Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea and Darren Fletcher of West Bromwich Albion clash prior to Fabregas being sent off during the Barclays Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea at The Hawthorns. PHOTO/AFP
LONDON, October 16- Cesc Fabregas believes it is still possible for Chelsea to defend their Premier League title, but acknowledges they have to turn things around fast.
The Blues, crowned champions only five months ago, have won just two of their opening eight games in the top flight this season to languish down in 16th place, the club’s worst start in 37 years.
Jose Mourinho’s side are already 10 points adrift of early pace setters Manchester City at the league summit and they enter the home clash with Aston Villa on Saturday looking to bounce back from a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Southampton before the international break.
Fabregas, though, is confident the west Londoners can once again finish top of the pile at the end of the season, but insists they cannot afford any more slip-ups.
“I still believe we can win the league,” the Spain midfielder told The Sun. “It’s not going to be easy but a 10-point gap at this stage of the season is not impossible.
“Last season, we took 22 points from our first eight games but this time every team has lost at least one.
“Manchester City lost to West Ham and Tottenham when no one expected it, Manchester United and Arsenal have also dropped points.
“No one at Chelsea is happy with our current position but I would prefer to be here now than at the end of the season.
“It’s not how we start the campaign, it’s where we finish it. There is still almost 80 percent of the season to go so we have more than enough time to recover. But we need to start that recovery this weekend.”
