Surely Chelsea has now blown their title chance?

Before last weekend’s clash with Liverpool Chelsea fans and players were on a wave of happiness following the British record signing of striker Fernando Torres. After the game the mood was completely different.

Bad

Chelsea lost the game 1-0 at Stamford Bridge and suddenly Torres looked like he was worth 50p, not £50million.

You could feel the tension in the stadium before the game but the Blues fans were optimistic they could get a victory to aide their flagging Premier League title hopes.

Instead they suffered a defeat to a very well organised Liverpool side, something we haven’t been able to say very often in recent months. All credit to Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish he got his tactics spot on.

The Chelsea players looked so flat against Liverpool that they looked like they could have been bought from IKEA in a box. There was just no energy or new ideas. And Fernando Torres struggled to even get a grip of the ball, much to the delight of the visiting fans.

The defeat at the hands of the Reds means that Chelsea are now 10 points behind league leaders Manchester United. It would take an almighty slump from the Red Devils and also all the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal for Chelsea to win the Premier League title and I just can’t see it happening.

Torres

Fernando Torres joining Chelsea was a move designed to rejuvenate both Chelsea and the player. Yet the Spaniard looked like the same lethargic player who has sulked around Anfield for the past 12 months on Sunday.

If this was the rebirth of Torres then it was a massive anti-climax. I have to admit though that things can only get better for the 26 year-old Spanish international. He is likely to enjoy a successful career at the Bridge but it was a nightmare start for the ex-Liverpool star.

Form

Chelsea form this season has been patchy at best and at one point their form was awful. Their form was more like that of relegation battlers than title challengers. And they looked nothing like the side which finished last season by winning the double of Premier League and FA Cup.

Fourth

Chelsea have to be very careful because they are currently only in fourth position in the Premier League on goal difference. Fifth place Tottenham have lots of quality and Chelsea will need to re-find their form pretty quick to hold off Spurs.

Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti stated during Chelsea’s dark days that they had to ensure they finish in the top four at least. At the time I thought he was crazy and thought that the champion’s bad form couldn’t continue but it has and the form needs to be turnaround very quickly.

Sack

I am a big fan of Ancelotti’s but the way things are going he won’t have long left in the job with the champions. He has to turn things around very quickly or I get the feeling he will be heading out of the Stamford Bridge exit door. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is playing a bigger role at the club and he won’t be happy with being fourth.

Champions League

Chelsea have been chasing the Champions League trophy ever since Abramovich took over the club. Maybe this season they should attempt to make Europe’s top competition their top priority.

Obviously as a big club they want to challenge on all fronts but with the Premier League title now so difficult to achieve the Champions League must take priority. It will be difficult to win the trophy with the opponents they are likely to face along the way but it is a cup competition and anything could happen.

Prediction

I have to say that my predictions are not always the best but I don’t think Chelsea can now win the Premier League. I wouldn’t usually right off the Blues but I just think they are now too many points adrift to catch up.

Are Chelsea out of the title race?