Are Chelsea in the title fight?

Chelsea have to be considered as being in the Premier League title race given their league position and the amount of points they have on the board.

They remain the closest side to league leaders Liverpool and are in the fight.

Some of Enzo Maresca's players were at the club last year and they proved to be inconsistent, but this season they are showing they can perform consistently week to week. They seem to have found their rhythm in and out of possession and that comes down to understanding what Maresca wants from them.

Looking around him, Maresca will see that Manchester City have tonnes of experience, Liverpool won the title in the 2019-20 season and Arsenal have come close in the last few years.

Those teams know what is needed throughout the season to keep up with the challenge. Chelsea have not been in this position for a long time. Therefore, I understand why Maresca is playing down talk of the title race because he has a very young squad and he is trying to take away some of the pressure on them.

But they should still believe they are in the fight because Arsenal fans still do. Liverpool could still drop a number of points and we have seen it from them before.

The only difference is that the Reds seem to playing better and are more consistent in their performances.

Chelsea have the bonus of playing almost a second team in the Conference League and their squad depth could be an advantage when the upcoming festive schedule is congested.

For those competing in the Champions League it will be harder to rotate their squads because it is a more difficult competition. Arsenal, Liverpool and City are basically playing the same squad in the Premier League and Europe.

I can see why the talk of Chelsea winning trophies is growing.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford