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Chelsea’s brewing an almost perfect storm

What do you get when you mix the smartest manager with the best goalkeeper, meanest defence, most talented midfield and joint-deadliest front man? It’s easy. Chelsea, Premier League champions.

What do you get when you mix the smartest manager with the best goalkeeper, meanest defence, most talented midfield and joint-deadliest front man? It’s easy. Chelsea, Premier League champions.

If you’re half-expecting the Blues to throw an Arsenal-style wobbly or capitulate under pressure as Newcastle United did in 1996, don’t hold your breath.

Whether you like it or not, Jose Mourinho and his beautifully assembled side, who visit Sunderland in the Premier League today, are the real deal, and I’m convinced they’re as unlikely as any team I’ve seen in recent years to crumble at the business end.

Why so confident? This season, it feels like we’re witnessing an imperfect storm.

Strengthened brilliantly by their manager in all the right places, Chelsea now have a potentially great team. It’s not just that the players and manager are top class, it’s that together as a group, they also exude hunger, focus and spirit in abundance. Collectively, they have a fixed eye on the prize.

Throw all those ingredients into a footballing cocktail and the taste is incredible. So good, it’s hard to top.

The storm is imperfect because none of the other clubs (or cocktails) are anywhere near as flavoursome.

Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and I guess we should also include Southampton, can all serve up quality, but are they capable of delivering delicious, unbeatable performances consistently enough for an entire season?

Based on what we’ve seen so far, the answer is an emphatic “no”. Too many mistakes, too many duff signings, too many injuries, too many off days, too many changes, too many dropped points. Chelsea’s rivals haven’t stopped slipping and sliding since August.

The Blues, in contrast, have hardly missed a beat. Keeping team rotation to a bare minimum, Mourinho’s crafting a side that are growing as they go. Thibaut Courtois in goal is terrific. As harsh as it was on Petr Cech to be axed on the eve of the campaign, his 22-year-old Belgian replacement is a magnificent specimen — confident, agile, enormous and with a measly error count.

In front of him is English football’s stingiest back four. The Saints have leaked fewer goals, but that won’t last.

By selecting defenders who want to defend first (and think about going forward second), Mourinho has forged a watertight unit that barely make a bad decision.

Branislav Ivanovic is the Premier League’s best right-back; the last time Cesar Azpilicueta had a bad game, David Moyes was just settling into his new office at Old Trafford; and in Gary Cahill and John Terry, Chelsea couldn’t wish for a better-suited pair to manage the unit. It’s a mature, well-rounded defence that doesn’t like bearing gifts.

Ahead of them, Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas control matches like no other duo. The Serbian is an athletic natural stopper (who can also pass exquisitely), while ex-Arsenal skipper Fabregas is the most gifted playmaker in the division. It’s the ideal combo.

Executing a pinpoint pass sooner than anyone else has even seen it, the Spaniard has created 38 opportunities for others in only 12 games. When the Blues needed a splash of vision and craft last season, it went AWOL, but not anymore. In tight matches, Fabregas’ right boot can, and does, turn contests on their head in a flash.

The “Three Amigos” who wander around in front of the midfield heartland are all class acts too.

Oscar is a manager’s dream. Prepared to run through treacle for the cause, the Brazilian has that rare commodity of perseverance and panache. Willian is a tireless worker with pace and precision, while Mourinho has somehow convinced the brilliant but maverick Eden Hazard to be a solo artist within the structure of a team — rather than something separate — and the results have been spectacular.

Up top, Diego Costa was always the solution. Jose Mourinho knew he had to find a centre-forward of Didier Drogba’s ilk, and there was only ever one man to fit the bill. Ego-less and extremely popular in the dressing room, the Chelsea players and manager adore their new striker. Given his exploits, it’s little wonder.

Can this virtually flawless Chelsea side emulate Arsenal’s Invincibles? That’s a big ask, especially if injuries begin to bite. They have hardly had a problem all season and that should be noted.

Will they win the Premier League? That’s practically a dead cert. In all departments, there’s not a team to touch them.

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

CHELSEA’S 2014-15 PREMIER LEAGUE IN NUMBERS, SO FAR:

GOAL ATTEMPTS/RANK

Goals scored: 30/1

Average goals per game: 2.50/1

Shots (excluding blocked shots): 137/3

Percentage of shots on target: 53.3/1

Percentage of goals to shots: 21.9/1

Blocked shots: 48/8

PASSING/RANK

Total passes: 6,557/4

Overall pass completion percentage: 85.5/3

Passes in final third: 2,180/3

Pass completion in final third percentage: 78.2/1

Percentage of passes in final third: 9.5/4

ASSISTS

13 — Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)

9 — Leighton Baines (Everton)

7 — Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea), Dusan Tadic (Southampton)

6 — Jesus Navas (Manchester City), Angel di Maria (Manchester United)

5 — Erik Lamela (Tottenham)

DEFENDING/RANK

Average goals conceded per game: 0.92/2

Tackles per game: 240/10

Tackles won in percentage: 82.5/1

Shots on target faced: 36/3

Source: The Daily Telegraph

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