CHELSEA must beat Manchester United if they are to reclaim the Premier League crown

CHELSEA must beat Manchester United tomorrow if they are to reclaim the Premier League crown.

The title is never awarded in November, but it could be decided in January - when the Blues will lose four key men to the African Nations Cup.

Michael Essien, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel and, perhaps most importantly, Didier Drogba will all ride off into the Angolan sunset with their respective countries.

That will give rivals United a massive advantage going into the second half of the season.

Never mind that Chelsea were yesterday handed back their licence to bring in players when the transfer window opens in January.

Alex Ferguson knows that even if the Blues were given December to buy players as well, they would never be able to replace their African quartet.

That is why Chelsea must try to press home their advantage now.

They are currently two points ahead of the Red Devils going into tomorrow's crunch. But that gap will not be enough come January.

And if the Londoners are to have any chance of winning back the title they need to create more distance between themselves and the team who will ultimately challenge them for the crown come May.

United have hardly been firing on all cylinders since Cristiano Ronaldo departed for the Bernabeu in the summer.

But worryingly for Carlo Ancelotti - not to mention Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez - Alex Ferguson's side are still hard on the Blues' heels in the title race.

And they will surely fancy their chances of clawing back any deficit when Chelsea's African stars are called away on international duty.

You might have thought that Ronaldo's departure would have caused Fergie's men to lose some of their mojo. And there is no doubt United are a shadow of the team they were with the Portuguese star in their ranks.

But when the going gets tough, it seems they still know where to pull out a point or three. You have to admire their tenacity and resilience.

Any other club would have thrown in the towel long ago. After all, look at Liverpool without Torres. Or Arsenal without Fabregas.

But not United. Like a Duracell battery, they keep going on, and on, and on, and on...

They are hardly steamrollering teams, but you simply cannot bet against them for the title.

Even without Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the heart of their defence, you know they are not done for. Jonny Evans and Wes Brown are more than capable understudies and I expect the latter to be in England's World Cup squad next summer.

And the displays of Darren Fletcher, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney this season - along with Michael Owen's cameos - have gone some way to glossing over Ronaldo's absence.

Any team would miss a player like Ronaldo - even Barcelona would struggle without Lionel Messi. But I suspect they would not fare as well as United have without Ronaldo.

Nor Chelsea without their African foursome.

One plus for Ancelotti is the return of Joe Cole. The England star's enthusiasm and skill have been sorely missed. His return will be like a new signing for the team that has been noticeably weaker in his absence.

Cole is getting stronger and stronger with each week back in the first team. And that is just as well for he will have to carry the load when Essien and Co head for Angola.

It is a lot to ask of any player, let alone one that has just returned from injury.

And that is why you have to fear for Chelsea's title chances if they do not win tomorrow.