Frank Lampard’s youthful Chelsea team is on fire. Six consecutive wins and sat joint on points with Leicester in second, is it time to admit that they are in the title race?
Chelsea have been a breath of fresh air this season, with an injection of youthful exuberance renewing the excitement for fans, and bringing a sense of long term optimism not felt around Stamford Bridge for some time.
Academy graduates like Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have come into the side and combined with the more experienced players to create a winning formula, one that is proving all the pre-season doubters wrong.
Admittedly, they are nine points behind what seems like an unstoppable Liverpool side, but this Chelsea side is looking stronger by the week.
When the Blues last won the league title in 2016-17, they were sat on 28 points after 12 games. The class of 19/20 have earned just two points less (26) in the same number.
Although this doesn’t tell the full story, it does show how incredibly Lampard and his team are doing, especially following a transfer ban and the loss of star-man Eden Hazard.
The concerns of defensive frailties are beginning to subside, with Kurt Zouma and Tomori looking increasingly confident. A comfortable clean sheet against Crystal Palace at the weekend followed the Watford game where the defense would have been justified in feeling hard done by, by a late penalty which prevented them from earning consecutive clean sheets.
Liverpool certainly looks like the front runners for the title but write this Chelsea side off at your peril. They are only going to improve as the season progresses, and if they can get a result against Manchester City in the next game week, then who knows.
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