Pinpointing 5 Games That Could Derail Chelsea's Title Juggernaut
As March edges ever closer, football managers start the process of identifying the moments that will ultimately decide their season. It's the run-in, and between now and May, the fault lines of success and failure become ever clearer.
Managers at the bottom will be pinpointing the proverbial six-pointers in their bid to avoid relegation. Meanwhile at Stamford Bridge, Antonio Conte is plotting how his Chelsea side can win the Premier League.
The Blues are in a commanding position. Eight points clear at the top with 13 games remaining and with no European football to contend with, on paper they have a simple path to lifting their second Premier League crown in three seasons.
But dig a little deeper and the warning signs of a late-season collapse become more evident. Chelsea have some tough fixtures to contend with before May, and they're going to be decisive in whether or not we witness a catastrophe of epic proportions in west London.
The Blues have to face two of the current top six, while they will also contest their final two London derbies of 2016/17. Added to that, Chelsea have to travel to the north-west on three occasions, where points are always hard to come by.
With this in mind, Bleacher Report pinpoints five matches that have the potential to derail Conte's title charge.
Swansea City (H)
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It all starts this weekend for Chelsea in a matchup with Swansea City that comes with plenty of sub-plots.
Not only have Swansea turned their form around of late—they've defeated Liverpool at Anfield and won three of their last four matches—but Chelsea old boy Paul Clement returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time as a manager.
And Chelsea don't always fare too well when that happens. Just ask Jose Mourinho, who lost his first Premier League game at Stamford Bridge in 2014 courtesy of Gus Poyet's struggling Sunderland.
Now Swansea boss, Clement was formerly a youth-team coach at Chelsea before he was promoted to work with the first team, first under Guus Hiddink in 2009 and then his replacement, Carlo Ancelotti.
Clement has subsequently worked under Ancelotti at Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He has a strong Chelsea connection, and given the fact his mentor Ancelotti formerly coached Blues boss Conte, he'll be tapping him up for some insights.
Regardless of all that in the background, Swansea are a side looking dangerous right now. They have the bit between their teeth, and Clement's arrival since the turn of the year has revitalised them. They look a completely different proposition and one Chelsea can't afford to take lightly.
The Swans have already had a major say in Liverpool's title bid; they have the potential to play an equally big part in Chelsea's.
West Ham United (A)
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When Chelsea enjoyed their 13-match winning streak in the Premier League between October and January this season, there was a slight blemish on that sequence of results: They lost to West Ham United in the EFL Cup.
Granted, Conte had made plenty of changes to the side that lost 2-1 at the London Stadium back in October. The likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, Ola Aina and Michy Batshuayi were given starts, with Eden Hazard and Diego Costa rested.
In the same way we saw on the opening weekend of the 2016/17 campaign, the Hammers were up and at Chelsea, earning a victory that was deserved, despite the Blues missing some gilt-edged chances late on.
The Blues return to the London Stadium a week after facing Swansea, again playing West Ham for a Monday Night Football run-out.
Under the Stratford lights, with an impassioned crowd behind the home side (let's not forget the crowd violence that marred that EFL Cup clash), we can expect this game to be a massive test of character for Conte's players.
It's games such as this one that test the resolve of even the biggest stars. It's not about how talented they are but how they handle the partisan atmosphere and overcome a bitter rival.
Do Chelsea have the mettle?
Manchester United (H)
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Yes, we know this isn't a Premier League game, but Chelsea's FA Cup clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge in mid-March is going to be pivotal in their season.
Jose Mourinho's side were crushed in west London way back in October, losing 4-0 to a devastating Chelsea display. From the first minute, when Pedro scored, United were facing a team that was ravenous. The Blues were ruthless, and they made their dominance count.
As much as Chelsea fans would hsve enjoyed that afternoon, they need to be realistic this time out. Mourinho's sides are rarely humbled twice by the same opponent, and much has changed in the five months between that result and this game on the weekend of March 11.
Chelsea remain strong and in form, but United are beginning to resemble what we expected they would under Mourinho. They're playing the best football they have under his leadership and, most importantly, have discovered a knack for grinding out victories.
Lose this game, and it'll be a major dent to Chelsea's confidence. Not only that, it'll mean the Premier League is the only trophy they can win this season, adding a sense of heightened pressure to the remainder of their campaign.
Equally, victory means games start stacking up in the run-in for Conte's side. Reaching the FA Cup semi-finals will mean Chelsea's home clash with Southampton on April 22 will have to be re-scheduled with just five games of the season remaining.
At that stage, it's points on the board that matter most, and, if teams are chipping away at Chelsea's lead, it will be a big challenge to overcome the pressure.
Stoke City (A)
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We've heard the cliche too often about high-profile players and the test of their mental strength: "Sure, he's good, but can he do it on a wet, windy Tuesday night in Stoke?"
It gets rolled out too often, but there is a good reason, as Stoke City have proved a barometer of success for any side looking to win the Premier League in recent years.
First it was under Tony Pulis and now Mark Hughes: The Potters give away little on their home patch, and teams who win there have to graft to earn the right. If they don't, it is curtains.
That's the same challenge Chelsea face on March 18 as they count down the days to a potential Premier League victory parade (the eagle-eyed among you will note that's actually a Saturday, not a Tuesday, but the point remains valid).
When these sides last met on New Year's Eve at Stamford Bridge, it was a topsy-turvy game that Chelsea eventually won 4-2 having been pegged back twice by Stoke. It had the look of being a potential banana skin, but Conte's men showed they had just enough to overcome it.
At the Bet365 Stadium, it'll be a different challenge altogether. The Blues can't afford to lose control like they did on their home patch.
Manchester City (H)
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Whisper it quietly, but after a mid-season collapse, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City are beginning to look like title contenders again.
Now, this isn't a view being influenced on the back of the aura that their manager brings to the equation but more a reflection of how results are gradually beginning to turn in City's favour. They're getting the rub of the green, picking up points consistently and looking strong in the process.
Sure, they ride their luck at times—think their recent 2-1 victory over Swansea courtesy of a last-minute winner from Gabriel Jesus—yet isn't that the sign of champions?
City have it all to do to claw away at Chelsea's eight-point lead. They have to hope the Blues lose at least three of their remaining 13 matches—Chelsea have lost just three all season—and also go on a run that matches Chelsea's own record form from earlier in the campaign.
Yet if there's one Premier League team with the players and manager to do just that, it's City. And to add a bit of excitement to their run-in, they visit Stamford Bridge on April 5 for a midweek clash that will define where the title is headed.
Win that clash, and it'll be game on for City. It's one that Chelsea simply can't afford to lose, especially as they travel to Old Trafford 10 days later for another showdown with Mourinho's Manchester United.
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