Normal service resumed in England?
Marc Fox
January 7, 2017
It would be easy to surmise that normal service has been resumed in the English Premier League this season, with last year's shock title winners Leicester City languishing in 15th position and the usual heavyweights back at the summit of the table.
Leicester, who dominated the 2015/16 title race and ended up winning the league crown ahead of Arsenal and Tottenham, are already a massive 28 points off league leaders Chelsea at the halfway point of this season.
Indeed, Claudio Ranieri's team will be more concerned about staying away from the relegation places than defending their title.
But that doesn't mean the twists and turns at the top of the table will be any less interesting this campaign according to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte, who watched his side drop points for the first time in 101 days against Spurs last night.
Chelsea, the 2014/15 champions who themselves started the season sluggishly, were aiming to match the Premier League record of 14 consecutive victories against Tottenham, but fell short, with two Dele Alli headers securing a 2-0 win for the hosts.
That, however, hasn't stopped Conte's side opening up a five-point gap ahead of second-placed Liverpool in the Italian's first experience of English football.
Nevertheless, after overseeing a first defeat since September, Conte claimed that this season's Premier League title race could still become a battle between an extraordinary six teams, with Spurs moving up to third – with the same number of points as Manchester City – and Arsenal in fifth.
Only 10 points now separate the top six, with Manchester United rapidly improving after embarking on a six-match winning sequence.
"We knew that defeat could happen before the game," said Conte of his side's bid to match Arsenal's record of 14 wins in 2002. "It is a pity to stop this run, but Tottenham fought last season and they can fight also this year.
"Don't forget we lost to a good team. They are one of the six teams who can fight for the title.
"We must work hard and be pleased with our position in the table, but know this league is tough until the end."
You only have to look back to the premature reports of Chelsea's demise after their crushing 3-0 loss to Arsenal in September to acknowledge that any one of those six big-hitters could ultimately claim the title.
After the first six matches of the season, Chelsea were eight points behind early pace-setters Manchester City, prompting one commentator to suggest that the Blues looked "an old and jaded side".
Phil McNulty, the respected chief football writer of the BBC, went on: "Chelsea still rely so heavily on 35-year-old captain John Terry, out injured here, while elements of the side that looked so strong winning the title the season before last are crumbling.
"Branislav Ivanovic had a miserable game but it was even worse for England defender [Gary] Cahill, who was responsible for Sanchez's opener and also involved in an arm-waving spat with [Thibaut] Courtois after a breakdown in communication in the second half.
"Eden Hazard has regressed again while Diego Costa's only serious contribution was to conduct another war against the world."
Nothing could be further from the truth right now. Neither Terry nor Ivanovic have regularly featured since Conte switched tactics to play with a back three of Carlos Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Cahill, while in attack, Hazard and Costa have both returned to their menacing best.
Despite losing last night, Conte has found a set of players and a system that is allowing Chelsea to play with zip and verve, and their counter-attacking against Spurs was carried out at a breath-taking pace.
Tottenham, whose own high-octane style has been cultivated since the arrival of coach Mauricio Pochettino in 2014, are also flying high, winning their last five matches and scoring 15 goals on the way.
Pochettino said: "The top four is very competitive. There are a lot of games to play but this result is very important for us.
"We showed in our performance we can be competitive and we can achieve big things but it is also true you have to do this regularly and show consistency during the whole season."