Liverpool are title contenders, says Chelsea boss Villas-Boas

Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas insists Liverpool are still in the race for the Premier League title this season.

Kenny Dalglish’s men travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday 13 points behind pace-setters Manchester City and Villas-Boas, whose side are 10 points off the pace, believes neither team can be written off just yet.

“I’ve always seen them as title contenders because it’s been assumed by them that they would do it,” Villas-Boas said.

“Dalglish has made the necessary changes to Liverpool for them to progress to title contenders this year.

“He made seven changes to the team, seven coming in, which represents the type of commitment the ownership have to put them back on title-winning ways.

“They are one of the biggest clubs in England and I always assumed they were challenging for the title.”

Chelsea suffered a shock 5-3 loss to Arsenal in their last clash at Stamford Bridge – but the Blues boss insists a defeat by Liverpool would not mark the end of their title challenge.

“Chelsea’s recovery last season was from February onwards,” he continued. “April, March and May are still tight in terms of the calendar.

“All the top teams will most likely be involved in the Champions League, which can dictate tiredness or less response in terms of the Premier League.”

Although he refused to concede Sunday’s result could define Chelsea’s league ambitions, Villas-Boas did admit that the next month will be crucial in terms of evaluating their ability to compete for silverware.

“It’s a good period for the different competitions,” he said. “You can qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League, the Premier League can maybe start taking its pattern by the end of December.

“There’s also a quarter-final in the Carling Cup with Liverpool, which gives us a chance to go into that competition next year.”