Last night?s goal-less draw between Arsenal and Manchester United left one clear winner: Chelsea. The result was yet another obstacle left behind a fast-disappearing Blue pair of heels, who have emerged from the Christmas period as the only Premiership team to have reaped 12 points out of 12.
For Arsenal, already 24 points below Chelsea, the result was (as if any further proof was needed) the confirmation that this was not their season, and that their priority has to be trying to secure ? a 4th place in the table and classification for the Champions League. If what we read is correct, failure to do so could have very serious consequences for Arsenal as they move to their new stadium, having taken on an unprecedented level of debt, repayment of which is conditional on qualifying for the Champions League.
For Manchester United, who were still just about able to see Chelsea sprinting over the horizon, the result leaves them 13 points behind Chelsea. If there are any questions as to whether it will be possible to make up those 13 points, one simply has to point to the fact that Chelsea won the League last season by something similar to that margin, and the more relevant question would be whether Chelsea will drop another 13 points all season, having dropped only 5 so far with over half our matches played.
Neither red team is able to keep up with Chelsea, and ? for once- both managers agreed that it was Chelsea?s relentless pace and determination that made their tasks all the more difficult. Indeed, it says everything about the gap between Chelsea and the rest that last night?s match was so muted. And that, despite taking place in the beginning of January both managers all but conceded the title. Arsène Wenger, usually ungracious, said ?the players were less nervous because we are not going for the title – we cannot compete with Chelsea. I am not speaking about the title but I feel this result was a positive one for us? he said. ?If you look at Chelsea, they have a mature team. All their players are between 25 and 30. They have power and a lot of self-belief. We have a young team and it is important for us not to lose big games.?
His counterpart Ferguson agreed: ?Chelsea’s consistency is beyond us.? He added that ?Eventually we hope to reach Chelsea’s level. We have a young team who will get better. You can see what is going to happen to us over the next two or three years and in the meantime we just keep going. We want to be the nearest team to Chelsea, just in case they collapse. You never know what might happen.?
We don?t know if José Mourinho watched the match. Asked on Monday if he would be tuning in, he said that ?it depends on my wife.? He must know that the League title is only Chelsea?s to lose now, and that the performance of the chasing pack is now less important than Chelsea?s capacity to keep up a relentless pace.
It must have riled both elder statesmen of the Premiership that the reports this morning talk mostly of Chelsea?s victory, even though there wasn?t a Champions Blue shirt in sight. And it?s revealing how much of a shadow Chelsea are casting that Wenger and Fergus, usually bitter rivals, could agree on one thing: for the moment, they can aspire, at best, to second place. Behind Chelsea.
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