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The Wide Open Premier League Title Race Continues

The Premier League is an unusual place at the best of times, and we mean that, surprisingly, in the best way possible. It’s well known for being the best division both in Europe and probably the world, both in terms of the quality it possesses and the profile it has in comparison to its competitors. Of course, that often leads to quite interesting results in the realms of all the things that matter – aka the title race, the battle for the European spots, and the relegation scrap which is always fun to watch.

But the title race, as we’ve alluded to, is likely always going to be what creates all the headlines when people are talking about everything English football has to offer. Sure, it’s not always the English stars themselves that have the spotlight as opposed to the bigger foreign names, but the quality of the football itself at the top is always good. In fact, you could even make the argument the top six elite clubs make up a better foundation than the biggest sides in La Liga and Bundesliga put together. That isn’t us bragging, either, it’s just noticing and appreciating how far the English Premier League has come.

In terms of the contenders in the race to be crowned the Champions of England, there are three that stand out above the rest: Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. The first of those three, the Reds, have been tipped by many ever since the summer transfer window to do some good work both domestically and in Europe. Under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp they’ve got a manager who appears to be more than willing to do whatever it takes to help them reach the top, and the Anfield faithful will always be grateful for how he’s been able to turn the club around.

They’re certainly legit when it comes to their credentials, with the power behind their attacking three being a big source of proof for that. Firmino, Salah and Mane strike fear into the hearts of any defenders that come up against them, and for good reason. They’re so persistent with their ability to come forward and put pressure on other teams, to the point where it’s really hard to keep up. They’re starting to find the right kind of balance on Merseyside now, and all it’ll take is a great run towards the back end of the season for them to be in contention.

Up next we have the champions Manchester City, who actually just missed a big opportunity to defeat the Reds in the Premier League. The reigning kings of English football have been good this season but they certainly haven’t been great, or at least, they haven’t been great on a regular enough basis. They’ve clearly realised that things aren’t going to be quite as straightforward for them this time around, and that’s a good thing. It’ll force Pep Guardiola to bring out the best in his squad, which is a dangerous prospect.

They play such liquid football that it’s actually hard not to outright pick them for the title, even at this point in time – but that’s not how this game works. The twists and turns of a 38 game campaign cannot be understated, because we’ve seen just how difficult it is to retain the title in the Premier League. The important thing for them will be managing their expectations in the Champions League by comparison, because as we all know, becoming the Champions of Europe has been their big end goal ever since this experiment initially began around a decade ago.

Finally we’ve arrived at the third contenders Chelsea, who very few neutrals would’ve selected to be in a position like this early on. Maurizio Sarri has been able to put together a squad that is more than capable of doing some tremendous things on the pitch, from the first whistle until the very last. They just seem to play a simple game with a relatively high tempo, being patient in the process. They pick their moments and they don’t rush into anything, because they know that every single team in this division poses a very real threat to them. In many ways, it’s impressive that Sarri has figured it out so quickly.

But, with that being said, they can’t allow themselves to get carried away. Sure, their fans appreciate that they’ve been able to achieve that they have thus far, but that isn’t enough. If they aren’t able to carve out some consistency then this’ll all be for nothing by the time May rolls around, because the Blues have a sniff of what they could accomplish throughout the course of the campaign. A place in the top four would be ideal enough, but if they’re going to aim higher, then they need to do so with poise.

In terms of other contenders, it really doesn’t feel like anyone else is capable of maintaining the pace necessary to compete at the top of the table. Manchester United are struggling to even keep Jose Mourinho on the books, Tottenham Hotspur have nowhere near enough depth, and Arsenal, while impressive, seem content enough to push for a Champions League spot (and we can’t say that we blame them). Perhaps next season it’ll be different, but for now, we’re confident in saying that we’re dealing with a three horse race between Liverpool, City and Chelsea.

Premier League Title Betting Prediction

The strength of the schedule is going to factor into who wins the championship, mainly because there are just so many other competitions for these teams to deal with. The League Cup is a bit of a throwaway and it doesn’t really feel like much stock is put into the FA Cup anymore, but all three sides have European competitions to deal with this year. Chelsea’s Europa League adventure doesn’t feel like it’s going to last for all too long, mainly because they don’t seem to care as much about it as some people seem to believe.

Liverpool and City, on the other hand, are hellbent on winning the Champions League and we can’t say that we blame them. It’s the pinnacle of club football and they’ve done a lot of hard work to put themselves in a position where they can win it. That, plus the fact that we haven’t really seen Sarri’s men hit that top gear yet, makes us think that Chelsea are in fact going to win the Premier League title this season.

That’ll be an anti-climax for many who thought it’d be all about Liverpool vs City, but such is the nature of the Premier League.