no. to win the title chelsea need to make up 14 points on city, hard, unlikley, but not impossible. city were right with us then lost 8 points on us last season, whats to stop a team of world class players reversing that an at least challenging for top? All other teams are irrelevant, whoever bests city will win this league. As for 4th we need to make up 12 points on arsenal. not impossible, especially considering their injuries etc. wehn you look further down the table we have to compete with less able/consistent teams to make up less points. its very likley in my mind we can challenge for top 4. I dont' know how you can look at this chelsea team and expect us to not start getting top 4 results sooner rather than later. for all our faults, we haven't played badly since maybe southhampton? since then its just been lapses of concentration, poor reffing, and plain old bad luck. sure we could have done more, but now we are-hence a 3 match unbeaten run, and 3 clean sheets. We've got a full squad now, and a team firing on all pistons (it seems) i can only be optimistic for the second half of the season.
So, City go on a bad run and drop points, you go above them. You are now 6th because unfortunately the 5 teams behind City didn't go on the same bad run
everyone else in the league is worse than city, all of the top 5 will take points off each other, and lose them to challengers such as stoke, palace, everton, west ham, leicester etc etc. as i said before-I firmly believe whoever finishes on top of city will win the league. Obviously city wont lose 5 games on the bounce, but over 20 games in a season where upsets happen every week or so, its certainly not impossible that we cant be that team that beats them to the top. difficult unlikley but not impossible. I dont see how you arent seeing this lol
I can see the possibility of you overtaking one team, I just find it hard to imagine all the teams in between will drop that many points as well.
That was not my point. The argument that chelsea "could not realsistically callenge for either top 4 or the title" which is nonsense-of course we can. Even if we finish 5 points adrift we've still challenged. I never said we would win the league, but to say we CANT be up there is silly.
All this is based on a mathematical possibility. The premise of George s argument is that a gap of 14 points is surmountable. However, several factors are also important: the number of teams ahead of them - clearly there is a world of difference between 14 pts behind in second place and 14 points behind in 13th/14th. To say that the other teams are irrelevant is just not appreciative of a league situation. The second major factor is the number of games left. There are only 24 matches left. For all the top 4 teams to finish ahead of Chelsea they can afford to only win 75% if chelsea win every match from now on. So the title is out of reach although mathematically possible. Odds are 50-1 for a reason. Top 4 is only in the unlikely category. They need to start a winning run. Each draw makes the task even more difficult.
No just by being behind by 5 points is not challenging if there are 5 teams in front of you and there was no chance of catching up on the first place team throughout the last months of the season Chelsea's challenge for the title this season is over.
Why? At whay point does a competitor stop being a challenger? At what point did you decide that there xan only be one title challenger?
I think before you lads go off on some fantasy dream about take 3 points off the mighty Spurs, you really out to be concerned about your massive 6-pointer, today, against your relegation-rivals, Bournemouth.
How does that affect your position? You have to win your matches. Yes you are closer to City but Stoke is still in front of you. The ball is really in your court and you have to win matches. The top teams performances do not yet affect you. Simple.
lol ok buddy! lets see how we do at 7.00...could be 11 points with arsenal and leicester to play city at xmas! 3 of the top 4 taking points of each other? lovley
I would probably worry more about relegation than top 4 right now to be honest. Can't see you getting anything off of Leicester away next week. You could be in the relegation zone after that
Cheers mate. Like I said the ball is in your court. Unless you start winning the gap stays and other teams drawing or losing have no effect.
George the blue getting completely mugged off on this thread Brilliant! Chelsea are 14th for a reason. This team does not look like a top 6 team. Simple.
