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Richest league becoming predictable contest
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-06 10:15
LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Chelsea's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich looks
to have turned the world's richest league into the kind of predictable title
race usually reserved for Europe's poorer nations.
Arsenal's scrappy 0-0 draw with Manchester United in midweek means Chelsea
now have one hand plus a few fingers on a second consecutive Premier League
title with over four months of football still to play.
Chelsea's Hernan
Crespo (2nd L) scores past Birmingham City's Matthew Upson (L) and Maik
Taylor (2nd R) during their English Premier League soccer match at
Stamford Bridge in London, December 31, 2005.
[Reuters] |
The idea that New Year, rather
than Easter, should be the decisive period in a European season seems absurd.
Yet Chelsea's four wins over the festive spell -- part of a run of nine
consecutive league victories -- has all but achieved that.
Defeated only once, they are already 13 points ahead of second-placed United
and a staggering 24 points in front of Arsenal, who were unbeaten champions in
2003-04 and are now languishing in fifth place.
Clearly, with another 17 matches to play, the arithmetic still makes it an
open contest.
Chelsea's defence, which set an all-time record for the fewest goals conceded
last season (15) and has only let in 10 during their 21 games to date, could
suffer an impromptu collapse in confidence, ability or both.
A top-scoring attack that has hit 46 league goals or a midfield featuring the
second-best footballer on the planet last year in Frank Lampard, according to
world governing body FIFA, could yet implode under the sheer pressure, or lack
of it.
But the omens for Chelsea's rivals are not encouraging.
The west London team, who have only drawn one league match, look set to add
to their winning sequence against rock-bottom Sunderland, a Charlton Athletic
side with only two wins since October and mid-table Aston Villa.
Abramovich's $400 million investment in Chelsea to date, since buying it as
an indebted club in 2003, has effectively made the English top-flight a
one-horse race.
Money has enabled coach Jose Mourinho to strengthen his ample squad with top
quality players, often those sought by his anguished rivals.
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