Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and his backroom team will have been
anxiously assessing the focus and fitness of key players as he prepares
for the title run-in.
His side look to be in a comfortable position heading the table by six points with a match in hand over their nearest rivals Manchester City but fortunes can change swiftly in football.
A sequence of poor results can bring pressure. Liverpool's capitulation last year is a prime example of what can happen when overconfidence blinkers a team.
Chelsea's form has been patchy of late; they have certainly not been playing with the pomp and swagger of champions-elect.
A frenetic, palpitation-inducing 3-2 win away at Hull City last time out highlighted concerns about complacency and fatigue. Mourinho's men raced into a 2-0 lead and then inexplicably imploded at the back to allow the Tigers into the game before eventually securing victory.
The preceding fixture was a laboured 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against an obdurate Southampton side whose keeper, Fraser Forster, refused to be beaten.
Critics have cited the waning form of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas and a creeping lack of cohesiveness at the back as reasons for the recent struggles and Mourinho will be keen to redress the balance, composure and verve his side were noted for earlier in the campaign.
Defensive solidity was a given in the first half of the season but since Christmas, only skipper John Terry has been a model of consistency. Mourinho will need Terry to get Chelsea over the line. He will need no encouragement and the contract he recently signed to keep him for a further year will have provided ample motivation to rouse the Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Alongside Terry, Gary Cahill will need to step up to the plate. With young Kurt Zouma snapping at his heels, Cahill knows he cannot afford to let his concentration wane. The same can be said of Branislav Ivanovic. The swashbuckling Serb's buccaneering runs down the right flank appear to have taken precedence over keeping it tight at the back of late. His performance at Hull was a shocker.
Further forward, Mourinho needs to oil the double pivot of Matic and Fabregas. Matic has proved a capable defensive shield for Chelsea's back line, while Fabregas' link-up play with Diego Costa has been the source of many goals this season.
Mourinho has sufficient depth to his squad should he need to rotate his midfield and the return to fitness of John Obi Mikel could be a blessing for the Portuguese, though some might disagree. Mikel is often scorned for his style of play, but he has the pedigree to cope with the scenario Chelsea face and his experience could prove invaluable.
Creatively, Eden Hazard is simply the best. Without his guile and goals, Chelsea would not be where they are. By his own admission, however, the Belgium international is tired.
Having already played 48 games for club and country in all competitions this season, it's not hard to understand why Hazard might be feeling the pace.
Substituted with 28 minutes remaining in Belgium's recent 1-0 win over Israel, he lamented: "I asked the coach for a reason and he told me that I was tired. Maybe I was a little bit tired. I've played a lot of games."
It's a worry for Mourinho and it will be interesting to see how he manages Hazard's game time in the coming weeks.
The sight of Costa limping off at the KC Stadium with the score level at 2-2 was another cause for concern. He earlier fired home his 19th Premier League goal of the season to double Chelsea's lead but failed to last the distance and remains a doubt for the upcoming game with Stoke.
Mourinho replaced Costa with the lightly used Loic Remy and the France international duly obliged scoring Chelsea's winner. With Didier Drogba looking laboured, Remy could be a vital cog in the Mourinho machine as the season reaches its climax.
Chelsea's Premier League title chances appear to hinge on how Mourinho manages the focus and fitness of his players rather than game-plans against varying quality of opposition.
Stoke City, QPR, Manchester United, Arsenal, Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, West Brom and Sunderland stand in the way and six-point lead or no six-point lead, Mourinho will need every ounce of nous to get the Blues over the line.
His side look to be in a comfortable position heading the table by six points with a match in hand over their nearest rivals Manchester City but fortunes can change swiftly in football.
A sequence of poor results can bring pressure. Liverpool's capitulation last year is a prime example of what can happen when overconfidence blinkers a team.
Chelsea's form has been patchy of late; they have certainly not been playing with the pomp and swagger of champions-elect.
A frenetic, palpitation-inducing 3-2 win away at Hull City last time out highlighted concerns about complacency and fatigue. Mourinho's men raced into a 2-0 lead and then inexplicably imploded at the back to allow the Tigers into the game before eventually securing victory.
The preceding fixture was a laboured 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge against an obdurate Southampton side whose keeper, Fraser Forster, refused to be beaten.
Critics have cited the waning form of Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas and a creeping lack of cohesiveness at the back as reasons for the recent struggles and Mourinho will be keen to redress the balance, composure and verve his side were noted for earlier in the campaign.
Defensive solidity was a given in the first half of the season but since Christmas, only skipper John Terry has been a model of consistency. Mourinho will need Terry to get Chelsea over the line. He will need no encouragement and the contract he recently signed to keep him for a further year will have provided ample motivation to rouse the Stamford Bridge dressing room.
Alongside Terry, Gary Cahill will need to step up to the plate. With young Kurt Zouma snapping at his heels, Cahill knows he cannot afford to let his concentration wane. The same can be said of Branislav Ivanovic. The swashbuckling Serb's buccaneering runs down the right flank appear to have taken precedence over keeping it tight at the back of late. His performance at Hull was a shocker.
Further forward, Mourinho needs to oil the double pivot of Matic and Fabregas. Matic has proved a capable defensive shield for Chelsea's back line, while Fabregas' link-up play with Diego Costa has been the source of many goals this season.
Mourinho has sufficient depth to his squad should he need to rotate his midfield and the return to fitness of John Obi Mikel could be a blessing for the Portuguese, though some might disagree. Mikel is often scorned for his style of play, but he has the pedigree to cope with the scenario Chelsea face and his experience could prove invaluable.
Creatively, Eden Hazard is simply the best. Without his guile and goals, Chelsea would not be where they are. By his own admission, however, the Belgium international is tired.
Having already played 48 games for club and country in all competitions this season, it's not hard to understand why Hazard might be feeling the pace.
Substituted with 28 minutes remaining in Belgium's recent 1-0 win over Israel, he lamented: "I asked the coach for a reason and he told me that I was tired. Maybe I was a little bit tired. I've played a lot of games."
It's a worry for Mourinho and it will be interesting to see how he manages Hazard's game time in the coming weeks.
The sight of Costa limping off at the KC Stadium with the score level at 2-2 was another cause for concern. He earlier fired home his 19th Premier League goal of the season to double Chelsea's lead but failed to last the distance and remains a doubt for the upcoming game with Stoke.
Mourinho replaced Costa with the lightly used Loic Remy and the France international duly obliged scoring Chelsea's winner. With Didier Drogba looking laboured, Remy could be a vital cog in the Mourinho machine as the season reaches its climax.
Chelsea's Premier League title chances appear to hinge on how Mourinho manages the focus and fitness of his players rather than game-plans against varying quality of opposition.
Stoke City, QPR, Manchester United, Arsenal, Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, West Brom and Sunderland stand in the way and six-point lead or no six-point lead, Mourinho will need every ounce of nous to get the Blues over the line.
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