Pep Guardiola has listed Chelsea amongst seven sides that he believes can still win the Premier League this season.
The Blues are 10 points behind leaders Arsenal going into their vital London derby at Stamford Bridge tomorrow but the Spanish manager hasn't ruled out Graham Potter's men for taking top spot, yet.
Potter took over from Thomas Tuchel after a disappointing and inconsistent start to the season domestically and in Europe and has somewhat settled the ship but recent results have seen the Blues drop to sixth in the table whilst Newcastle and Manchester United move up the standings.
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Todd Boehly's appointment of Potter wasn't for immediate success or to make Chelsea into league winners this season, but the expectation was to secure Champions League football for next season and to put the club onto a route of gradual progression.
Guardiola, who has won four of the last five titles himself and has transformed Manchester City and raised the standards of the Premier League with his dominant team, has previously been extremely complimentary of Potter, saying last season, "Brighton are a joy to watch, a joy to analyse. At the same time, when you see them you are concerned about their quality.
"We [City] will need to be at the highest standards and level to compete against them. I’m absolutely a big fan of Graham Potter. Everyone plays in their positions, the ball comes to the positions, players move with freedom and everyone knows what they have to do. They have the courage to play everywhere."
Such is Potter's standing in Guardiola's lofty opinion, the former Barcelona boss has included Chelsea as current title contenders. He said, "I would say Arsenal, I would say Man City, I would say Chelsea, I would say Newcastle, I would say Tottenham, I would say [Manchester] United and I would say Liverpool as well, I think these teams can fight for the title."
Chelsea have more pressing concerns to sort out before turning their attention to the top of the tree, but the strength of the competition around the Champions League places is fierce, and as long as Potter can push Chelsea into that conversation they may remain within distance of an outside chance.
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