The 2018/19 Premier League season has so far been an interesting one. As expected, the top six sides have kept their spots amongst England’s elite and look to finish off the season in these positions unless something drastic occurs.
However, it is clear at this point that only a couple of these clubs have the chance to hoist the league trophy at the end of the campaign.
With two teams at the top of the table looking down on everyone else, is it only a matter of time until we crown one of these teams as the newest champions of England?
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s side started off the season as the hottest side in football. Not losing a league game in 2018 helped the team to secure a decent lead at the top of the table coming into the new calendar year.
In their opening 20 games, the Reds only dropped a total of six points. But since the turn of the new year, the team have not performed to their highest level and as a result, lost their first game of 2019 to rivals Manchester City. Since then, the team have drawn in games against Leicester and West Ham.
As a result of these bad games, they have allowed their main competitors Manchester City to catch up with them in the table and now will need to pick up the pace if they don’t want to fall behind.
After all that…#PL pic.twitter.com/5zlRNlFeZe
— Premier League (@premierleague) February 11, 2019
Heading into a tough run of games, Liverpool will face challenges which could make or break their season. Starting with Manchester United on the 24th, Klopp and his side will have to prove themselves away from home in hopes to win over the doubters and build confidence heading into the final stretch of the campaign.
Manchester City
Coming off a 6-0 thrashing against Chelsea, which included a hat-trick from their main man Sergio Aguero, it is fair to say that City are the most in-form side in the league.
FULL-TIME | An absolutely smouldering show from the mighty Blues!
Just wonderful! ?
? 6-0 ? #MCICHE #mancity pic.twitter.com/AihC71eZ26
— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 10, 2019
Pep Guardiola and his team have had an almost perfect start to 2019 as their only dropped points came in their defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park. Apart from this upset, City have been scoring goals galore in the new calendar year and are comfortably the highest scoring team in the league, having scored 15 more goals than any other team.
The reigning league champs have also found a way to crawl back to the top of the league on goal difference, and although Liverpool have a game in hand, the Manchester side looks to be in the driver’s seat.
With only a couple of tough fixtures left on their schedule, it is certainly possible that Pep’s side could run away with the league like they did last year if their challengers don’t step up to their level.
The Field
While both Liverpool and Manchester City look to be the two contenders controlling the title race, the fellow challengers with an outside shot shouldn’t be overlooked. After all, stranger things have happened.
Spurs currently sit in third position only five points behind Liverpool and City. With 12 games left in the campaign, it is viable that the London side can sneak up to the top spot by the end of the season. But with injuries to their two deadliest attackers, Harry Kane and Dele Alli, it looks as if Tottenham could struggle down the final stretch and may not be able to give the top two a run for their money.
Manchester United looked like a mid-table side under Jose Mourinho. But since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s takeover at the club, it seems as if there has been an injection of life into the squad. The Norwegian took control of the team in late December and since then they have been unbeaten in the league. However, the Red Devils currently sit 14 points behind the league leaders and Ole’s turnaround seems to be ‘too little, too late’. The side will be happy with a spot in the top four though after their miserable start to the season.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal seem light years away from winning the Premier League title. Both clubs will be focusing the rest of their campaign on making the top four, and if this doesn’t happen for either then they can count their seasons as disappointments.
While the field certainly has a chance, the battle for the Premier League title looks to be a two-horse race.
