Michael Essien declares Manchester City to be Chelsea's closest title rivals
Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has claimed Manchester City will be the Blues 'closest challengers' this season.
Essien, who helped the Stamford Bridge side dispose of Arsenal on Sunday to maintain their grip on top spot, stated, "Manchester City are our closest challengers right now. You can see
they made good signings and they will be up for it. We will see what happens. I don't know if they will have the stamina, but they have the players to go out and do the job.”
City has certainly made good signings, splashing out inordinate sums of money over the past couple of years, but as Essien points out, the west Londoners have all the required experience
to triumph over 38 games, while City has yet to taste Premier League glory. "Maybe we have an advantage because we know what it takes to win the league, but every season is different,” explained the Ghanaian.
Chelsea are currently four points clear at the top of the table, with City hot on their tail. With Manchester United and Arsenal already showing more vulnerability than normal, fans may
well see City step into the void and really challenge the formidable Stamford Bridge outfit.
With players such as Carlos Tevez, Patrick Vieira and Yaya Toure, who are all experienced at winning domestic leagues, City does have a little know-how about winning titles, and Eastlands
boss Roberto Mancini has won honours in Italy with Inter Milan. Most would suggest City is still a year or two from challenging for the title, but it would be premature to write them off this term.
They’ve already shown how capable they are at dispatching the big boys, with Chelsea and Liverpool already amongst the City of Manchester casualties, but their loss at the Stadium of Light
that suggested that they may just have had an off day, and will have to do a little legwork to make sure that they don't have another.
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