As the football seasons are reaching the end, football fans are increasingly interested in which team is in the race to win the title. For those who like to bet, guessing the winner can even bring a lot of money as for others, it is all just a matter of personal enjoyment. Either way, no person follows any league without an opinion on who will win. The English Premier League is no exception, so although it is difficult to guess the winner now, we can already talk about it. So in this text, you will read more about the candidates for the EPL title and their opportunities.
Is Manchester City really safe at the top of the table?
If we go and check on one of the safest places to see who is the favorite to win the league, we will find out that according to the world bookmakers, Manchester City is the main favorite to win the title, but is that so? It is true that they have more than a solid point advantage over second-placed Manchester United and third-placed Leicester City, but there are still nine fixtures to go, eight if you are from the blue part of Manchester. Although it may seem impossible to many that the Citizens can easily lose the title they already have in their hands, we have witnessed an even greater advantage being lost.
Pep Guardiola is constantly experimenting and rotating players, which did not prove to be a good tactic in some games. But, with so many quality players and the top-notch roster, and playing in one of the toughest leagues in a season that is more than unusual, doing all that is an understandable thing. Even with all that, they are still at the top of the table as the main favorites, so no one can say that what Pep is doing is a bad thing, far from it.
One of the crucial factors that can play a significant role in an already overbooked schedule is that the Citizens are still playing in all four competitions. In addition to the commitments they have in the Premier League, Manchester City also has two games versus Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals, a clash with Chelsea in the FA Cup, and a trophy game against Tottenham in the EFL Cup final. All these fixtures are far from easy matches and can easily distract them from the EPL and lead to player fatigue. A couple of tough matches await them until the end of the season, and in those games, although they are considered favorites, there may drop some points. That is why it is still too early to think and be 100% sure that the Citizens are safe at the top of the table, even though they are the main favorites, for now.
Chelsea’s phenomenal series
Although they are currently placed fourth in the table with one game less and exactly 20 points behind the first-placed Citizens, Chelsea is currently in great shape. With the arrival of the new coach Thomas Tuchel, the Blues entered a great series. They suffered their last defeat from Leicester on January 19, and after that, out of 15 games played in all competitions, they have eleven wins and four draws, which is a great result. There are nine more rounds until the end, which mathematically still keeps them in the race to win the title, although many do not think so. Of course, no one says it’s easy, but the important thing is that it’s possible, and Chelsea has shown that they are a serious competitor this season, especially lately.
On the other hand, Chelsea also has a two-game duel with the excellent Porto side in the CL, and many experts believe that Tuchel is currently only looking for a place on the top four in the EPL and checking on which players he can count on for the next season, and that next season is when Chelsea will join the title race. What will happen until the end of the season? We believe that not even Tuchel currently knows that since the Chelsea team is so potent in the attack, and the defense, although not as great, still has a great mixture of players with experience and youngsters. With that said, one thing is certain, the end of the season should be more than satisfying for every football enthusiast.
Leicester is not giving up
Leicester has been a pleasant surprise, a sight for sore eyes, in the Premier League for the last couple of seasons, and it is a real pleasure to watch their matches. The 2015/2016 season, when they won the title, was a joy to behold, and the majority of the population and true football fans were cheering for them, for one club to prove that money is not everything in modern football. But when we look at how they deal with all football-related things, how much care and the importance they give to their football academy, how much time they spend searching for the best talents and time they invest in them, seeing them in the top half of the table should not be a surprise to anyone. It is all a fruit of hard and dedicated work. They are currently third on the table and third favorites to win titles, according to bookmakers. They play well all season but are unfortunately knocked out of the race to win the Europa League, which, when we look at how many games other rivals have, may not be a bad thing.
On the other hand, it may not be so bad because now they can fully dedicate themselves to the EPL, where they are going to face some really difficult opponents. Until the end of the season, they need to play against Citizens, Red Devils, Blues, and Spurs, and that is not an easy task. The one problem with Leicester is that they seem not that interested in the top four places. Just remember the last year and how they performed throughout the season until the break caused by the pandemic. They were sitting comfortably in second place, and with their performance, no one even thought that when the season starts over, they will end up fifth. What’s even more surprising was the fact that the players, staff, coach, everyone seemed like without passion, without ambition. That is why, in order for Leicester to be a contender and at least make Citizens properly sweat for the title, they need to overcome their main issue – themselves. If they manage to do so, with top-class players they already have and with some much more needed signings, especially a striker who will regularly perform on the EPL level, as a replacement for Vardy, they could really make the title race even more exciting, but all that, next season.
Summing up
Even though every football fan who follows the best league in the world would love to see someone chasing the City, it is not likely to happen, and if the Citizens thought us anything in these five years under Pep is that once they sense the smell of the trophy, no one else stands a chance. We can all just hope that something unpredicted happens to meddle with their plans. But it’s not all bad, as there are so many games yet to be played, and we can expect a great fight for every position, and not just because of the money, but as a way to play in UEFA competitions next year. For those who want even more excitement or think they know how the season outcome, betting is a great way to do all that and make some money. But, searching for the best odds can be exhausting, which is why you should check out bookmakeradvisor.com and find the best odds and the best bookies in the world.
