More than half the Premier League season is behind us now, and every game week has given a new story and a few surprising but exciting results.
Just ten points separate the league leaders from the sixth-placed team, meaning the championship is wide open with six teams still in contention.
Chelsea
Chelsea still sit at the top of the table and are looking to run away with the league title, but London rivals Tottenham caught them and reignited the title race – which is good news after Antonio Conte made us feel as if the Premier League were the new Serie A. Thankfully the title race remains alive.
Defeat at the hands of Tottenham ended a run of 13 straight wins for Chelsea, and if they can go on another such run, no-one can stop them from winning the league. However, replicating that form will be difficult given Liverpool, Arsenal and reigning champions Leicester are three of their next four opponents.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s men sit second on the table and five points behind leaders Chelsea.
Though Liverpool were impressive in their festive fixtures, underlined by their huge win over Manchester City at Anfield, their fixture against Sunderland saw them drop two points, which could prove very costly.
Liverpool have scored 48 goals in 20 games, which is highest scoring rate in the league, but they have also conceded 23 goals, which is highest in the top six.
A trip to Old Trafford is next for the Reds, and Chelsea will come to Anfield shortly thereafter. Their title challenge hinges on these two games.
Tottenham
The Spurs are third on the table, two points behind Liverpool, seven points behind Chelsea and just ahead of Manchester City on goal difference. Mauricio Pochettino’s men have been under the radar for much of the season so far.
A comfortable 2-0 win over Chelsea was a statement of intent and highlights Tottenham’s claim to the best defence in the league, having conceded just 14 goals in 20 games.
Their next match is against West Brom at White Hart Lane, followed by a trip to Etihad Stadium to face Manchester City.
Manchester City
Something isn’t quite right at Manchester City.
After a fantastic start to the season Pep Guardiola’s men have fallen somewhat off the pace, and the chopping and changing of the team and player indiscipline on the pitch reveal the reasons behind it. Pep’s strange post-match reactions also deserve a mention here – they were just so weird.
City have great squad depth, which gives them a definite edge over the likes of Liverpool and Spurs, and with Everton and Tottenham as their next opponents, I expect both matches to be mouthwatering.
Arsenal
As an Arsenal fan I can just write ‘same old’ and the world will understand what I am trying to say.
The Gunners sit outside of the top four and are eight points behind Chelsea, who they whacked 3-0 at the Emirates – but it’s been a completely different story for both clubs since then. The table shows Arsenal are in the mix, but the team’s struggles against the top teams makes them top-four hopefuls at best.
Olivier Giroud’s sublime scorpion-kick goal deserves a special mention but, sadly, that could be the highlight of Arsenal’s season come May. At least the next three matches are against bottom-half opponents.
Manchester United
The Red Devils are the in-form team of the Premier League, but they sit 10 points off the top and three points from breaking into the top four, the key weakness being United scoring the fewest goals – a miserly 31 – of the top six teams.
Safe to say Jose Mourinho is now aiming for a top four finish after years of taunts aimed at the team consistently finishing in the top four. They face Liverpool next at Old Trafford, which will be a very important game for both teams.
With 18 rounds still to play, the league table definitely has a few twists and turns left. At the moment Chelsea look to be the favourites, but they should be challenged by Liverpool and Manchester City – but something special could put Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United back in the box seat by May.
How do you see the EPL shaking out? Leave your views in the comments below.
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Frankly, it was a bad look for Hayes. She appears like a grumpy and frustrated manager as her tenure at Chelsea is coming to an end.
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