“They grew up” – Pundit backs Chelsea for Premier League challenge after Club World Cup win | OneFootball

ESPN have been happy to criticise Chelsea in the last couple of years, but to be fair to them they were also happy to give the Blues their flowers after a stunning win over PSG on Sunday night.

Stevie Nicol was so impressed that he said the Blues were even capable of a title challenge this coming season if they can find some consistency:

“Chelsea have now set the standard for themselves… We were talking last year about ‘where’s the leadership in this team’… well today they grew up,” Nicol said.

“There was a leadership all over the field. The back line held a fantastic line all game. The middle of the park dominated the best midfield on the planet. Then up front you add Joao Pedro to the work rate of Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer, you’ve got everything there. If they can put all that together consistently they can beat anybody, and they can certainly win the Premier League if they produce that game after game. I don’t care who was playing against them today – they would have won the game.”

You can see the pundits discussing the Blues in the clip embedded here:

Consistency is easier said than done

Chelsea lift the Club World Cup. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

If you can beat this PSG team you can beat anyone, that’s for sure. The issue is the consistency that Nicol talks about. There are lots of teams who can produce superb one off performances, but winning a league is about doing it every week.

We expect to see much more of it this season than last, and that may be enough to win the whole thing if the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool drop off.

But are we yet at the stage where we can play like that for a full season? We’re not so sure. It might be another year before we reach that level.