When you lose a match you hoped you would win, and most people expected you to win, there is a temptation to go down the ‘It’s a marathon not a sprint’ route. It is true to some degree, though the pace of the game and the way the league is going just now, it would be better to describe it as a ‘1500 metres race not a sprint’.The reason is that in those classic metric mile races, the leadership changes quickly but a small group often breaks away, leading to a sprint to the line at the end. The Premier League is not unlike that right now and we are still tucked in behind the leaders while we haven’t even reached the halfway-mark yet.

Those of a certain vintage will well remember Chelsea boy Sebastian Coe in his incredible middle-distance tussles against Steve Ovett, with another randomer often in there to make up the numbers. The idea was to be on the shoulder as you come off the final bend and believe you have the best sprint finish. I can still see that happening in April with Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City tearing it up at the end.

For us to be there, the latest run of results must be halted. Burnley, West Ham and Manchester United were all points dropped and with the last two in particular, individual errors have been at the heart of the problem. Mistakes will always happen, especially when you are being brave in possession, but it can’t be allowed to become a habit, and this concern is what upset Thomas Tuchel post-match.TT had been in such brilliant form the day before at the Chelsea Annual Lunch at the Bridge. He looked carefree and was having great fun along with Azpi and all the guests there, but it just shows you how quickly moods can change in football. I reckon those interviews after West Ham showed the tersest side of the boss since he arrived.I thought it was good to see. He has realised this little run of errors can’t be allowed to carry on if we are going to stay in the running. There is a fine line, and you have to know when it has been stretched too far. He knows that line snapped at the London Stadium, especially when the three points scraped at Watford are taken into account.

Having all the midfield back, fit and available for selection will make a huge difference obviously. West Ham’s Davie Moyes was smart at the weekend, matching up to our system, but if he tries doing that when we have our usual midfield pairings, he would likely have a less successful outcome. N’Golo and Kova can’t come back quick enough.This tactical move was interesting though and there is little doubt that other teams will try the same tactic against us in the coming weeks and months. We got fewer dangerous crosses in from the left and right than usual which was a concern and that was mostly down to the Moyes’ methodology.But we still had the lion’s share of the ball. A figure of 64 per cent possession away from home is far from shabby, and we also had the most shots on goal. So, it was far from a capitulation and certainly doesn’t suggest a huge tactical switch is needed just yet.The weekend did however underline how tight the margins are most of the time with most of the teams. Man City, Liverpool and ourselves each had tricky away fixtures, but ours on paper was clearly the hardest, in that it was up against the team in fourth place. City cruised but Liverpool had to wait well into stoppage time to claim all three points. We would have secured one if it wasn’t for one of the most extraordinary flukes I have ever seen from Masuaku with the aid of a deflection, one that had the ball flying against the laws of physics as far as I could see.

It is all that close, and I do think it is likely to stay that way. I was up at Old Trafford the next day covering Man United against Crystal Palace and even though they had an impressive first 45-minute bounce in front of new boss Ralf Rangnick, there is plenty of work to be done there, if they want to get up challenging us in the leading pack. For all they have improved immeasurably, West Ham would snap your hand off for fourth place right now, so that three-team competition at the top still holds for the time being.Maybe tomorrow in St Petersburg will give Thomas Tuchel the chance to try a few little changes, with the pressure removed to some degree. Obviously we want to win the group, with any sort of victory guaranteeing to deliver just that due to our better head-to-head record against Juventus. Then again, I am not sure finishing top is that big a deal this season, purely because of the laws of football chance. Obviously if we win it, getting PSG in the next round is not far from a stick on, purely because of the link between Thomas and the Parisian giants.Could Chelsea consider a few tweaks here and there in Russia? I reckon a number of options might be worth looking at. Reece James in midfield? Yes, I know we would miss his crosses from the right, but then we might get even more of his hammer shots from 30 yards as a bonus, and anyway it could be worth seeing how he manages.Even a little tweak of the system itself as a one off, just to have a look, might be worth a try, considering others are getting used to our current methods. There are also a few players such as Ross Barkley who need some more minutes, who will come into the manager’s mind.

At Old Trafford the other day it was clear the home side couldn’t maintain the high intensity the new manager was looking for, for the entire 90 minutes. No player can do that three times a week, and keep it going week after week. This is the moment to rotate the way United weren’t able to and with any luck it will work out fine and give a few pointers going forward.Two final points to make while I am here. I would like to thank the large number of fans who turned up at the Megastore for my book signing last week. You were all very patient as I scribbled away for fully two full hours. I hope everyone who bought them as Christmas presents gets the right reaction.Also, at Old Trafford I met my old friend Mickey Thomas who played for both ourselves and United. After a very serious life-threatening illness and major surgery, I can report he was back in great form and incredibly good health all things considered. We all hope that improvement continues from one of my favourite people I have ever had the pleasure to meet in the game.