With the international break now meaning there are no more Premier League fixtures until early April, now seems like a good time to take a look at the title race with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea still in with a shout of glory come May.
United remain favourites at 1/2 with totesport to wrestle the trophy off Chelsea (11/2) and claim a record-breaking 19th top-flight title but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have stuttered in recent weeks and do not look anywhere near as dominant as some of the all-conquering sides the Scot has assembled at Old Trafford over the past 15 years or so.
Saturday’s late 1-0 win over Bolton underlined the fact that they cannot be compared to some of the free-scoring attacking sides that have graced the Premier League’s upper echelon’s recently while defeats at Liverpool and Chelsea prove they are vulnerable when the pressure’s on as well.
However, United remain five points clear of Arsenal – who have also once again proved the same-old weaknesses continue to hamper them in recent weeks – and probably just about possess the all-round strength needed to out-muscle their rivals in the run-in.
If United do go on to win the title again it is doubtful the side will go down in the club’s folklore as one of the greatest ever but, as Saturday proved, sometimes winning ugly and getting lucky is just as an important quality to have alongside simply being the best team in the country.
To many neutrals, that tag really belongs to Arsenal but can the Gunners shake off their predictable demons and finally realise the title dream? Well, maybe they can actually. And at 11/4 with totesport, the price is tempting as well.
For all their pretty football, Arsene Wenger’s men appear dogged by familiar problems that seem to be preventing them from getting over the line in first place but they are well-placed in second with a game in hand and have yet to host United at the Emirates so the title could still be theirs for the taking.
They do struggle to do what champions do at this stage of the season and grind out results when up against it. As critics say it is simply not in their DNA. Saturday’s comeback at West Brom proved they can dig in and rescue a game but Manuel Almunia gifting the Baggies their second goal shows a long-standing problem – they have not got a top-class goalkeeper – remains unresolved.
That could well be addressed if Pepe Reina is brought in from Liverpool in the summer but, of course, it will be too late to help them in the current campaign. However, the return of Jens Lehmann may just be the Wenger masterstroke that steadies the ship and helps them go on to claim the top prize in a couple of months.
Finally, Chelsea are now back in the groove after their poor mid-season form and boss Carlo Ancelotti has not given up on the title as they sit nine points behind United with a game in hand.
The Italian says his side need to win their remaining nine games to get back involved in the race but, if they can build on the hard-fought win over Man City on Sunday, then do not rule the Blues out just yet – especially if they can get Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka to gel and wreak havoc up front in what’s left of the season.
So, with a less-than-formidable United stuttering, an extremely-talented Arsenal outfit hoping to dazzle again and a well-oiled Chelsea close to clicking back into top gear, we may just be about to experience the most exciting title battle in the Premier League for several years.
Prediction:
1 Arsenal
2 Manchester United
3 Chelsea.
Want £200 Free? Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.