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Former Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce insists Chelsea cannot be labelled Premier League title contenders until the Blues play teams further up the table.

“They’ve played Huddersfield, Cardiff, Newcastle, all teams that are in the bottom five,” Pearce said on Sky Sports News.

“So the fixtures have been quite kind at the moment.

“I think probably when they start to play some of the teams further up the league will be a better judgement on where Chelsea are as contenders and how well Sarri’s done developing his side.”