The Premier League title race is hotting up nicely, with just two points now separating the top three teams, and as people have been quick to point out only La Liga (four points) of the major European leagues can boast anything similarly competitive. Even Manchester City are only six points off the pace, just as they were before being beaten by Tottenham. Although two consecutive home defeats and a failure to impress against close rivals does not augur well for a late resurgence, with 12 games to go there is still time to put a run together.

The trouble is City now have to put their designs on the title on hold for the rest of the month, as they concentrate instead on their involvement in three separate cup competitions. Newcastle United also have to put the league on hold, although despite Steve McClaren’s hackneyed claim about facing 12 cup finals after the embarrassing defeat at Chelsea there is no silverware on offer for the Toon. They just have no fixtures for a while, they are out of the FA Cup and were supposed to be playing City on the day of the Capital One Cup final, 28 February, so they have taken themselves off to La Manga for some warm-weather training.

Nothing particularly wrong with that, except Newcastle supporters appear to be sceptical not only about whether McClaren and his players deserve such a break, but also about whether a week or so in each other’s company is going have the galvanising effect the manager hopes. Take Aston Villa out of the equation, and simple mathematics appears likely to do that very soon, and Newcastle have been the biggest flops of the season so far.

No one expected much from Villa; they have struggled against relegation for the past few seasons and opened the current one having sold their best players. Ditto Sunderland, who were left in the lurch somewhat when Dick Advocaat decided a few weeks into the season that he did not have the tools for survival after all. Sunderland remain in the bottom three and are probably presenting Sam Allardyce with his biggest fire-fighting challenge yet, though at least they have Jermain Defoe scoring goals and have just accounted for Manchester United. Although it will still be a long struggle, there are signs of upward movement.

After their Stamford Bridge performance Newcastle ought to consider themselves lucky they only slipped back into the relegation zone on goal difference. But for West Ham’s late fightback to claim a point at Norwich they could have been looking at a two-point gap.

It seems hard to recall now that Newcastle beat Tottenham and Liverpool in December, performances that led everyone to believe mid-table security might be easily attainable. They drew 3-3 in an entertaining game with Manchester United a month later, as well as taking three points from West Ham, but subsequent capitulations to Watford, Everton and Chelsea have seen them sucked back into the mire.

As ever, their defending, organisation and attitude are being questioned by all and sundry, and it was slightly odd to hear McClaren pleading for more fight after the latest defeat. More fight would not go amiss, but one assumes they are not spending their time in Spain thumping each other in the arm and pogo-ing in the dressing room so as to arrive back in England fully pumped up. There are other things they could be working on, such as staying solid at the back and how best to integrate the new signings Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend into their gameplan.

The latter looked bemused and concerned as his new side fell apart around him at Stamford Bridge, and said afterwards it was important to move on quickly because there are more important games to come. “We are not going to stay up based on results against teams like Chelsea,” the England winger said.

Where to start with that sort of attitude? 1) It is hardly the can-do spirit supporters (and the owner for that matter) are entitled to expect from a £12m new signing. 2) Chelsea remain in the bottom half of the table after the worst title defence in memory, and had Newcastle managed to win in London the gap between the two sides would have been a mere three points. 3) Bournemouth, Swansea and West Brom have taken points from Stamford Bridge this season, some of them after José Mourinho was sacked. 4) Who are the teams Newcastle will be able to beat to stay afloat?

The next two away games are Stoke and Leicester, and the home game in between against Bournemouth is hardly a gimme.

Perhaps Townsend has been listening to his manager. McClaren reportedly told his players in the dressing room not to let the result “derail” their recovery. “It’s one of those games you are going to get once or twice a season,” he said. “Chelsea were going for it with the team they put out. With their front five they were going for it and wanted the game won by half-time.”

Blimey. If that is the sort of thing McClaren says to his players in the sanctity of the dressing room it might be an idea not to repeat it to reporters. Sometimes the most experienced managers are the ones who say the daftest things. Take that 12 cup finals line, for instance. Can anyone remember whether Newcastle are actually any good at cup finals?

McClaren has players being used out of position and defenders who seem far too easily pulled out of position. If things were not so tight up there in the north-east he might be better asking Allardyce for tips on how to sort out a defence than offering platitudes about cup finals.

But McClaren is in good company higher up the Premier League. Manuel Pellegrini said he was happy with Manchester City’s position on Sunday because they still had to play some of their closest rivals at home. Number of City wins over close rivals this season? Zero. But even that was topped by Louis van Gaal, who not only revealed that he had to convince the Manchester United board that a 31-year-old Bastian Schweinsteiger was worth buying, he admitted he had upset the player by making it clear he had been expecting more. Then he said it again. “During December I said I expect more and he was very disappointed I said that, but I think I can say it because my expectation is higher,” Van Gaal said.

Be honest, if you had made a blunder like that you would just keep quiet about it, wouldn’t you? But no, Van Gaal still seems to think Schweinsteiger is personally responsible for the fact he is no longer in his mid-20s’ prime, instead of examining his own judgment. Managers are paid for their judgment, of course, usually quite handsomely. Perhaps allowances should be made if it occasionally goes askew under pressure, for the thing every manager can rely on is that over the next 12 games the league table will offer an irreversible judgment of its own.