Next weekend’s Championship Sunday in the Barclay’s Premier League looked like it could be one of the all-time greats, with three teams vying for the league title on the season’s final day.
However, thanks to Chelsea’s 0-0 draw with lowly Norwich, the Blues will likely have to wait another year to win a trophy. Earning one single point does not eliminate them from the title picture outright, but Liverpool and Manchester City will both play during the week and could eliminate Chelsea with wins. It was a particularly bad result for Chelsea given their complete and utter dominance all game long, as they won the possession battle by a staggering 71 to 29 percent margin and out-shot Norwich 23 to six (although they only got four on target).
Norwich’s defending was particularly inspired in the final 15 minutes, as the Canaries need every point they can muster to avoid relegation. They currently sit right on the bubble, trailing Sunderland by two points with just one game left for them to play. While it was likely too little too late for Norwich to avoid a trip down to the Football League Championship Division (Sunderland simply need to win mid-week), it was nevertheless a valiant effort on their part.
Lots of questions remain for Chelsea. Eden Hazard did not even start the game, perhaps dropped from the first XI because of his mid-week criticism of Chelsea’s tactics in their 3-1 Champions League Semifinal loss to Atletico Madrid. Fernando Torres once again could not find the back of the net in a league match, where he has failed to score since January 11 against Hull.
It will be fascinating to see how Chelsea manager Jose Mourninho reacts to this championship-ending draw, and if he continues to shake up his squad as the season enters its final week.
