You know the old saying, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. In their last 13 Premier league fixtures, Chelsea FC are undefeated. Yes, that’s all victories, no draws, and 13 in a row means they’re just one shy of the Premier League record. Chelsea’s London arch-rivals Arsenal won 14 in a row twice in back to back seasons during the 2000s.
They even have the blessing of Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger when they go for the record, against on another London club on January 4th.
“If they do it, I can only say ‘well done’ because records are there to be beaten and you have to acknowledge if somebody does better than you,” Wenger is quoted in The Sun.
Today, they beat low-table side Stoke City 4-2 and this is the line-up Manager Antonio Conte went with.
Chelsea have made the fewest changes to their starting XI in PL this season (13). Make 2 changes today with Matic & Hazard coming in. pic.twitter.com/hXVj9cKcOr
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 17, 2016
If that’s hard to read, especially in the back part, here’s the formation again. When Conte made the switch to the 3-4-3, that’s when this winning streak began. Hence Chelsea have made the fewest changes out of anyone in the Premier League, with just 13 (two today).
Eden Hazard Diego Costa Willian
Marcos Alonso Nemanja Matic N’Golo Kante Victor Moses
Gary Cahill David Luiz Cesar Azpilicueta
Thibaut Courtois
It’s New Year’s Eve, so auld lang syne and bottoms up Blues supporters! Celebrate the fact that your team, won again, is on top of the table, and on the verge of making history.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.