Chelsea midfield ace Michael Essien sees Manchester City emerging as their main title threat.
Essien accepts that Roberto Mancini's side are capable of challenging this term, but he feels Chelsea's experience when it comes to competing for major honours means they still hold the upper hand.
"There is still a long way to go," the Ghana midfielder told the Evening Standard after helping Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
"The season is very long and we have to keep playing like we did against Arsenal and keep getting points. We led for much of last season but last season is gone. We have a new season now and it will be decided at the end.
"Manchester City are our closest challengers right now. You can see they made good signings and they will be up for it. We will see what happens. I don't know if they will have the stamina but they have the players to go out and do the job.
"Maybe we have an advantage because we know what it takes to win the league but every season is different. We have to keep going. The rest of the teams are there and will be fighting for it. It is up to us to get as many points as we can."
