Consistency the bedrock of Chelsea’s season
This time ManU pose real threat
London – By the time Chelsea walk out at Old Trafford on Sunday, their Premier League lead may again have been cut to a slender four points.
For the second weekend running, Antonio Conte’s side kick off after their main pursuers Tottenham Hotspur but, unlike last Saturday when they were always odds-on to restore their advantage by beating Bournemouth, real danger lurks in the form of Manchester United – and ex-manager Jose Mourinho.
When the teams last met the Portuguese appeared unusually relaxed, eschewing the regulation collar and tie he always wore as Blues manager. But he still ended up squaring up with Conte on the Stamford Bridge touchline during a fractious FA Cup quarterfinal that saw Ander Herrera sent off.
Chelsea’s 1-0 win was their second over United this season and although the result was much closer than the 4-0 league drubbing, the chasm that has opened between the teams was clear. Sunday marks the start of a testing period for United with fixtures against City, Arsenal and Spurs looming, alongside their Europa League campaign.
Mourinho will respond to the workload by rotating his squad. In the process he will highlight one of the big differences between United and Chelsea this season: while the Portuguese has made 85 team changes in his Premier League line-ups, Conte has switched personnel just 31 times, an average of one per game and the fewest in the league. That consistency has provided the bedrock of their title challenge. Even their wins have often been scratchily unimpressive and Chelsea will set up to play on the counter-attack with N’golo Kante prowling and ready to pounce in midfield.
Kante is expected to be named on the PFA player of the season short-list along with Eden Hazard later this week. You can bet Paul Pogba’s transfer fee on United’s midfielder not joining them on the sixman short-list because despite costing more than Kante, he has made a fraction of the impact.