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Manchester City have won 14 of their first 15 matches this season and have already equalled Chelsea and Arsenal's record of 13 consecutive matches without dropping a point. They started the season brilliantly, scoring 29 goals in their first 8 games.
The midfield, consisting of Leroy Sane, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Raheem Sterling have destroyed even the best teams in the league, beating Liverpool 5-0 at the Etihad, and Watford 6-0 at Vicarage Road. Sergio Aguero, despite being injured quite frequently, is among the top scorers with 9 goals in just 11 appearances in the League.
However, in the last few gameweeks, they have had to grind out victories, relying heavily on luck and the individual brilliance of Raheem Sterling. They have kept only two clean sheets in their last 8 games and they are not scoring as freely as they did at the start of this season.
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The recent performance against second-from-bottom West Ham was evidence of their struggles to score.
Both Manchester United and Chelsea, have been hot on the heels of City and they can afford no slip-ups if they want to win the title after a gap of 3 seasons.
Pep Guardiola will want to make his mark in his second season in England and it will be a tough task to stop him. It is time for the Premier League title race to heat up and who better than Chelsea to give Manchester City a run for their money?
That being said, here are 5 reasons why Chelsea could pose a serious threat to Manchester City and their chances:
#5 Run of fixtures
Chelsea have a run of 12 games coming up, which includes just ONE match against a team in the current top 7 of the league (vs Arsenal, in January). That is an incredible fixtures list to have and Antonio Conte will be pleased to know that the packed December fixtures list won't feature games against top oppositions.
When we compare that to the fixture list for Manchester City and Manchester United, the prospect of Chelsea leapfrogging both United and City by the start of Gameweek 28 (when they visit Old Trafford) looks even brighter.
In the same timespan, United have FIVE games against the current top 7, including visits to Burnley, and Tottenham, and they welcome home both, Burnley and Manchester City.
City, on the other hand, have to visit Manchester United, Liverpool and Burnley as well as host Spurs, with the matches against United and Spurs separated by just 5 days and with a trip to Swansea in between.
Looking at just the fixtures list, not many would mind betting on Chelsea being on top of the table at the end of February.
#4 Eden Hazard and his form
Eden Hazard has scored five goals and assisted three more in his last six starts for Chelsea in the league. In the UEFA Champions League, he has scored 3 goals and assisted twice in four starts.
In the last 6 gameweeks, he has created a chance every 26 minutes and has completed an average of 7.6 dribbles per match. In the league match against Liverpool at Anfield, he completed 9 dribbles, more than any other player in the Premier League this season, and in the game against Newcastle, he had NINE shots on goal, of which six were on target, and he completed eight dribbles.
His audacious panenka penalty against Newcastle was evidence that he is brimming with confidence right now. With his current form, it will be difficult for opposing defences to stop him and the list of upcoming fixtures seems tailor-made for him to weave his magic in the Premier League.
#3 The promotion of Andreas Christensen to the first team
When Gary Cahill and David Luiz were starting regularly at the beginning of the season, Chelsea fans would pray that neither of them make any cardinal mistakes to throw away the match. Time and again, they were proved wrong as both of them made error after error in crucial positions, in even more crucial matches. Then came in this man.
The 3-0 loss away to Roma was the final nail in the coffin, David Luiz, who has since picked up a knee injury, has started just one game against Bournemouth and Andreas Christensen has started the last 5 games in which Chelsea have conceded just two goals ( one to Mohammad Salah, who seems impossible to stop right now).
He has proved himself every time he has started for Chelsea and he has a calm head on young shoulders as he marshals the back line and rarely puts a foot wrong.
Against Newcastle, he made a dashing run from the heart of the Chelsea defence into the opposition half and then threaded a brilliant through ball for Victor Moses. It was reminiscent of John Terry, arguably one of the best centre-backs the world has ever seen, in his prime.
In a team that is infamous for not allowing youngsters to grow, he has laid out a blueprint for future Academy graduates to fight their way into the first team.
With him and the always reliable Cesar Azpilicueta in the heart of the Chelsea defence, they will be a tough nut to crack.
#2 Change in system
Last season, it was a change in system post the debacle at Arsenal that sent Chelsea on a 13-match winning streak that propelled them to the top. This season, there has been a marked improvement ever since Chelsea shifted Hazard to play up front with Alvaro Morata.
The two link up extremely well and have a very good understanding between themselves and can wreak havoc among teams in the Premier League. Together, they have been involved in NINE of the last eleven goals Chelsea have scored in the last six matches. Alvaro Morata has also hit the ground running in the Premier League with 9 goals and 4 assists in 13 starts.
The time has come for them to stamp their authority and it is widely expected that the pair will do so, ably assisted by the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Marcos Alonso.
#1 The rise of "fringe" players
A team cannot win a league which is as demanding as the Premier League with just 11 good players, and recently Chelsea have shown that they have a squad of hugely talented players.
Victor Moses had rarely been missed, as Davide Zappacosta slotted in beautifully and put in amazing performances in the last few weeks. His speed down the right flank and whipped crosses have been a nightmare for defenders, as Swansea's Alfie Mawson will agree.
Then Victor Moses returned to the starting line up against Newcastle and was one of the most important players on the pitch with 2 assists.
Willian has also come to the fore in recent weeks after being temporarily sidelined. His brilliant brace against Qarabag followed by the equalizer against Liverpool (of course he meant it!) was backed up by another good display against Swansea. He has proved that it is not yet time to write him off the Chelsea roster.
Danny Drinkwater has almost come back to full fitness as was evident in the marauding runs forward in the match against Liverpool. He kept Coutinho within reach at all times in the first half and played the full 90 minutes against Newcastle.
With the current bench that boasts of Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Michy Bathsuayi, Chelsea will surely be able to mount a challenge for the title, and threaten to knock Manchester City off of their high perch.
