Are Chelsea Title Favourites?

Eight wins in a row have left Chelsea top of the pile after 14 games and the impressive run has handed them plenty of praise from everyone. Questions over Antonio Conte’s future from the defeat at Arsenal in September seems a distant memory now, as they look to extend the run to nine wins in a row on Sunday against West Brom. The rejuvenation of Costa and Hazard, as well as a tactical rethink, has propelled them to top of the league, but has that made them the title favourites?

Saturday's game at Manchester City has proved just how good they are right now and that was the real test of their ability. Last season we saw a shadow of some of the players and this season they're coming out of those shadows again. I predicted at the start of the season that they would finish the season in second but they could go one further with performances that they are putting in. The use of a back three, really has brought the best out of David Luiz and with Conte having the bottle to leave out John Terry, he's the perfect man for the job.

The club have already totalled 34 points this season, where it took them until February to reach that mark last season. Eden Hazard has also scored twice as many goals this season as he did last season, now on eight goals and showing the form that got him the PFA player of the year award in 2015. Pedro looks like a completely different player. When he was at Barcelona he was always in the shadows of Messi and co, and last season he was doing that again, but he is starting to relish the opportunity under Conte.

The biggest surprise and transition has to be Victor Moses. He looked like he would leave this summer, he's never been fancied at Chelsea, but seems like a good player at a mid-table team, but he's fully deserving his place now, even above Willian who was the clubs best player last year. I think he just needed to be in a system where he knew his role and felt wanted, going out on loan you're surrounded by players you don't know and sometimes thrown in, but he is in the perfect role as a dynamic wide midfielder.

The side crumbled against Arsenal and Liverpool early in the season and it was hard to see what the problem was. The team was good, but the system wasn't working. I thought Conte would go for a 3-5-2 when he came as that was what he was used to, but he went for four at the back and David Luiz was a liability. You look at the set up now and you don't want to face them. Kante and Matic as central midfield players is frightening and then they have the back up option of Fabregas in there as well. Nemanja Matic is even the second top in the assists table for the Premier League, who would have thought it?

I do think they need to add to their squad in January, but not necessarily from elsewhere, with the players they have out on loan, they could easily bring them back and use some of them to good use. Conte needs to become the first Chelsea manager to use these youngsters to good use, then he will really have a legacy at the club. It's good to see Chalobah finally get his chance because he's had the talent for some time and he's been out on loan for years, but now he's playing at the club, it may convince the club to promote more of its talented youth.

The amount of goals they are scoring and how little the amount of goals they're conceding is outstanding. Since they lost to Arsenal they have only conceded two goals in eight matches, and scored 22, giving them a goal difference of 20 from just eight games. They may have conceded more than Spurs and scored less than Liverpool, but they are probably better defensively than Liverpool and better going forward than Spurs. Arsenal and Manchester City are in between, both doing quite well, but no one really has the balance as good as Chelsea at the moment.

Comparing them to their rivals they really do have a chance in this years title race. All other teams have showed some weakness. Liverpool have defensive frailties, Manchester City struggle to convert enough chances, and have a poor disciplinary record meaning they miss key players, and Arsenal have a history of not seeing the whole season as challengers, although that could change. Tottenham rely on key players too often such as Kane and Alderweireld, and Manchester United just don't seem like contenders at all this season. With the system they currently play and with the players on as good form as they are, they really could go all the way.