English Premier League Title Race Takes On Greater Momentum
There has not been a season in recent memory which has witnessed such a close title race in English football in over a decade or more. Since the advent of the English Premier League, most seasons have seen the competition reduced to a two horse race or either one of Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal dominating the rest of the division. Fortunately for fans of the league, this season has provided more twists and turns than can be afforded a donut. The result is a sweet concoction of action, drama, irony and incredible stories for the media and fans alike.
It hardly looked to turn out this way in the early months. Chelsea stormed out of the starting blocks and were far ahead within the first few months. Such was their dominance that many observers were already penning them into the record books for being a rare team wrapping up the title way ahead of time.
However, It all quickly fell apart for Chelsea when Christmas came around. While the truth has never been revealed, there were rumours that there was unrest within the dressing room and players were not pulling their weight on the pitch. The situation surround John Terry was also disruptive and the players saw the huge lead they had over the two challengers whittle away.
Arsenal have probably been the team that has most enthralled the public. With a team that sticks doggedly to their ethos of beautiful football, they were humiliated in individual meetings with Chelsea and Manchester United. It was no surprise then that they were written off. Against the odds, they have now clawed back the deficit caused by those defeats and have as much of a chance to lift the title as any of their rivals.
The end result can be witnessed right now with Chelsea playing catch up even though they have games in hand over the other two competitors. Manager Carlo Ancelotti appears a little lost as the going gets tough despite his wealth of experience winning titles in Italy. It might have been a switch too huge for him to make this time and it would not be surprising to see the Italian leave the club at the end of the season if he fails to win any trophies.
The situation has led to Manchester United and Arsenal waiting patiently in the wings, bidding to take over the mantle at the top of the Premier League. There is no doubt that the Old Trafford club are in the best position to take advantage. Their many title triumphs from the past have yielded several veterans in the team who are well equipped to deal with the pressures of a title race. Their only weakness is the dependency on Wayne Rooney for goals. If they can also pass their toughest test in the upcoming Man Utd vs Liverpool live streaming football clash, the momentum could build to an amazing crescendo.
Suffering the most from personnel problems have been Arsenal. It is amazing that a club shorn of the services of their three most important players for the greater part of a long season continues to be among the frontrunners for the top prize in English football. It is to Arsene Wenger and the team’s credit that they have not given up even if they have missed the creative talents of Cesc Fabregas, Van Persie and Aaron Ramsey.
The title race is set to heat up with two months left to go in the English Premier League season. All three teams involved in its destiny are still wildly unpredictable and not one of them can afford many more mistakes. They have all taken turns to sit on top of the league over the past month and the climax to the season promises to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
There is no one better than John Barnes to provide cutting edge and in-depth Man Utd vs Liverpool analysis especially before the two teams play each other. With his wealth of experience in the sport, John could even be a source of rare information if required.
