Barclays Premier League: A Roller Coaster Ride
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho claims his side cannot win the Premier League this season
It is not for anything that the Barclays Premier League is called the best league in the world. Serving up to its reputation, 26 game-weeks have passed, yet no one knows who will claim the silverware come May. The top four teams are separated just by 4 points and the bottom six only by 7 points. Make predictions at your own risk as this has been one of the most unpredictable and exciting seasons in the history of the BPL.
The title race
At the moment, Chelsea lead the table with 57 points, one more than local rivals Arsenal and three more than Manchester City who have played a game less. Though Chelsea lead the BPL table, their current manager who claimed himself to be the ‘Happy One’ at the start of the season insisted, “The title race is between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump”. He also added, “Maybe next season we can race.”
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini hit back at Mourinho saying, “Little but very rich. This is the team that has spent the most money in the last 10 years, the team that has spent most money this year and the team that spent the most money in the transfer window. Maybe it is a small horse if the manager thinks like that but he has shown in the last few games he has a strong team with some great players.”
Liverpool lying 4th at this stage are making a last ditch challenge to regain their long lost glory. They are just four points off the top and with Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge firing and complementing each other, they look very much in the race. Commenting on Liverpool’s title chances, Mourinho said, “If Brendan has a chihuahua it is one that trains a lot and rests a lot. The other dogs, they don’t train a lot because they play a lot and they don’t rest because they play every three days.”
The Chelsea manager is quite right. All of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City have Champions League commitments and a lot of their title bid will depend upon their Champions League run.
A season to forget for David Moyes and Manchester United fans.
Manchester United struggling
If this season has been a breakthrough season for Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers, then it has been an equally disastrous season for current champions Manchester United. They lie 7th, 15 points off the top and 11 points off the last Champions League place. Things look very bleak for David Moyes’ men and unless they win this year’s Champions League, they may not appear in the tournament next time around.
Relegation battle
At the bottom of the table, Fulham lie with 20 points, 4 points from safety. The bottom of the table looks quite congested and a lot of teams are under the threat of relegation. Last week, West Ham were at the 18th spot but with two wins in a row they now find themselves in the 11th spot, such has been the relegation fight.
The Barclays Premier League takes a week off due to the FA Cup this weekend. There are two top clashes in the FA Cup this weekend with Chelsea taking on Manchester City tonight and Arsenal squaring off against Liverpool tomorrow. This has been one of the most amazing seasons of English football and by May, this feast will have reached a grand end.