Who Are the Real Premier League Contenders?
I’ve been writing articles about the Premier League since I launched this website, and back in the second or third article I wrote about it, Tottenham was set to square up with Liverpool. The victor would be propelled to potential League supremacy, while the loser would be sent back to the drawing board. Jurgen Klopp out-strategized Jose Mourinho and Liverpool looked like they were well on the way to repeating as champions. Much like the entire year of 2020, that feels like a completely different world. Tottenham would continue to slide as they currently sit fifth on the table and as for Liverpool, well, we will get to them in a bit. Manchester United currently sits two points clear of Manchester City for the top spot on the table, though City does have a game in hand. Either way, It looks like the Premier League may run through Manchester this year.
In my opinion, there are five legitimate candidates to win the League this year, and coincidentally they are the top five teams in the league. Those teams are currently Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Leicester City, and Tottenham in that order. I want to talk about each of these teams, but before I do, there are a couple of teams just outside the top four that should not be overlooked as potential teams to slide up into a Champions League spot. Everton and West Ham have been wonderful surprises this year and if Arsenal can keep up their current form they will be back to their regular spot in the top six in no time. Respect must also be given to Chelsea. Even though they have struggled mightily as of late, they have so much talent and depth that one solid run could have them back in contention for a top-four spot.
The Tottenham Hotspurs went from being the top team on the table nine weeks ago, to being outside of a champions league spot. They are 1-2-4 in the League since that match and it shows you how slim the margin for error is at the top of the League. Tottenham was dominating, they were playing the exact type of game Jose loves to play, and the league was at their feet, so to speak. One mid-December trip to Anfield later and the Spurs have not looked the same. The defense has been roughly as good as it was prior but the counter has been lacking, particularly against the top clubs. They also have a weird draw to Fulham who play everyone tough but also sit in the relegation zone. Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son have been golden boot contenders, Hugo Lloris has been wonderful in goal as he gets closer to 100 career clean sheets, and Dele Alli is finally seeing some more playing time. There is still a lot to love about this squad, and as Gareth Bale continues to get worked into the game plan more and more, the team will only get better. The losses these past two weeks have been tough to swallow but the team has the talent to turn the ship around. Jose Mourinho remains perpetually on the hot seat.
Leicester City are a team of pieces that fit well together yet somehow always seem to come up short when they need that late push. In January they looked like they were going to make a strong push towards the top of the table, yet over the last week, they have an acceptable draw to Everton and a bad loss to Leeds 1-3. The team is only five points off the top of the table and Jamie Vardy set to return from injury in about a week, they should be able to recapture their form. What everyone suspected and has now been proven is that Vardy makes this team go. He is the most important player for their side and with him out they struggle to get their usual amount of chances in a normal game. A great offensive presence really can aid in your defense's performance and Vardy is the type of player that makes an opposing team not worry about being caught out as much. Their coming fixtures see them playing Fulham, Wolves, Liverpool, then West Ham. Vardy could be back for the knot with Wolves but will most likely be back for Liverpool. If they can pick up the win against the relegation zone team and then take at least a point off Wolves, that puts them in a great place for Vardy to come back and have a full-strength squad for the resurgent Liverpool side. That match up may very well end up being a “loser leaves town” match. By that I mean, the loser may end up being pseudo-eliminated from title contention.
Speaking of Liverpool, LFC just emerged from one of its roughest stretches of fixtures the club has seen since the arrival of Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool smashed Crystal Palace 7-0 on December 19. They would go the next month without seeing a win in the premier league, scoring a total of one goal, which came in a draw against West Brom. Liverpool was a bad loss from dropping out of the top four. Tottenham walked in and now Liverpool have beaten them and West Ham by two goals each. This team has been hit hard by injuries, and Trent Alexander-Arnold has apparently forgotten how to play soccer, but the team is deep and one of the two best-equipped teams in the Premier League to deal with the sort of turmoil they have been through. Unfortunately for Liverpool, after they play Burnley tomorrow, they have a stretch where they play Man City, Leicester, and Everton all in a row. This stretch will kind of be the determining factor for what the rest of their season will look like. If they can walk away from this with seven or even nine points, they will be back to being the favorites to win the league, but any less than five points will be looked at like a failure and like this just isn’t going to be their year. On a side note, Liverpool, re-do your damn team website. It is actually trash. Your home page tells you you’re on the home page, it looks like garbage, and your results page makes no sense. It is an utter travesty that you subject your fans to. Do better.
Tied for first place on points in the league is Manchester United. The Red Devils have looked either like a world-beater or like mid-table cannon fodder all season. There has been little in between. United just had a run of fixtures that included an uninspiring draw to Arsenal, and worst of all a loss to bottom of the table Sheffield United. However, as I write this I am still glowing from the site of a 9-0 victory over Southampton. I don’t want to get too into that game as it wasn’t the drubbing it looked to be on paper, however it is a good sign of things to come for United. This kind of game gives confidence. The biggest issue is that United now has two games in hand on City and are tied on points. United have staying power, they are not a fluke, but I don’t know if the front three has the juice to keep up with the rest of the league. Anthony Martial has looked largely average this season and Marcus Rashford still tends to disappear for entire games at a time. Greenwood isn’t playing with the type of swagger we saw towards the end of last season, and Daniel James just isn’t the answer, not yet. The bright spot has been the infusion of excellence Edinson Cavani has brought to the team. Paul Pogba is also playing his best soccer in a Manchester United shirt. More so than anything, United is showing that they will be ready to go in future seasons, and that with one or two auditions, primarily a center back and a true long-term striker, this team will be a top contender for what could be the next five to ten years.
Manchester City leads the pack. This really shouldn’t surprise anyone as they have arguably the deepest squad in the Premier League. This squad had some early-season struggles but has looked like their normal selves since the middle of December. In January they gave up one goal. That came on the third against Chelsea, a game that they won 3-1. They have not lost a game since November 21st. There isn’t much to say about this team. Raheem Sterling is playing well. Kevin de Brunye is the best midfielder in the world, and the defense is just a brick wall. Rodrigo and Rúben Dias have been stellar through the middle of the field and the whole team is scoring. Pep Guardiola is putting on a coaching clinic, dissecting every team he comes up against. City are the favorites to win. If they maintain their current form they will run away with the trophy as the season comes to a draw. It's going to take a team like Liverpool beating them 3-0 and shaking their confidence to truly derail this train. Unfortunately for the rest of the league, I don’t see that happening.