ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE: THE PREMIER League is an endurance test for the contenders and the patience of supporters is being sorely tried as well. Chelsea's goalless draw at Goodison was creditable considering that their captain John Terry had been sent off with nearly an hour remaining, but six points from the last five games is not evocative of a side driving towards the title.
Comfort lies in the knowledge that others are looking heavy-legged as well. Liverpool have not won a league fixture at home since November 8th and Arsenal's results have hauled them down to fifth place in the table.
Manchester United seem formidable, but that may mostly be because they have not been in action domestically. The longer they stayed in Yokohama for the Club World Cup the more intensely their presence registered here. Now it is almost as if United's two games in hand are actually wins that have not yet been counted because of a clerical error. It took Alex Ferguson to remind us that eight goals away from home in the Premier League so far has been "nowhere near good enough".
The title race will be all the more interesting if fallibility continues to seep into the rivalry. No manager can be fully at peace. Luiz Felipe Scolari must have regretted the necessity of authorising a statement last week that denied claims of a squad rebellion over his tactics and methods. But there was no shortage of application at Goodison.
There was, indeed, a flashback to the petulance seen against Tottenham at White Hart Lane in March. The side did not turn into a mob, but Phil Dowd still felt moved to show three yellow cards, all of them for dissent.
Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho, employed paranoia as a bonding mechanism. It does not seem in Scolari's nature to instil a persecution complex, so perhaps he really was incredulous that the official had dismissed Terry for a shin-high lunge at Leon Osman. Given modern practices, the punishment should have been no real shock.
Scolari must be feeling the pressure. Yet he is currently a point better off after 18 matches than his predecessor was and Avram Grant took the struggle for the title to the last day. It may be an underlying trend that is against Scolari.
Chelsea no longer spend as they did. The only players to have been bought by him in Monday's line-up were Jose Bosingwa and Deco, well-known to Scolari from his time as Portugal manager. Bosingwa brings drive on the right that is now crucial to Chelsea. Deco, despite his obvious accomplishment, has begun to look as fatigued as might have been feared in a midfielder entering the frenetic Premier League for the first time at the age of 31.
Beside him at Goodison were Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard, who have also left their 20s behind them. As a unit, they did not look dynamic. Lampard had opened this campaign with a range and adventurousness that spoke of regeneration under Scolari. The impact has declined subsequently and a player with 20 goals to his name last season has eight thus so far. This is more than a personal issue when reliable scorers are difficulty to identify.
Nicolas Anelka has been outstanding, but the dependence on him is dangerous. Didier Drogba should be a marvellous alternative to the Frenchman, if not a striking partner for him, but when he was brought on at Everton he did not display much inclination to use his power and ability to engage with the defence and so relieve the strain on his undermanned team.
There was, at least, a stubbornness to Chelsea and. Alex will be available while Terry serves a three-game ban. Dowd, after reviewing video evidence, decided against punishing the Brazilian retrospectively for a second-half incident in which the defender's studs came down on Tim Cahill's thigh.
On a night when their perfect away record in the league ended, though, it still looked as if Chelsea will lack the means to regain the title.
• Guardian Service
