If you believed every manager who comes up against Chelsea, you’d think we were top of the league and flying.
Every coach points out that we’ve actually been unlucky this season, that we’ve not had as many points as we deserve, and that we’ve improved a lot since the start of the campaign. Most Chelsea fans would beg to differ.
It’s obviously why they do it – they’re not going to sit there and give their players the green light to become complacent. But they must also believe it, to a degree.
Eddie Howe’s presser today was full of praise ahead of his team’s meeting with the Blues on Monday night.
“Chelsea have definitely improved throughout the season, they have got better and better, they have top quality players and an outstanding manager. We know it will be a very difficult game against a team that is dangerous, but as always, the focus is on us.”
Is it all a bluff or does he mean it? He said similar things back before Christmas, before his Magpies blew us away at St James’ Park. Playing at home will be easier for us – we wonder if that will be enough to change the result?
