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“ …one person whom you can trust to get you wins against top oppositions”For the fans of English football, it’s that time of the year again! Where all teams of the other famous European leagues enjoy a well-deserved winter break – some even running a month long, the “festive period” is the busiest period in the English Premier League.It’s the midway point of the season and for the second year in succession, a team from England is vying for an unprecedented Quadruple. Last season, it was Manchester City, who eventually lost the plot owing to the lack of experience in Europe combined with some unlucky results. They eventually settled for a domestic double which was indeed a tremendous feat. This season, it’s Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea who are chasing the unthinkable.Probably the most complete team the EPL has seen in years, Chelsea have been absolutely perfect in all departments. They were quick to act in the transfer market and have added 2 potential ‘PFA Team of the Year’ candidates in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. They have played a total of 28 games in all competitions this season so far, of which they have lost only 1 – their long unbeaten run ended only on December 6, 2014.Combine the quality of this vibrant Chelsea squad with the genius brain in Jose Mourinho and you would believe there is every chance they will stay right till the very end in their pursuit to top Sir Alex Ferguson’s Treble feat of 1999. Let’s take a look at their chances in all the competitions and predict if they would create history or eventually succumb to the fixture congestion.
#1 The Capital One Cup
In the three games they have played so far, they weren’t tested by any real tough opposition and have progressed to the semi-finals with much ease. They face a struggling Liverpool in the two-legged semi-final and should have no major problems progressing to the final scheduled to take place on March 1, 2015 at Wembley.
They could go on to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Final and although Spurs may possess the likes of Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and an in-form 21 year old striker Harry Kane, Chelsea would still have a cakewalk in this one. Clear-cut winners and they check one off the list.
Chances: 9.5/10
Prediction: Winners
#2 The Premier League
There’s a reason why Chelsea called themselves the ‘little horse’ last season and are now looking a totally different unit this year. Top of the table since the league kicked off and they continue to do so, they have, however, lost 5 points of the huge 8 point cushion they had against Manchester City.
It’s a two-horse race for the title with Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United 10 points off the top place as their rebuilding process continues. These two teams face off on the last day of January 2015 and the result of that game would clearly make a huge impact on the outcome of the league. This season, like almost any other, will go down to the wire. Chelsea to clinch their first title in five years and tie with Manchester City’s last season feat.
Chances: 8/10
Prediction: Winners
#3 The FA Cup
Chelsea kick off their FA Cup Campaign at home against Sky Bet Championship side Watford on the first weekend of 2015. Considering the easy draws, almost all the major Premier League teams are expected to progress to the next round of the oldest football knockout competition in the world and we could expect some fiery clashes in the next rounds of the competition.
Squad rotation would turn out to be the most important aspect of the game if Chelsea are to progress as the fixture congestion starts to develop during the fag end of the season. Chelsea may have to sort out their priorities as the draws come by and this is where a team like Manchester United could benefit from , having already been knocked out of the Capital One Cup and no European competitive fixtures to take care of.
Chances: 7.5/10
Prediction: Semi-finalists
#4 UEFA Champions League
One of the three teams to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament without losing a match, Chelsea face a pretty difficult task when they face Ligue 1 defending champions Paris Saint Germain in the Round of 16. Chelsea went on to win this fixture last year on account of away goals and thus as soon as the draws took place, the twitter battle resumed.
David Luiz changed sides at the turn of the season and it will be interesting to see how the mental battle shapes up, keeping in mind the goal Frank Lampard scored against Chelsea which kept his current employers Manchester City in the title race. A master tactician that he is, Jose Mourinho is famous for carving out entirely new and different game plans based on the opposition. 10-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid look the only major threat for this Chelsea squad and if they somehow avoid them on the Road to Berlin, they have a genuine chance of lifting their 2nd Champions League title in 4 years.
Chances: 7/10
Prediction: Winners
#5 Final Thoughts
Chelsea look to have finally got all things clicking and are all set to dominate English football for the next few years. They should have very few problems in earning the Domestic Double. And if there’s one person whom you can trust to get you wins against top oppositions, it’s the guy whose CV boasts of 2 UEFA CL titles and therefore, makes them our pick as the UEFA Champions League favourite.
Pour in with your thoughts and predictions!
