CLOSE THE GAP

Branislav Ivanovic is confident that this is the best time for Chelsea to close the gap between themselves and the leaders of the Premier League, Arsenal who are only 4 points ahead of them.

Chelsea took an early scare when playing against Southampton in their hometown Stamford Bridge as the visiting team scored within the opening 14 seconds of the match but the team of Jose Mourinho responded in the 2nd half with Gary Cahill, John Terry and Demba all scoring as they earned all 3 vital points.

Jose Mourinho’s side has a busy schedule in this month as they have to play 9 matches in December including fixtures from the Champions League, Carling Cup and Premier League but despite the fatigue that this may cause the players of the squad, Ivanovic insists saying that the time to make the difference in this season is now.

"At this stage in the years before [since winning the title in 2010] we would always be trailing by a lot of points but we are up there now and this has given us an opportunity," said Ivanovic.

"It's a good thing when you go into each game feeling you are there and right at the top. It's not like last year, where we had to run for the points and it put us under pressure, and made everything much more difficult. We have improved as a team but we have to show it every game. At the moment, this is our best chance since 2010 but we have to be careful and carry on, fighting for every game and every point."

What makes the following few weeks so crucial for Chelsea it’s the fact that they have to face off against the table toppers Arsenal on December 23rd in a battle that might just set the tone for the remainder of the season.