Antonio Rudiger has admitted that Chelsea are now at risk of being out of the Premier League title race after their run of poor results in December.
Having been six points clear of Manchester City and Liverpool in mid-November, Chelsea now sit third, four points behind Pep Guardiola’s men.
The Blues have uncharacteristically conceded a lot of goals in the few weeks and only managed to pick up eight points from five league games.
Rudiger seems convinced that Chelsea remain in the race for the title but is also clearly aware of Manchester City and Liverpool’s incredibly consistent performances.
“At the moment, there are three teams fighting for it,” the Germany international said about the Premier League title race (via Chelsea’s official website).
“Obviously you cannot win it in December, but you can lose it in December.
“So we have to be very aware of that because of the way Manchester City and Liverpool are playing at the moment.
“It’s very stable, they don’t look like they’re dropping any points but in the Premier League, you never know.
“On our side, there’s pressure now because if the gap is getting five or six points then it can be very difficult.”
Chelsea are now just one defeat or even draw away from finding themselves in the “difficult” situation Rudiger mentioned, so it is safe to say they must feel the pressure.
Although to be fair, injuries and the recent Covid-19 cases have not helped, either.
On a more positive note, a few players are fortunately now back in the squad, including key players such as N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic.