Title race 2010/2011, English Premier League
This year the English Premier League is perhaps the toughest ever. The usual suspects; Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are up there as always. This season the twist has been provided by the cash rich Manchester City. With abundant funds at their disposal
they have signed several World class players including the likes of David Silva, Yayha Toure and Mario Ballatoli. Another side stating their claim for the title is Tottenham. Liverpool seems to be out of contention after their horrific start to the season.
At the start of the season, it seemed Chelsea would run away with the title with no real competition but to everyone’s surprise the blues seem to have hit a road block with 3 defeats in their last 4 outings. Several key players have been missing, however
Chelsea has a squad to cope with these hiccups. It is evident that all is not well in the blues camp. Chelsea has to regroup as soon as possible if they are to defend their crown.
In recent years Chelsea’s closest rival has been Manchester United. The red devils had a mediocre start to the season. Many analysts thought this was the weakest United squad in 20 years. They drew games they should have easily won and threw the lead away
in several games. There was unrest in the United camp after Rooney showed ambitions of leaving. It seemed the red devils would not be able to deliver the EPL title to Old Trafford but that has changed in recent games. United have scraped past teams earning
vital points in the process. United is still unbeaten and ominously for the rivals the best is yet to come.
Another team who always is in the thick of things is Arsenal. The Gunners have had an interesting start to the season. Surprisingly Arsenal has lost 3 home games, Emirates no longer is a fortress. They have made up for this by their superb away form. There
still are question marks over the young Gunners. Arsenal has a very skilled unit but always seem to lack the physical prowess and are sometimes overpowered and intimidated by the opposition. If Arsenal wants to win the title, their home form needs to improve
drastically.
This year another team from Manchester will pose a threat to Arsenal and Chelsea’s hopes; Manchester City. The billionaires have had an up and down start to the season, beating Chelsea at home but dropping crucial points to the so-called weaker teams. Expectancy
is high at City, fans and owners demand success after the incredible investment. So far city manager and players seem to be coping well with the pressure, only time will tell whether or not the blue half of Manchester is good enough to compete with the traditional
giants of England.
There are 3 London teams in contention for the title if Tottenham is included along with Arsenal and Chelsea. Tottenham is a very mercurial side and can beat anyone on a given day. They have had an “ok” start to the season according to manager, Harry Redknap.
Tottenham have some of the best young talents playing for them, including Bale, Lennon, Modrich etc. With the addition of Van der Vart the Tottenham midfield is more potent than it ever has been. Spurs may be the “dark horse” in the title race but no one should
count them out. One thing is for sure, even if they don’t win the title they will have a huge part to play in the eventual outcome, as displayed in their historic win over arch rivals, Arsenal.
This year the title race will be incredibly unpredictable. After 14 games 6 points separate the top 6 with Chelsea sitting at the top (28 points) only goal difference segregates Chelsea from United. Arsenal and City are in close proximity with 26 and 25
points respectively, whereas Tottenham has 22 points. If the start of the season is anything to go by then fasten up your seat belts because the title race is going to be a roller coaster ride.
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