Top of the table after eight games, fans and pundits still don’t think Chelsea will challenge for the title this season, results, and style suggest it is time to change that thinking.
The season may still be young but there is a level of optimism about everything Chelsea at the moment.
The results speak for themselves; 8 games, 6 wins and two draws. A run that has seen the Blues beat Arsenal and come close to defeating an otherwise rampant Liverpool.
Before the season began the Premier League best predictions were that Manchester City and Liverpool would go toe to toe fo the title with Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham battling it out for the other two Champions League spots.
Liverpool and Manchester City have met this expectation so far with both clubs sharing the lead at the top with the Blues on 20 points apiece. Manchester United have struggled under Mourinho, whilst Tottenham and Arsenal sit just two points behind the league leaders.
Sarri has so far continued to dismiss the prospect of a Chelsea title challenge but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
New Signings Have Blended Into The Team
Sarri may have arrived late to Cobham after the World Cup, but he has been given a few talented new players to work with and they have hit the ground running.
Kepa Arrizabalaga has made Thibaut Courtois a long lost memory, Jorginho is making the midfield sing and Kovacic looks like an incredible player considering he is on loan as a makeweight in the Thibaut Courtois sale to Real Madrid.
The Style Of Football Is Sexy
Chelsea have not played with such an attacking style of football in over a decade. Against Southampton there were 31 passes across both sides of the pitch before Alvaro Morata was played in to score the third goal.
The Blues look solid on the ball and have so far provided goals to match the slick passing and fancy flicks, fans are excited and it translates to results.
Eden Hazard Is On Fire
Despite his attention being slighty turned by Real Madrid, Eden Hazard has taken his game to the next level since returning from the World Cup. He has scored 10 goals across all competitions and been the match winner on multiple occasions.
His opening goal against Cardiff was magnificent and he seems to be on a one-man crusade to score the goal of the month every time he steps onto the field of play.
Squad Depth
Chelsea have one of the strongest squads for a Premier League season since the Mourinho era with depth in every position.
In goal Callabero, Green and Bulka sit basking in the talent of Kepa, in defence Gary Cahill and Andreas Christensen are warming the bench behind Rudiger and Luiz.
In midfield there is an embarrassment of riches with Kante, Jorginho, Barkley, Loftus-Cheek, Pedro, Willian, Drinkwater, Kovacic and Hazard all able to be rotated and rested as required.
A key development has been the fitness and emergence of Ross Barkley who is being tipped for great things by Eden Hazard. His form has seen him return to the England squad and onto the scoresheet against Southampton.
Up front we have a £57m striker just finding his feet after a rough couple of months who is being pushed all the way by Olivier Giroud who offers a different kind of tactical option for Sarri to unleash from the bench.
Lack Of Champions League Football
Already in the Europa League we have seen key names like Kante and Hazard rested or even left at home when traveling across the continent for games.
With advancement to the knockout stages with games to spare extremely likely the squad is likely to be well rested heading into crunch games over Christmas.
The squad depth is matched by a lack of Champions League football which means that despite the number of games Sarri is going to be more empowered to rotate the squad.
