Football

The Miracle and the Mess

Chelsea are in a right mess and Leicester are busy writing an unbelievable fairytale! This season has been a stark contrast to the last for both these clubs and the latest evidence to that was Leicester’s 2-1 win over the reigning champions at the King Power stadium. Here we present to you, miracle and the mess.

No Leicester were not lucky. They thoroughly deserved the three points. They might not have enjoyed as much possession as Chelsea, but they were an absolute joy to watch. The way Claudio Ranieri has gotten them to play is simply breathtaking! Everyone works hard. From Jamie Vardy to Wes Morgan. There isn’t a more tightly knit unit in the PL at the moment. (Only Simeone’s Atletico in Spain can claim to come close) They close oppositions down well, break quickly on the counter.
 
A special mention to Kante, who I thought was breathtaking on the night. Tracks back and then drives forward with the ball with energy. Superb midfielder.
 
This brings me to the question, are Leicester genuine title contenders? Based on their performances? Yes. Based on the name of the club? No. Hate to sound cynical, but I have this feeling that the bubble will burst and they will drop down the table a little bit. When will it happen? I don’t know. I just think it will, but I hope it doesn’t. For the sake of Claudio Ranieri, I hope Leicester make top4.
 
The other side of the coin, are Chelsea really in the relegation dog fight? The performances say Yes. They have fewer points than games played. They are a point above the drop zone. Their performances are nothing above average. A lot of performances seem extremely pedestrian and those that aren’t pedestrian seem desperate.
 
Cesc is either busy jogging around the pitch causally or trying to pull off miraculous 70 yard balls time and again. The trident of Oscar-Willian-Hazard/Pedro are too similar. I know they worked wonders last season, but this season it simply isn’t working. It’s too much of the same. They’re taking too many touches on the ball, trying to dribble far too many times and not releasing the ball quickly enough. Trying too hard to win the game with individual brilliance? Perhaps.
 
Costa simply isn’t doing enough. He is beginning to look like a very limited footballer to me. Can hold the ball and run in empty spaces with it. His link-up play isn’t great, can’t really dribble, isn’t the quickest in the world and his finishing too has been below par this season. And Jose for some reason doesn’t trust Remy. There simply isn’t a good reliable centre forward at Chelsea at the moment and I don’t see one they can sign in January either.
 
It is going to be interesting to see what the future holds for both these two clubs. This season has been a crazy ride up until this point. More of the same, please?
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