It’s fair to say that all of a sudden Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern are looking over their shoulder.

A surprise defeat at home to Crystal Palace has seemed to open the door for second placed Tottenham Hotspur and, although the gap is still seven points, it would seem the Blues have tougher fixtures including both Manchester clubs within their next three games.

Our landlord believes, though, that a mountain is being made out of a molehill and it would take a huge catastrophe for Antonio Conte’s men to not bring the Premier League to Stamford Bridge.

However, he has, controversially, noticed some inconsistencies within the Chelsea ranks and has noted that certain players may think the title is a done deal the way they have been performing in recent weeks.

These comments sound harsh and our resident Blues fans in the Tavern have had a lot to say about these comments, stating they would not be in this position unless the whole team had been pulling their weight.

In response to the criticism from his regulars, our landlord has been in his cellar listing who he believes needs to up their game before the end of the season.

Here are the two stand out players from his list of under performing Chelsea stars…

Michy Batshuayi

The Belgium striker has made all 17 of his Premier League appearances this season from the bench but with the business end of the season fast approaching, our landlord believes Batshuayi must have more impact from the bench when called upon.

Our resident Chelsea fans in the Tavern agree especially in the tight games that occur at this point in the season, there certainly is a part for Batshuayi to play but he will need to step up his own game in order to help his team in these situations.

Willian

Our landlord has noted that Willian has been a decent understudy for Eden Hazard and Pedro but that has all he has been this season and the Brazilian simply needs to make more of his opportunities before the end of the season.

Chelsea fans in the Tavern are mixed about this statement from our landlord pointing to the six goals he has scored this season, although just one assist to Willian’s name does not help his cause.