Chelsea slip up, but Manchester City’s response will be crucial
Chelsea dropped points on Sunday against a strong Burnley side, but it will mean nothing if Manchester City do not take advantage on Monday.
Burnley have a formidable record at Turf Moor and they showed just why when Chelsea visited on Sunday. Despite being put under the cosh for the first twenty minutes, the Clarets fought back valiantly and earned a well-deserved point. With the Blues slipping up, Manchester City have an opportunity to close the gap to eight points.
Chelsea entered the weekend with a 9 point lead. Liverpool then defeated Tottenham and gave Antonio Conte’s men a chance to make it 12 points. The Blues failed and City now have an opportunity to reduce it. Hence, Pep Guardiola’s side must take all three points from their contest with Bournemouth to keep the Premier League race alive.
So far this season, Chelsea have managed to time their slip-ups perfectly. The loss against Tottenham and draw with Liverpool coincided with dropped points from others nominally in the hunt.
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A City win on Monday will catapult them from fifth to second place and, more importantly, the chasing pack will begin to believe again. With a ten-point gap, Chelsea can afford to fail in a couple of matches and still be relatively comfortable. Eight points, though, will keep Stamford Bridge palms slightly sweaty.
Guardiola’s men have found their feet in recent weeks. Three straight victories have seen City dominate and show character, for example in their stoppage time victory over Swansea City. Another win against Bournemouth would indicate that the Spaniard has finally ingrained his mentality in his players.
With Manchester United, Everton, Southampton and City themselves left on Chelsea’s schedule, the pressure could take its toll. Especially after the catastrophe of last season, confidence may be fundamentally frail should things not go in the Blues’ favour.
However, if City fail to convert, the Premier League crown is Chelsea’s. It would mark yet another occasion on which the deficiencies of their rivals have benefited the Blues. Instead of taking a step back, Chelsea’s lead would be equal to, if not better than, the advantage heading into the weekend.
In this case, the players’ belief would be boosted. Just like Munich 2012 was written in the stars, a similar feeling would develop around this Premier League pursuit. Conte has done an incredible job transforming the Blues from the mid-table stragglers that they were in November into a dominant force at the summit of the English game. They may not need luck, but they may very well get it.