CHELSEA would be well on course for the title in any other season, but are being left behind because of the exceptional pace being set by the two Manchester clubs, says the boss.

“We are nor far away from past champions' numbers at this stage, but that doesn't reflect what is happening in the table right now,” Andre Villas-Boas said ahead of tomorrow's Premier League visit to Tottenham.

“This season, it's behaving pretty differently, with two teams at the moment setting a very very high standard in terms of points, so it's a different reality from the past.

"No other team has had so many points [as Manchester City], I think, at this stage in recent years, so I would say it's a difficult proposition we have.

“At the moment, we are far behind at nine points and we hope to shorten the distance.”

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