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As season after season of football rolls by, the English Premier League strengthens its claim of being the most challenging league on the planet. The world-famous league is in a league of its own. One can find the defence-focused approach of the Serie A as well as the attacking mindset of LaLiga and Bundesliga, all combined into one.
The last season of this challenging tournament was won by Manchester City who tore down opposing defences with ease and broke multiple records in their run-up to the title. Orchestrated and guided by their manager Josep Guardiola, City accumulated a hundred points in their kitty breaking the long-standing record of 95 points set by Mourinho's Chelsea in 2004-05.
At the beginning of this season, football pundits earmarked Manchester City and Liverpool as the two contenders for the title because of the completeness of their team and ability to replace an injured player with another of the same cadre. However, the tables have turned and Chelsea look more dangerous than any other side at the moment.
Chelsea are now giving tough competition to the other title contenders and sit second behind Manchester City in the points table, only behind by goal difference. They gave Liverpool tough competition when they met them twice over a week's period, winning the Carabao Cup encounter and drawing the Premier League one.
Manager Maurizio Sarri quotes that the team is not yet functioning at their full potential and it may take them a few more months to reach there. His style of play called the Sarrismo/Sarriball is allowing the players to play with freedom and hence, goals and possession have become the bread and butter for Chelsea players.
Here are the five reasons why Chelsea will win the Premier League this season.
1) The presence of Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is in his seventh season with the Blues and he has already gained the status of a club legend, probably. After a scintillating World Cup, wherein he bagged 4 MOTM awards, Hazard has begun this season on a high. The Belgian is in the form of his life and has scored seven goals so far along with three assists.
The Belgian talisman is one of those players in the football world, who is almost always a hot topic for discussions. Darting runs into the box, scoring screamers and ability to turn the game by his own makes him a man who is always in the radar of big clubs.
Chelsea manager Sarri has infused life into his game by giving him more freedom to take the game by the scruff of its neck. Coveted heavily by Real Madrid in summer, Eden Hazard has finally admitted that he would love to play out his career with Chelsea. Maybe that could be the warning sign for all other teams.
2) A dependable attacking force
Chelsea's strength over the years has their attacking prowess. Their ability to score goals at any instant, thereby turning the tide of the game in their favour, is quite well known to many local and European clubs.
This time out, the Blues have a strong forward line that has the ability to tear down opponents on their day. In the centre-forward position, Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud ply their trade.
Even though Morata hasn't been performing very good as of late, two goals in his last two games speak of a revival. Giroud may not be a cultured goalscorer but his ability to hold up play is the reason why he was such a vital player for France in the World Cup.
Apart from Hazard, who functions as an inside forward, Chelsea have two really dangerous wingers in Willian and Pedro, who can devastate oppositions on their day with their crossing and finishing abilities. Callum Hudson Odoi and Victor Moses are very dependable players, who can function with ease when they are called upon.
3) The depth and quality in midfield
Any football team is incomplete without the midfield. Functioning as the engine that keeps the team ticking, the midfielders act as the transition between defence and forwards. Chelsea's midfield speaks of depth and quality. At full potential, Chelsea's midfield could be considered as one of the best in Europe.
Chelsea have possessed the silent N'Golo Kante who lets his actions speak in place of his words. He is one of the reasons why France won the World Cup. He has been handed a more attacking role by Sarri and seems to be performing well. Jorginho is a master of Sarri-ball having played under the Italian coach at Napoli. Kovacic is a relentless runner who pumps energy into the midfield.
The resurgent Ross Barkley has a lot to offer, both goal-wise and game-wise. He has been improving since the start of the season and will continue to do so. Cesc Fabregas brings in a lot of experience to the team and still continues to change the game with his exemplary vision.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is one of the most exciting prospects at the club right now, and he will be instrumental over the course of this season. Danny Drinkwater is another dependable player who can perform whenever he is called upon.
4) Effective new signings
One of the major reasons why Chelsea won the Premier League twice in the gap of three years - 2015 and 2017 - was because of a strong transfer window before those seasons. Players like Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, N'Golo Kante and Marcos Alonso came in and made a tremendous impact.
In the recent transfer window, Chelsea acquired some big names like Jorginho and Kepa Arrizabalaga, who came in to replace Real Madrid-bound goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
They also managed to bring in Mateo Kovacic on a season-long loan. The new players have wasted no time and have seamlessly adapted into the Chelsea system.
Jorginho, who knows Maurizio Sarri since his Napoli days, forms a vital cog both on and off the field. His ability to read the game and play decisive through balls makes him indispensable in the Sarri-ball system.
Mateo Kovacic has replicated his Inter Milan performances and has been turning many heads of late with his performances. Kepa Arrizabalaga has become a reliable figure between the posts with his work-rate and calmness.
5) Doing it the Sarri-ball way
Sarri was appointed as the Chelsea manager this summer and he replaced outgoing manager Antonio Conte. In his three years at Napoli, he converted Napoli into a free-flowing unit that could score goals at will and always had the game in their control.
For Chelsea players who were tired of being stuck to strict routine and gameplay, this was a welcome change and many players embraced it with joy. Sarri-ball is essentially keeping possession and playing short passes, thereby creating gaps behind opposition lines. This system hasn't totally been implemented at Chelsea and it has already been reaping rewards.
Bringing in Jorginho who was the core of Sarri's Napoli, proved to be the key move. Kante gets the freedom to go forward and contribute more in game-making along with his defensive duties. Hazard is relishing his role as number 10 and every single player is allowed to enjoy the game, thereby allowing him to play to his full potential.
The team looks raring to go on and win the title. Can they go all the way?
