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Thibaut Courtois recognises the stark reality of Chelsea’s title defence

By Ajitesh Rasgotra

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea rolls the ball out during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on November 5, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 05: Thibaut Courtois of Chelsea rolls the ball out during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on November 5, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /
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Despite a morale-boosting victory over Manchester United, Thibaut Courtois recognises that Chelsea’s Premier League defence is still in tatters.

Chelsea were once again on the verge of a crisis last week. A humiliating 3-0 defeat against Roma was supposed to be compounded by a loss to Manchester United. Instead, the Blues rallied around and secured three points at Stamford Bridge. However, Thibaut Courtois is not being blinded by the euphoria of one result.

Speaking about the current Premier League situation, the goalkeeper recognised that Chelsea need many things to go their way if they are to successfully defend their title.

"We have to hope now they drop points. At the moment they are a bit unstoppable, they are playing very well and scoring goals. Last year we were eight points behind City at one stage and then we went on a winning run. I hope we can do the same. – via Sky Sports"

City have been irresistible throughout the opening portion of the campaign. They have won every league game bar a surprising slip-up against Everton. It’s not just the winning, though, Pep Guardiola’s team have been comprehensively dispatching opponents.

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Last season, Chelsea did find themselves eight points behind City. However, that was only six games into the season. The Blues then required a record winning run to climb to the top of the table. City, meanwhile, ended up in third place. They weren’t quite up to the required standard in Guardiola’s first Premier League campaign.

This season, though, they are a wholly different prospect. City look like the complete package and chatter about them replicating the Invincibles is looking less and less silly.

Chelsea’s win, if anything, just reinforced City’s dominant position. Most realistic fans and pundits saw this campaign as a two-horse race. After Tottenham and Chelsea stumbled out of the starting blocks, it was confirmed as such. United are now eight points behind their city rivals.

City should be able to easily negotiate the rest of the campaign to bring the trophy home. We are only 11 games in, but they have the quality and the manager to already have one hand on the title.

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Courtois is spot on in his assessment. Yes, Sunday’s win was confidence-boosting. But in reality, it only boosted Chelsea’s chances of finishing second. Their title defence is still in tatters.

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