Chelsea look rebuilt under Maurizio Sarri but upcoming clash with Liverpool will show just how solid the foundations are
Blues have had an impressive start to the campaign and only dropped their first points in a draw away to West Ham
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CHELSEA have been very much under the radar when it comes to talk of the title race.
Understandably, you would think, after the travails of last season.
No headlines, no bust-ups, no rumblings behind the scenes, just steady progress on the pitch after they had gone backwards so alarmingly under Antonio Conte to finish fifth last May.
The spotlight has been fully on the standout team of last season, Manchester City, and the one so far this season in Liverpool.
Yet Chelsea have had an impressive start to the campaign and only dropped their first points yesterday in a goalless draw away to West Ham.
Next Saturday now offers them a chance to really stamp their mark on the title race and show they can be a contender when they host Liverpool.
The Carabao Cup clash between the two sides at Anfield on Wednesday will give us no pointers.
Both sides will make significant changes for a competition at the bottom of the priority list.
It is the game at Stamford Bridge that will provide answers to so many questions.
Can Liverpool keep their impressive charge going? Or are Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri really on to something?
One thing is key for Sarri, Eden Hazard looks happy again. When he is on it, so are Chelsea.
When he went off the boil for Jose Mourinho and Conte, it cost both managers their jobs.
He is back in form again now and in the first half in particular yesterday, his movement was fantastic.
But he will no doubt bemoan his own poor delivery late on that could have set up a winner.
It was clear West Ham had set up solely to stop him as they packed the centre of the park.
Still, he found time on the ball, found room to move and found reasons to keep the Hammers relying on breakaways to snatch a goal.
Having said all this, I have my reservations as to whether Chelsea can maintain this sound start with a result against Liverpool for a number of reasons.
The goal threat is Hazard’s alone as Olivier Giroud is not going to get you 20 goals, while Alvaro Morata is shorn of confidence.
The chance Morata spurned when he tried to flick the ball over the keeper yesterday showed that.
At the back there are worries, too.
Liverpool’s front three can take full advantage of the space Marcos Alonso leaves behind him if he bombs as far forward as he likes to.
They will also be hoping he switches off again in the way he did to allow Andriy Yarmolenko a free header that should have won it.
In addition to Alonso, I still have my doubts over having David Luiz in a back four.
Still, they might go out and prove me wrong next Saturday — and certainly in Hazard they have the matchwinner to do it.
Liverpool, however, have them all over the place — and also the defence to stop Chelsea.
The weaknesses they had last season have been addressed with a new goalkeeper in Alisson.
The heart of their defence is arguably the best in Europe right now.
A pairing of Virgil van Dijk alongside either Joel Matip or Joe Gomez is proving formidable, with only two goals conceded from six league games.
So, while their attacking instincts will provide Hazard with more space than at West Ham, there’s still a back- line that will not give him an inch.
It’s a big challenge. Too big, in my opinion, for this Chelsea side.