For a while it was Old Trafford, then for a while it was Highbury, and until now it had been Stamford Bridge. Yet all three of these grounds have now lost the ‘fear’ factor that defeated a lot of sides before a ball was even kicked.

With Chelsea having endured a rare defeat at home in the Premier League against Sunderland recently, Carlo Ancelotti has been forced to admit that sides no longer come to the Bridge afraid of how many they might concede. Instead, fans are looking for the best odds on their team to win, whilst visiting teams are now looking to see just how many points they can take from the Blues in the season, something that Ancelotti is understandably not happy about.

Despite sitting at the top of the league, the Blues have failed to impress in the football odds or light up the Premier League this season and have also failed to take hold of the Premier League in a way that they were once able to under the likes of Jose Mourinho, something that has left some supporters worried.

However, with the Blues in a somewhat transitional phase as they look to develop their youth team rather than invest in players, fans should be happy to see their side still succeeding despite missing some of its top players. With the likes of Terry, Essien and Lampard all unavailable for the Blues in recent times, it seems likely that their return will start to re-establish the fear factory that they have managed to create in recent years.

If they do not, then the situation may once again require their billionaire owner to spend some of his cash to keep the Blues back at the top of the Premier League.

Chelsea have been competing at the top level of European football ever since Roman Abramovich took over at Stamford Bridge. However, they have not managed to get hold of the famous trophy they so desire.

Despite spending millions of pounds and changing manager at the drop of a hat even when many believed that wasn’t the most sensible course of action, the closest that the Blues have come to touching the trophy was John Terry’s failed penalty kick in Moscow. Although this effort in fairness meant that they were very close to picking up the trophy, it has not changed the fact that Chelsea’s Champions League wins tally remains at zero.

However, with Chelsea not having been at their best this season despite a flying start, they are arguably no longer as strong a team as they have been in recent years. With this in mind, Chelsea may now be further away than they have been for quite some time to winning the one competition that their billionaire owner wants the most.

Although Chelsea are still a strong side, their squad is no longer able to boast the strength in depth that some of their rivals such as Inter Milan or Barcelona currently possess. The Champions League best odds certainly suggest these two sides have a better chance of winning the trophy this season.

Combine this with the fact that several of the first team’s strongest players are now approaching the end of their careers and you can understand why Chelsea are potentially weaker now than they have been in recent years and the Champions League predictions reflect this.

Age alone, however, is not a good enough reason to write off a Chelsea side which contains many players such as John Terry and Frank Lampard who will feel they deserve to have a Champions League winners medal in their possession before they end their careers.

Two weeks ago the fans were booing their players off the field and boss Roberto Mancini was under pressure.

Now, after a 4-1 thrashing of Fulham at Craven Cottage Man City are now being tipped for the title.

In a league that is proving as open and unpredictable as ever, with nobody able to predict what livescores are going to come in each week, City lie just three points off top spot after that Fulham win, which eased the pressure on Mancini after two successive 0-0 draws.

After spending £120million on high profile players over the summer the spotlight was always going to be on City this season.

Just three goals in five games saw Mancini come in for criticism for his apparent defensive approach, especially in the Manchester derby when he withdrew Carlos Tevez and replaced him with the more defensive minded Gareth Barry. Many were quick to point out that he had an identical record after 13 games to his predecessor Mark Hughes, who got the boot last December.

The Italian has also had to deal with press reports about player unrest, with some squad members apparently unhappy with the former Inter boss’ training methods.

However, positive results can help erase a myriad problems and the win on Sunday has propelled them right back into the title race.

With the generous backing of Sheikh Mansour’s billions available in January should Mancini need it, the Citizens are looking well set for a tilt at the title in what is proving to be a tight, tense and thoroughly unpredictable Premier League season.

Chelsea have lost three of the last four, Arsenal have lost two on the bounce at home while Man United, despite being top, have not looked convincing all season.

Maybe this is the time where the oil billions finally reap a return? It will certainly be interesting to check out the livescore of their match with Stoke City this weekend. Can they build on the win at Fulham?

With a bit of a break in the Champions League schedule, I thought it would be good to take a look at how the English sides are fairing in this years competition. With just 2 games left in the group stages all 4 of our teams are well placed to make it through to the knockout stages, but just how far can they go?

