Everyone is waiting for Sunday afternoon with bated breath. Many are thinking that the game between Liverpool and Manchester City will be this terms title decider.

But can Chelsea regain top spot this season?

It looks tough for the ‘Blues’ but a draw at Anfield between their two championship challenging rivals could see Jose Mourinho’s men back in with a chance.

They would then go into the match against Swansea knowing that they could go level on points with Liverpool at the top of the table. They would then face Liverpool away at the end of the month, with a win that could probably end Liverpool’s title ambitions as long as Chelsea or Man City have no more slip ups themselves.

A draw with the ‘Reds’ at Anfield would still see Man City move closer to both of their adversaries and with two games in hand over both of them, thus having their own destiny in their own hands. So Chelsea and Liverpool would then need City to slip up again in their remaining games to stop the Manchester club from gaining a second league title in three seasons.

Chelsea may prefer for City to lose at Anfield. They would then try and chase Liverpool down and a Chelsea win over Liverpool on the 27th of April would make the London side favourites once again and the ones to catch. But should Liverpool cut down City’s challenge at Anfield they will be super confident that they could do the same against Chelsea!

A Man City win would be a bit of a nightmare scenario. Manuel Pellegrini’s side have a pretty easy run-in with only Everton remaining in City’s fixture list that are a top ten side. People might say ‘well the teams battling relegation could be dangerous opponents’. Well four of those sides are going to the Etihad and need to pick up some points. Only Chelsea have done that in the league this campaign. So with their run-in and after a confidence boosting win at at Anfield, you’d feel City would be rampant and see out the season as champions.

Whatever happens on Sunday, expect Jose to pile the pressure on both of his opposite numbers. Unlike his rival managers, Mourinho has a track record of winning major leagues. He will use every trick in his big book to try and overturn any deficits.

One of Chelsea’s major problems could be their own success. The club are the only English side left in Europe, with the ‘Blues’ in this seasons Champions League semi-finals. That means that John Terry and co will have at least two more major ties left, those games along with a possible final could prove to be a huge distraction. A nice distraction but a distraction nevertheless.

Injuries could play a huge part in where the title goes too. When Eden Hazard limped off against PSG mid-week there are supporters of Liverpool and City that would have looked on with a smile. That’s because the Belgian has become the talisman at Stamford Bridge. So if he misses a few league fixtures that could benefit the rest. With that said, Chelsea still managed to beat PSG without Hazard on the pitch. They have Oscar, Andre Schurrle, Willan and Mohammed Salah all ready to raise their games and try and make up for the loss of Hazard.

The simple fact is this. Sunday’s match between Liverpool and City isn’t a title decider, but it could help settle the dust down leading into the final turn. Man City for me have to be favourites for the title but with Jose at Chelsea anything is possible.

It has been a fascinating battle for the top spot in English football and I bet we have a least one more twist to come!

Posted on April 11th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article