Antonio Conte has managed the hectic schedule superbly. He has set Chelsea up to capitalize on any mistakes from the two Manchester clubs.
As odious as it may sound, credit to Rafa Benitez. He set up his Newcastle side well for their clash with Chelsea. He dropped underperforming players and made his side difficult to beat.
The Magpies forwards pressed as a unit after turning the ball over and they retreated diligently to the halfway line when discretion was the better part of valor. As the forwards retreated, the backs pushed up to condense the pitch and make it impossible for Chelsea to play through the midfield.
Newcastle’s players, however, are just not very good. All of this excellent tactical work was undone. All three Chelsea goals were results of glaring defensive errors. It made for a comfortable match that was over as a spectacle after 32 minutes.
Unlike Manchester City midweek, Chelsea did not need to go through the gears to earn three points. The Blues simply had to show up and not make too many mistakes. This could make all the difference at the end of the season.
January Objectives: Extend Hazard, sign Sanchez, Sandro, Sessegnon
While Chelsea have had little rest between fixtures, the Liverpool match was the only one in nearly a month to push the Blues. This has allowed Conte to dole out rests to his players. A telling stat: no outfield player has completed all 90 minutes in the last five matches. Not even Cesar Azpilicueta (cyborg) or N’Golo Kante (demigod). Conte knows his squad is thin and he is managing it superbly.
A long distance runner knows the importance of pacing. Go too quickly and the muscles will fatigue rapidly as the body switches to anaerobic energy production. Go too slowly and get stuck in the chasing pack.
Conte has the team running at just the right pace. A manager only has so much influence over what happens on the pitch and the Italian is playing his role perfectly. His management has squeezed just enough out of his stretched squad to stay in the title race.
Chelsea’s relatively easy run of fixtures has allowed the players to conserve their energy while still racking up wins. The Citizens have set a breakneck pace in the Premier League. No-one can keep up that intensity while maintaining homeostasis. Pep Guardiola has already spontaneously combusted on Nathan Redmond.
Next: Chelsea player ratings, as if any rating or data can describe Eden Hazard
Conte has positioned Chelsea to take advantage of any misstep from the two Manchester clubs over the holiday period. City will “hit the wall”. When that happens, watch for Chelsea to steadily continue onwards and upwards at its aerobic threshold.