Troy Deeney explains what will cost Chelsea in title race after Leicester win

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At the start of the season, no one expected Chelsea to be anywhere near the top of the Premier League table.

Last term, Chelsea finished in sixth place and a whopping 28 points behind champions Manchester City.

However, fast forward to now, and the Blues are only one point behind Pep Guardiola’s men and six behind leaders Liverpool.

The Reds, of course, can restore their lead over Enzo Maresca‘s side back to nine points with a win against Southampton later.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	11	9	1	1	21	6	15	28
2	Man CityManchester City	12	7	2	3	22	17	5	23
3	ChelseaChelsea	12	6	4	2	23	14	9	22
4	ArsenalArsenal	12	6	4	2	21	12	9	22

• READ MORE: Nicolas Jackson has now overtaken Chelsea title-winner after goal vs Leicester

Troy Deeney on Chelsea’s title chances

Former Premier League forward Troy Deeney believes Chelsea should be thinking about challenging for the title this season.

However, he fears that Robert Sanchez and the rest of the Blues’ backline will cost the team.

Speaking on talkSPORT after Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Leicester City, Deeney said: “Yeah, right now they should be looking at [the title race]. But I still think that goalkeeper and the defenders keep letting in poor goals.

“That should have been an easy 2-0 win, if not a 3-0 win today. Just open at the back today and I think that’s why they have to go for top four right now. Unless in January they go out and get a couple of signings, that backline is going to cost them.”

Before their victory at the King Power Stadium, Deeney tipped Chelsea to sign Alexander Isak to improve their forward line.

Chelsea’s defensive record this season

Going forward, Chelsea have been sublime at times. With 23 goals, they are actually the second-highest scorers in the Premier League.

Defensively, though, Maresca’s men have not been as great. Across the 12 top-flight games that Chelsea have played so far, they have conceded 14 goals.

The Blues have also conceded more penalties than any other side, giving away another spot-kick on Saturday.

Ultimately, that will probably cost Chelsea this season, but they went into the campaign aiming to secure Champions League qualification.

They should do that if their results remain the same, while there is also a good chance for them to win some silverware.

Chelsea are absolutely tearing up the Conference League right now, beating Noah 8-0 at Stamford Bridge last time out. Not winning that trophy would be a huge disappointment.

Going forward, though, the Premier League title is the honour that the club will want to aim for.