Premier League set for the most exciting title race in years

It’s fair to say that the Premier League has been pretty unpredictable this season. As soon as a team begins to put together a good run of form, a shock defeat tends to come out of nowhere, and many of the top clubs have struggled for anything like consistency throughout the first half of the campaign.

This frenetic start to the 2020-21 season has had the bet exchange punters scratching their heads at times, but you can’t say it hasn’t led to some top-quality entertainment along the way. At the time of writing, it’s Manchester United who sit top of the Premier League table, but it’s a thoroughly close affair, and due to the fact that some teams have games in hand, there are still a number of teams who might just have designs on lifting the famous trophy in May. Let’s assess the chances of each.

Manchester United

United have established themselves as the Premier League’s in-form team at the halfway stage, albeit with only 40 points, which is considerably lower than most league leaders would have at this stage of the season. United seem to have got the balance right between defense and attack in their starting line-up, and the cogs are beginning to turn more easily for Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s men.

The Red Devils haven’t won a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson departed in 2013, and it will be interesting to see whether they can maintain this title charge, or will the inexperience of Solskjær count against them in the end?

Manchester City

With a game in hand over United, Manchester City could go top of the league should they win it. Pep Guardiola’s side have recovered from a slow start to the season and are on a six-game winning run in the Premier League. City’s record of success in recent seasons means that they can never be discounted, and Guardiola always finds a way to get his players singing from the same hymn sheet.

After losing the title so convincingly to Liverpool last season, there will be great determination among City’s players and coaches to regain that crown.

Liverpool

At one point before Christmas, the defending champions were looking like the team to beat in terms of this season’s title race, but it’s fair to say that Jurgen Klopp’s men have suffered from the January blues of late. Draws against West Bromwich Albion, Newcastle United, Manchester United and a defeat to Southampton have seen the Reds go off the boil of late.

Klopp won’t be panicking, however, and only a fool would suggest that Liverpool won’t have a major say in how the title race pans out between now and the end of the season.

Leicester City

Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester has been quietly going about their business of late, and are in a fine run of form. They briefly went top of the Premier League table after their convincing win over Chelsea recently, and the cohesive nature of the team under Rodgers means that they should have the staying power to compete until the end of the campaign.

The Foxes narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification last season after losing to Man United on the final day, but given the topsy-turvy season this is proving to be, who’s to say they couldn’t win the Premier League again, five years on from that sensational triumph in 2016.

Tottenham Hotspur

José Mourinho will be quick to point out that Spurs are certainly not out of the running. Although the form has dipped in recent weeks, Tottenham were the early pace-setters in the league at the beginning of the season. If Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son can continue their fine form, then there’s no reason why Spurs couldn’t bully their way back into contention.

Mourinho is an experienced winner, and his know-how and tactical nous could prove critical if the league continues to be as closely fought as it is now.

And the rest…

Outside bets for the title include Chelsea, Everton and even a resurgent Arsenal. Frank Lampard’s men have endured a pretty torrid time of things lately, after looking like title contenders at one point earlier in the season, but a good run of form would see them jump back into the mix. Everton have been a bit hit and miss throughout the season, but the goals of Dominic Calvert-Lewin mean they can’t be dismissed. Arsenal, who at one point looked like bottom-half fodder, now look a totally different team having won four of their last five league matches, keeping four clean sheets in that time. In this bonkers season, who knows which way the title race will ultimately twist and turn?