Seven points clear with just seven games left to play in the season, Chelsea are de facto champions of England.
Tottenham are close enough to keep things interesting for at least a few more weeks, but they might as well start tying the blue ribbons to the Premier League trophy now. In fact, they could have tied them around at Christmas time.
Indeed, Antonio Conte’s side have been the champions-elect for quite some time, surging to the top of the table with 13 straight wins over October, November and December. From that point they never looked back, with the tactical switch to a 3-4-3 formation proving the catalyst for a record-breaking campaign. Not many teams run away with the title like Chelsea have, but then not many teams are as strong as Chelsea.
So why are they so difficult to love? Where are the eulogies about these great champions to be?
[snippet id=3296647]
Sure, Chelsea have been paid a quiet admiration by the English soccer public, recognizing what has been achieved at Stamford Bridge this season, but the Blues haven’t yet been afforded the adoration normally afforded to sides of such quality. The adoration has been from their own fans only.
Of course, Conte has become the darling of the English media, with his touchline exuberance and tactical genius. The Italian will likely win the Manager of the Year award – the former Juventus and Italy boss has completed what has been a comprehensive takeover of the Premier League – but his players might not be so lucky when it comes to earning individual awards.
It could be that the lack of love felt by Conte’s Chelsea is the consequence of a hangover from last year, when Leicester City pulled off one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time. Their title triumph came with a countdown clock, ticking off each game as they edged closer and closer to the impossible. Even the most casual of soccer fan knew how many more points the Foxes needed at any given time.
Even Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea team that won the title two years ago was more compelling than the current Stamford Bridge side. His squad strolled to the Premier League title just like Conte’s, but there was an intrigue to the way the Portuguese tactician got the best from players such as Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic like nobody had before.
Conversely, Conte inherited a team that had done it all before. Even big summer signing David Luiz returned to a club where he had won the FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League in a previous spell. Conte has merely restored Chelsea as a force rather than bringing them to fruition, as Mourinho did, and that is fundamentally less compelling to the neutral. Refurbished never catches the eye like new does.
Perhaps the lack of fawning for Conte’s Chelsea is down to something far greater. It’s now been three years since the Premier League witnessed a genuine title race, with the battle between Manchester City and Liverpool in 2014 the last to decide the destination of the trophy. Has the neutral grown tired of the perennial march to the crown? It is, after all, difficult to truly adore a team that has had it all their own way for so long.
Next season should see a more compelling title race, with both Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United expected to reach maturity. Factor in another year of Spurs progress under Mauricio Pochettino, as well as another transfer window for Jurgen Klopp to mould his Liverpool team in, and the Premier League could become a five-way fight for top spot.
For now, though, Chelsea have it to themselves. Their title win is a mere formality, with Spurs’ recent surge only enough to keep the Blues honest. And yet their success is likely to draw only a polite clap from the gallery. This Chelsea team is difficult to love, although it’s not entirely their fault.
[relatedlinks]