Chelsea – The Blues sit top of their group with 4 wins out of 4 so far, and are 1 of only 3 teams to have already qualified for the knockout stages. They have looked ruthless in attack and solid in defence in all 4 games so far, scoring 12 and only conceding 2 goals. Having already been to Zilina & Moscow; two long, cold and potentially difficult away ties, Chelsea have come this far unscathed and I wouldn’t put it past them to finish the group stages with maximum points. I really believe this could be the year that they go all the way, and what an achievement that would be for Ancelloti and his troops; a feat that ‘The Special One’ – Jose Mourinho couldn’t manage.

Manchester United – United go in to the last 2 group games needing just a point to ensure qualification to the knockout phase. Sitting pretty with a 3 point gap at the top of their group United are yet to concede a goal in this years competition, but with only 5 goals in 4 games, their strike force without the injured Wayne Rooney could well be their downfall this year. United have been surprisingly unconvincing at home so far; with a disappointing stalemate against neighbours Rangers and a lacklustre 1-0 victory at home against Bursaspor to date. Despite the emergence of Javier Hernandez Alex Ferguson doesn’t have the strength in depth in his squad this year to compete in the latter stages of the competition in my opinion and I think a disappointing exit in the early knockout stages is likely.

Arsenal – This years top scorers in the competition with 15 goals; The Gunners are joint top of Group H with Shakhtar Donetsk on 9 points and look healthily placed to qualify. Looking dominant as ever at home qualification to the knockout phase looks assured, with their final home game coming against whipping boys Partizan Belgrade. However it’s away from home where Arsenal look slightly suspect, as their 2-1 defeat in the Ukraine last time out illustrated. With players such as Walcott & Van Persie now back from injury, Arsenal could be a force to be reckoned with in this year’s competition. They are more than capable of beating anyone at home, but it’s away from The Emirates where they sometimes struggle and what could possibly stop them from going all the way.

Tottenham Hotspur – The surprise package in this year’s competition comes in the form of Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham, who currently sit top of their group; which includes reigning champions Inter Milan. A resounding 3-1 win at home against Inter has really signalled Spurs intentions that they aren’t here just to make up numbers – they want to see how far they can go in the competition! Undoubtedly the highlight of the competition for Spurs though is the form of Gareth Bale, who has really stepped up his game on the biggest stage in club football. After seeing 2 very credible performances away from home and a thumping 4-1 home victory over Dutch champions FC Twente, Spurs are looking good for qualification from a very tough group. Just how far can they go in the competition though? Your guess is as good as mine!

You can check out the latest Champions League Shirts here, which one of the teams will be lifting the trophy come May though? We shall see!

Although Carlo Ancelotti is a man who oozes self-confidence and a sense of authority on the sidelines for Chelsea, despite the fact he knows that Roman Abramovich is sitting up in the stands watching his every move, there have been cynics who have doubted the absolute extent to which he insists he has control over team matters.

New doubt has been thrown over the extent to which Ancelotti is free to make the important decisions that affect matters on the pitch as remarks from ex-Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack gain momentum in the media.

Speaking to the Independent, he said Ancelotti did not want to let him go at the end of last season after the side’s successful Premier League campaign ended with a mass exodus of talented players including Deco and Ricardo Carvalho. According to the German, Abramovich was, as many surely suspected, the man behind the cull, with the need to save money at Stamford Bridge apparently prioritised over the need to keep players who would have added strength in depth to a squad currently being exposed as fairly thin on the ground. The Chelsea odds still make them favourites to win the title, but they could struggle in the coming weeks.

With Frank Lampard missing for the majority of the season to date, how Chelsea could have done with the services of Ballack to fall back on.

However, the longer-term consequences of the Chelsea owner’s apparent meddling in the dressing room and first team matters may yet prove extremely destructive for the Blues, as Ancelotti’s influence continues to be reduced. It will be worrying for Blues fans casting their eyes over the Man U odds, as they know with a few good results their rivals will be right on their tales.

With the manager and many of Chelsea’s first team players thought to be against the decision of the Chelsea board to get rid of Ray Wilkins last week, a decision that had immediate consequences in the shambles that was the side’s 3-0 defeat to Sunderland, Chelsea should be careful that such a lack of control doesn’t see the talented and successful coach look elsewhere for a new challenge.