With the Premier League season edging toward its halfway point, who has starred for Chelsea and is the Premier League title a foregone conclusion? Here's a look at how Jose Mourinho's men have fared so far.
Grade: A+
Your Season So Far -- In A Sentence
Top of the league, comfortably through to the knockout stages of the Champions League, in the semifinals of the League Cup -- Chelsea supporters disgruntled with that lot need their heads examined.
Highlight
Thrashing Tottenham 3-0 was joyous, even if beating them at Stamford Bridge has become predictable over the past couple of decades.
Eden Hazard opened the scoring for the Blues. The 23-year-old twinkle-toed Belgium international wasn't even born the last time Spurs won in SW6, and football facts don't get much funnier than that.
Chelsea, shorn of the services of suspended star striker Diego Costa, were ruthless. Didier Drogba rolled back the years with a well-taken goal, and his replacement, Loic Remy, duly rounded out the proceedings with an accomplished finish. The match highlighted the strength and depth of Chelsea's squad and the team's all-round efficiency. Spurs weren't just beaten; they were blown away.
Low Point
The defeat against Newcastle United that shattered the "Invincibles" dream is the obvious choice. Not simply for that reason or because the match ended in a loss, but more so because Mourinho's game plan contained no element of surprise and no real evidence of a Plan B.
Mourinho typically sets the Blues up to play one way and one way only: 4-2-3-1. He has the luxury of having world-class players to fill every position, so the game plan normally works. Newcastle boss Alan Pardew countered that plan. His team rode its luck and put away the chances. Mourinho made light of the 2-1 loss, indicating the reversal of fortune had no effect on the team and that no reaction was needed. Subsequent results proved Mourinho right, making the dream-ending aberration all the more frustrating.
Surprise Star
John Terry may seem like a curious choice for this category, but Chelsea's captain has put in dependable shift after dependable shift and been a model of consistency at the heart of a resolute Blues defence.
Costa, Cesc Fabregas and returning hero Drogba have regularly grabbed the headlines, but Terry, now at the veteran stage of his career, deserves credit for binding the team together. Having played every minute of Chelsea's Premier League games to date, the 34-year-old is enjoying a new lease on life playing for Mourinho again. Provided he can remain injury free, Terry looks set to play a major role in the quest for the quadruple.
Must Do Better
Mohamed Salah has flattered to deceive since his arrival at Stamford Bridge from Basel in the January transfer window. Mourinho invested 11 million pounds in the 22-year-old Egypt international but has used the winger sparingly. Salah has yet to start a Premier League match this season, his major game time being restricted to a couple of League Cup matches and a Champions League outing.
Against the lesser lights of Bolton, Shrewsbury and a poor Sporting Lisbon side, Salah had the chance to shine, but despite his zest and endeavour, there was no end product. There has been speculation linking the player with a January move to Inter Milan, but Mourinho has been swift to refute this. If that is the case, Salah must make the most of the chances that come his way.
Great Expectations
Winning the Premier League is Priority No. 1 for Mourinho. Despite that pulsating unbeaten run coming to an end at Newcastle, Chelsea remain the favourite to win the title. Anything less for the Blues -- who have topped the table since the opening day of the season -- would represent failure and potential disaster for the Special One.