Are Chelsea turning blue in the face at this stage of the race?

All teams have to sail through choppy waters before getting their hands on the Premier League trophy, but you do wonder if those on the good ship Chelsea have taken too much of a soaking.

Judging by his defeatist body language and towel-throwing comments last weekend, Jose Mourinho appears ready to write off the campaign and launch himself overboard.

If he does, he would follow the strikers he had cast adrift so publicly. Starting with Andre Schurrle up front against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night (Thursday morning Singapore time), Mourinho has confirmed beyond doubt his lack of trust in Fernando Torres and Demba Ba.

Even if everyone does remain on board, they do not look especially united as a crew.

Three successive away defeats at Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and in the Parc des Princes (conceding first in all and never leading) garnered an alarmingly meek response from a team of proven winners.

While individuals tried to prod and poke their way back into all three contests, the Blues never did look convincing or wholly together as a team. The strength and cohesiveness that destroyed Arsenal only a fortnight ago looked as if it had sunk without trace.

I wonder if the pressure is getting to Chelsea.

Liverpool’s adrenalin-fuelled surge towards the top of the table, coupled with Manchester City’s ominously solid form, seems to have gotten the west Londoners in a bit of a lather.

They are also better as front-runners. Dubbed flat-track bullies by some, it is a compliment/criticism not without foundation.

The only three times they have conceded first and gone on to take all three Premier League points occurred at Stamford Bridge, all after shipping the opener inside the first 10 minutes.

If they go in front, Chelsea would invariably win.

When they go behind, however, — as all five away defeats have proven — unless they have a long time to resurrect the situation, they are not fantastic at clawing things back.

Do their heads go? Perhaps.

Former Chelsea hero Mark Hughes brings his Stoke City side to Stamford Bridge tonight in fine fettle. Officially safe from relegation, the Potters arrive on the back of four victories and a draw in their last five outings.

His forward unit of Peter Crouch, Marko Arnautovic, Steven N’Zonzi and Peter Odemwingie are all playing their best football of the season. And, with nothing but pride to play for, they find themselves in the unusual position of being able to attack this one with freedom, even enjoyment.

The numbers would not make great reading for them, though.

Despite beating Mourinho’s men 3-2 earlier this season, Stoke have not scored in west London in 570 minutes of trying; a run that dates back to January 2009.

Chelsea are also in imperious form on home turf. They have scored 16 goals in a row without reply since Javier Hernandez’s late consolation for Manchester United two-and-a-half months ago. Not bad going.

However, to swing the championship momentum back in their favour, the Blues quickly need to get back to their bullying best.

When John Terry and Gary Cahill get tight and ruffle a few feathers, if Nemanja Matic and Ramires snap away like dogs with a bone and on those days where Eden Hazard, Willian and Oscar have that ruthless look in their eyes (and boots), Chelsea are a formidable team.

Last weekend, angered by the loss to Palace, their boss accused some of his players of “disappearing”.

With six games to go, the time for vanishing acts has passed.

If Chelsea do not pull together and bully Stoke senseless, Mourinho’s strangely early admission that they are out of the race would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

TODAY EPL analyst Adrian Clarke is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for many publications around the world. Follow him on Twitter @adrianjclarke

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