Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Rudiger Rule Chelsea Out of Premier League Title Race

Chelsea face an "impossible" task of catching Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title, according to manager Maurizio Sarri.

The Italian spoke after the Blues were beaten 1-0 by Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, a result leaving Chelsea 11 points adrift of the Reds.

Sarri's admission of defeat has been echoed by centre-back Antonio Rudiger, who dubbed losing to the Foxes a "disaster" and proof Chelsea don't have the credentials to win a third title in five seasons.

The admissions of defeat seem appropriate on a day when Chelsea were beaten at home for the first time under Sarri. Defeat ended a sequence of 17 matches unbeaten at the Bridge across all competitions.

It's a result that also has worrying implications for what may be Chelsea's most realistic remaining domestic target, a top-four finish. Not being able to answer Jamie Vardy's 51st-minute goal has left the Blues level on points with London rivals Arsenal.

Only goal difference separates Chelsea from the Gunners.

The position is a precarious one for a squad with the talent to challenge for more. Sarri has at his disposal arguably the most dynamic attacking talent in the division, in the form of Eden Hazard.

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He opted to start the wing wizard up front against Leicester to offset weaknesses at centre-forward where neither Alvaro Morata nor Olivier Giroud have sufficiently impressed.

Sarri defended the decision to play Hazard out of position and through the middle:

While Hazard had his moments against Leicester, the fact he is consistently being called on in an unfamiliar role only underlines the obvious weakness in Sarri's squad.

It's also a problem the Blues continue to be so reliant on their No. 10 for inspiration:

Consistency is another issue facing Sarri-led Chelsea. His squad beat champions Manchester City comfortably earlier in December, before scraping past Brighton and Hove Albion and losing to Leicester.

Sarri cited "mental confusion" as the issue against Leicester, per Andrew Dillon of The Sun, worryingly echoing Rudiger's words about a problem with temperament.

Whatever the reason, some will likely not warm to a manager of a top-six side conceding the title race before the end of the calendar year. Sarri faced a challenge reviving a team that won last season's FA Cup but finished fifth under fellow Italian Antonio Conte.

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Yet it was Conte who took the Blues from 10th to the title in the 2016/17 campaign. Sarri already looks as though he will need much longer to build his own sustainable success in west London.

Progress outside the league, where Chelsea are in the semi-final of the Carabao Cup and favourites for the UEFA Europa League, will be a must for the first-year boss.