He added: “You could argue that Chelsea may be a bit light at the back, but what they do have is a system of playing with those two players sat in front of that back three that makes them solid.

“So what Thomas Tuchel has done since he’s come in is maybe recognise that they can’t be a back four.

“If you were looking at them as a pair of centre-backs you wouldn’t be sure about them winning the league, but with the three they have at the back, and sometimes it becomes a five with the two protecting in front, Chelsea are more than comfortable.

“They’ve got a system of playing that protects the individuals from potentially being isolated and that now, with the confidence and the belief they have when you win a Champions League like they did last season and with the business they have done in the transfer window, they are going to be very difficult to stop.”