter: A repeat of last year or the hatching of Mourinho’s eggs?
Stoke City, West Ham, Southampton and Tottenham stand in Chelsea’s way.
City have West Brom, Burnley and Sunderland to contend with.
On paper, Man City look favourites to overturn Chelsea’s lead at the top, but with 7 league titles in 4 different countries in 11 years, and 18 different titles altogether in the same period, including 2 champions league titles, you can bet that Mourinho has a plan to keep Man City at bay.
The next few games promise to be interesting.