For once Jose Mourinho wasn’t kidding when he said the odds are stacked against Chelsea. The so-called “festive fixtures” handed to the league leaders look about as much fun as a weekend in Pyongyang without wireless.
Having battled their way to an excellent win against a bruising Stoke outfit, Mourinho’s men are now confronted by West Ham (home), Southampton (away) and Tottenham Hotspur (away) – three teams whose league positions average out at 5.3.
Compare that with second-placed Manchester City’s run between now and January 1: Manuel Pellegrini’s men have already beaten lowly Crystal Palace and now they face the teams currently in 15th (West Brom, away), 18th (Burnley, home) and 14th (Sunderland, home). Their average position is 15.6!
Forget the fact that this season’s Chelsea look equipped to deal with most challenges, two London derbies and a game against the team in fifth will test even Mourinho’s mettle. Three years ago, Chelsea went down against Queens Park Rangers at the same time of the year and the “derby” factor could once again be their undoing in one, if not both, of these games.
City did slip up against Sunderland a couple of seasons back at the end of December but, even without a recognised striker, they should aim for maximum points over the next week and seek to start 2015 at the top of the table.
So there is scope for a switch at the top of the table. It’s also likely we will get further evidence that this season’s title race is one of the two-horse variety. Manchester United will be hard-pressed to stay in touch with the leaders: Louis van Gaal’s men may fancy their chances against Newcastle on Boxing Day but trips to Tottenham and Stoke could prove every bit as challenging as their last outing at Villa Park.
If they believe in themselves, West Ham could spring an upset against Chelsea with their progressive (and in no ways from the 19th Century) brand of football. Even if they lose that Boxing Day derby at Stamford Bridge, they’ll have another chance against Arsenal before they host West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Day in the sort of fixture that has looked a guaranteed home win all season long.
The next week offers a massive opportunity for three clubs to show their European credentials. If Southampton come through games against Crystal Palace (a), Chelsea (h) and Arsenal (h) with four or more points then they will have to be taken seriously.
Now, which of the Merseyside teams has the right stuff? Traditional rivals such as Arsenal and Tottenham both have testing fixtures ahead, so there is an opportunity for Liverpool or Everton to make some headway. The Reds play Burnley (a), Swansea (h) and Leicester (h) and could easily take nine points from that run. Everton host Stoke before heading to Newcastle and Hull. They may need to make it a 100 percent haul to suppress the frustrated noises coming from their fans.
The real tension will, naturally enough, be found at the bottom of the table this Christmas and New Year. We may have had a sackings-free season to this point but a poor run at the season’s midway point could test the patience of the chairmen at West Brom, Hull, Burnley and Leicester.
Spare a though for Alan Irvine: his Baggies will want to bounce back from their surrender at Loftus Road but they now entertain reigning champions Manchester City and follow that up with trips to Stoke and in-form West Ham. Burnley’s Sean Dyche will most likely have trouble digesting the prospect of a Boxing-Day clash with Liverpool, followed by trips to the Etihad and St James’ Park.
The omens are bad enough already for Leicester City, who find themselves bottom at Christmas. They will most likely need to win at least one of their fixtures, which read: Tottenham (h), Hull (a) and Liverpool (a).
That game against Hull City leaps off the page, as Steve Bruce must be targeting it for a win, perhaps as well as the Boxing Day encounter with his old team Sunderland. Hull wrap up their schedule with a home match against Everton and probably feel they need to take at least four, maybe six, points between now and New Year’s Day.
In a season that has been notable for the underperformance of some of the traditional big boys, its hard to describe a defeat for Liverpool, Manchester United, Spurs, Everton or even Arsenal as an upset, but a loss for Chelsea or Manchester City would certainly make headlines.
So, will West Ham be the team to provide us with a shock? Can Sunderland upset City once more? Have fun finding out as we embark on the most grueling week of the season here in England.
By John Dykes
