EXCLUSIVE: Chelsea have been tipped to be title contenders ahead of their clash against Arsenal but on two conditions, according to Stephen Warnock
Stephen Warnock believes Chelsea can be considered title contenders if they beat Arsenal. The Blues host the Premier League leaders on Sunday as they look to dent the Gunners’ aspirations and reinforce their chances of competing to reach the summit of English football.
Enzo Maresca’s side sit six points behind Arsenal going into Sunday’s showdown but have already beaten reigning champions Liverpool at Stamford Bridge this season. Chelsea will be buoyed by the emphatic 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League, extending their unbeaten run to six matches – winning five of them.
Manchester City could leapfrog Chelsea into second and cut Arsenal’s lead, adding further pressure on the pace-setters, if they beat Leeds United on Saturday.
Warnock says that Chelsea can be considered contenders if they beat Arsenal. But there are some issues that the Blues need to eradicate, including their inconsistency.
“If they win that game yeah [they are title contenders],” he said speaking exclusively to football.london via WhichBookie.
“There’s still maybe inconsistencies with Chelsea, a lot of things labelled at Chelsea is that they’re a young team, they’re going to be naïve, make mistakes but what they have got is quality.
“We know that, if they can beat Arsenal and play anywhere near like they did against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge then they’re in for a tough game.
“But Arsenal look flawless in everything that they’re doing, I can’t wait for it, I think it’s going to be a cracking game, if they are to win that game they’re definitely in the mix. But there are some inconsistencies in the team.”
Chelsea received a fresh boost ahead of Sunday’s visit from their London rivals with Cole Palmer being passed fit to play. The 23-year-old was handed a setback last week when he fractured his toe, after edging closer to full fitness following his recovery from a groin injury that he suffered in September against Manchester United.
Maresca said: “He is available to start. Everyone is happy, the team-mates are happy, we are all happy and the most important thing is Cole is happy because a footballer wants to play games and make the sessions every day.
“He is our best player, we are happy he is back. We need to give him time to be 100% fit.
“He has done fantastic in the past and no doubt he is going to do very good for this club in the future.”
