November has traditionally been a very tough month for Chelsea, but it has been the opposite this time around. After struggling immensely since the start of the season, the Blues have only begun to find their feet in the last few games. Just one defeat in the last five matches speaks volumes about the improvement made by Jose Mourinho’s team. Chelsea have conceded two goals in these matches, which is a far cry from the games against Manchester City and Southampton.
Yet, these results have done little to improve the disappointing league position that Chelsea find themselves in at the moment. They are just five points above the relegation zone, and the busy Christmas schedule is fast approaching. The Blues are now seen as the latest big name to follow the footprints of Manchester United and Liverpool and miss out on Champions League football next season.
These clubs have been able to cope due to a massive influx of commercial revenue and matchday income. Chelsea are significantly down in these areas, and they depend a lot upon the Champions League television money, which will increase from next season onwards. The title talk has all but vanished, but there are still those who believe that the Blues still have a glimmer of hope with teams at the top often losing games.
Manchester City lead the table – albeit on goal difference – but they have already lost three games. Arsenal, in the fourth spot, do not fare any better.
Mourinho has refused to rule out finishing in the top four. This will be his biggest priority now. It is far from an impossible task, but the Portuguese admitted that winning the title will be difficult even with a star like Tom Cruise onboard. It does seem a contradictory statement given that table leaders City and Arsenal are separated by only two points!
At this moment in time, if the Chelsea manager and players remain hopeful of a Champions League spot, then the title is certainly not far away. The crucial aspect will be the results from now until the end of 2015. The Blues have five matches lined up, but only two of them are against teams in the top four – against Manchester United and Leicester City. In this current form, Mourinho will be expecting three points against their other opponents in this run – Bournemouth, Watford, and Sunderland.
Scoring goals much more freely will be the next stage of progression for Chelsea.
Mourinho’s team are up against Bournemouth on Saturday. A few weeks ago, Mourinho wished he had a Tom Cruise in his team. He said:
“Fourth position for me is not an impossible mission. If you ask me about winning the title, I would say impossible mission. Maybe Tom Cruise can do it but it’s complicated.”
“You have to recover points from four candidates. But one of the teams that go up may also have a little bit of a collapse. The fourth position is a difficult position but a possible target.”
