At the risk of premature prognostication, the question: "Can Chelsea run away with the Premier League?" appears a reasonable one at present.

1. Chelsea FC: Can the Blues Run
Away with the Premier League?

2. At the risk of premature
prognostication, the question:
"Can Chelsea run away with the
Premier League?" appears a
reasonable one at present.
The only Premier League side
boasting a 100 percent record,
Jose Mourinho has the makings
of a title-winning side in his
dressing room, but just how
convincing might the Blues be?

3. Last season Chelsea fell five points
short of capturing the league
outright. Despite this, the west
Londoners did not lose to
eventual champions Manchester
City, Liverpool, Arsenal,
Tottenham or Manchester United
—their only loss against
2013/14's top seven came at
Goodison Park to Everton.

4. Chelsea goofed last season with
their inability to put away mid-to-
lower-table opposition. Losing to
Stoke City, Sunderland, Crystal
Palace, Aston Villa and Newcastle
United, were those matches
anything but losses, the Premier
League trophy would have been
Stamford Bridge bound.
Fortune, though, conspired against
the Blues and they finished third.

5. Using yesteryear's campaign to
spot imperfections in his squad,
Mourinho addressed three areas
of need this summer transfer
window: Bolstering his full-back
depth with Filipe Luis, obtaining
midfield-playmaker Cesc
Fabregas and acquiring a centre-
forward worth his EPL salt in
Diego Costa.

6. Luis has yet to start a match, but
with games coming quick, fast
and in a hurry, the Brazilian is
sure to receive his chance at left-
back.
The two Spaniards, on the other
hand, have burst from their
starting blocks like Usain Bolt:
Fabregas producing six assists in
four starts and Costa scoring
seven goals over the same time
frame.

7. Chelsea, while not infallible (as witnessed
during the first half vs. Swansea City on
Saturday), do appear vastly improved
from the previous rendition, as their
chief scourge from last year—barren
centre-forwards—appears rectified.
So where does this leave Mourinho’s
2014/15 outlook?
You would be hard pressed finding an
objective thinker who does not have
Chelsea in the title race, but finding
individuals willing to assert the Blues
will dominate the Premier League is
another matter altogether.

8. Sir Alex Ferguson taking 2012/13's
version of Manchester United (28W-
5D-5L) and beating the nearest side
by 11 points was arguably the best
managerial performance in Premier
League history—only rivalled by the
past decade’s other two “runaways.”

9. In 2003/04, Arsenal did something unseen
since Preston North End in 1888/89 by
ending their domestic league unbeaten
(26W-12D-0L). The following year—in his
inaugural English season—Mourinho
managed a renovated Chelsea club to their
first league title in 50 years, losing one
match (29W-8D-1L) and conceding a
meagre 15 goals.
Ten years later, after leaving then returning,
Mourinho again finds himself at the helm
of another renovation project in west
London—one appearing to fire on all
cylinders.

10. Should Chelsea run away with the 2014/15
Premier League, they need three things to
transpire.
Firstly, the Blues must maintain functional
balance in attack and defence.
While rampaging to score goals with new toys
Fabregas and Costa, Mourinho's squad
must retain the miserly component which
saw them finish third last season: The likes
of Nemanja Matic and Willian being
essential components in that effort.

11. Managers would have the public believe
fixtures before March mean virtually
nothing—but we know better: Three
points in September are just as
valuable as three points in May;
Chelsea beating City would create an
eight-point gap between the title
favourites.
In an era of big spending and would-be
parity, many have dismissed the
notion singular sides can separate
themselves from the contending pack,
and in most cases this is true.

12. Resources:
http://goo.gl/EHLQ5y
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2200150-
chelsea-fc-can-the-blues-run-away-with-
the-premier-league

13. Thank you for
reading!