Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
They were winning the Premier League at a canter and then Tottenham made somewhat of an honest race for the title but after Mauricio Pochettino’s men came unstuck against West Ham seven days ago, could this be the night in which Chelsea finally regain the the trophy they so meekly relinquished last season.
Tonight they travel to The Hawthorns to take on West Brom, Baggies boss Tony Pulis has been known in the past to throw a spanner in the works when it comes to a title race, Liverpool fans in 2014 can quite easily attest to that but with the form his side are currently in this should fixture not prove too much of an issue.
West Brom have failed to win any of their last six matches and although they have seemed to have been in 8th place for an eternity they could finally give up that position this weekend should results go against them.
They could even find themselves in the scenario where they drop down to as low as 12tth place, that would take quite the combination of results but at the same time it does highlight just how there season has fizzled out over the past few weeks.
If you look at the gap between themselves and Everton then it is a near chasm with Ronald Koeman’s side currently 13 points clear. With that being the case 8th was the best that West Brom could hope to finish this season but even that could prove to be a tall order such is there current form.
Last weekend they were one of the many teams that have gone to Turf Moor and failed to pick up a win for their troubles. It did at one point as if they were going to snatch victory but they were outdone by Sam Vokes who bagged his second goal of the afternoon.
It was a frustrating afternoon for West Brom but in fairness you could say that it has been a frustrating last six matches as they have only picked up two points since upsetting Arsenal on March 18th.
That was one London club that fell short in the West Midlands will that prove to be the case tonight and if it does prove to be then Chelsea will have to put the Champagne on ice until at least Monday when they play host to Watford.
Antonio Conte’s men made easy work of Middlesbrough on Monday, a result which subsequently relegated Steve Agnew’s men and once again meant the gap at the top of the table is seven points over arch rivals Tottenham.
It also meant that they took full advantage of Spurs’ East London slip and therefore find themselves just 90 minutes away from a second Premier League title in three seasons. As good as Tottenham have been, Chelsea have been that little bit better.
You could argue that the key result was their F.A. Cup Semi Final win as although Tottenham did not wobble immeaditely afterwards, The Blues have gone from strength to strength as they have won three successive league matches.
Not only that but they have scored 10 goals in the process. They haven’t just been grinding out wins to get over the line but they have been winning in style and it’s not which makes them champions elect going into tonight’s encounter.
Chelsea will welcome back N’Golo Kante after he missed Monday’s win over Middlesbrough with a thigh injury, he has been instrumental in Chelsea’s displays this season and it is no coincidence that he is set to win a second successive Premier League title after success with Leicester last season.
So can West Brom spoil the party, the only thing they have left to play for is a top 10 finish with the likes of Leicester, Southampton and Bournemouth eyeing up the newly available 8th spot. On their current form I cannot see them being party poopers.
And that only means one thing, that being that come 10pm we will finally be able to declare Chelsea as Premier League Champions for the 2016/17 season. In fairness it is nothing short of deserved for Antonio Conte’s side. My congratulations must go out to them.
