Premier League: Chelsea justify early favourites tag

Cesc Fabregas was brilliant in Chelsea's victory over Burnley

After an opening game victory over Burnley, Andy Brassell is convinced that Chelsea have exactly what is needed to win the Premier League this season given their strong midfield, led by the excellent and versatile Cesc Fabregas...

Twenty four hours may be a long time in politics, and it's a long time in the life of the Premier League, too. A day after Manchester City flexed their muscles with a hard-fought, but ultimately well-judged win at a spritely Newcastle United, Chelsea showed exactly why they are favourites to bring the title back to the south among so many observers.

Yes, it was 'only' Burnley, but this was a banana skin we had seen before. In the Clarets' most recent top-flight season of 2009/10, they shocked Manchester United 1-0 at Turf Moor. The parallels seemed workable early on, especially when Scott Arfield smashed in a delicious opening goal, reminiscent of the style with which Robbie Blake won the match for Burnley five years ago.

The imperiousness with which Chelsea recovered, however, showed exactly why they are so fancied. If Cesc Fabregas stood out with his incisive passing, Diego Costa's brutal efficiency was present and correct, Eden Hazard dazzled intermittently and Andr Schrrle's beautifully constructed second goal suggested that there is already a collective 'click' this season.

Branislav Ivanovic's strike to seal the deal also reminded us that their power from set pieces was still present and correct. If Chelsea now have the ability to play beguilingly, they also retain their blunt and practical side, which had been evident in pre-season when Jose Mourinho sent Ivanovic up front to chase victory in a seemingly unimportant friendly with AFC Wimbledon.

What happens next is what will reveal whether this was grandstanding against lowly opponents or an opening salvo from a team that is the real deal. This writer suspects the latter, and thus would suggest that there is no better time to back Chelsea to win the whole shebang at a decent 2.56/4.

Another promoted team is next on the agenda, as Leicester visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday, before a tricky looking trip to Everton (where The Blues have a particularly patchy record) to finish the month. Mourinho's men go to Manchester City on the third Sunday in September so after just five league games, he will have a fair idea of exactly where his team are.

You would expect the coach to retain a similar shape and personnel to the one deployed at Turf Moor for the Leicester game, but how Cesc Fabregas will be used in the bigger face-offs is an interesting question, particularly given how central the Spain midfielder was to everything in the opener.

Logically, it would appear that Fabregas is only to be used in one of the deeper two midfield positions - alongside Nemanja Matic - against weaker opposition, when he has space to roam and licence to get closer to the opposition's penalty area without leaving his teammates short-handed.

Against Everton and City, we could see Ramires (now free from suspension) come in alongside Matic, with Fabregas pushed into a more advanced, number 10 role, probably at the expense of Oscar. This would also get him in a better position to unlock the goalscoring power which is so central to his game, and that would suggest that an advanced role is where one could get the best out of him on a consistent basis.

The counterpoint is that if Mourinho is feeling more daring, Fabregas could stay where he is, breaking forward to provide Chelsea with an extra attacking player. Having seen him play extensively with Benfica in a very open 4-4-2, the coach may feel Matic has the power to hold the fort on his own.

Whether Mourinho shuns his habitual caution or not, Chelsea fans are in for a treat with the talent and options at his disposal. City have been warned.