A crazy person must have written the script for the title race in the English Premier League. Only four points separate the leaders from the fifth placed team almost midway through the season.
There is little to separate the top four. Christmas fixtures should clear the picture to an extent. As of now, the race is spicier than it had been in recent times.
Nothing can compare to the way Manchester City edged out Manchester United for the title two seasons ago on the last day of the season, but the current race a assumes significance p because it has more than b two protagonists. s It may be difficult for the s top four to remain in contention forever but don't be d surprised if you find s Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City hanging in there until the end.
What's so intriguing about C this season is the vulnera t bility of all the title contenders. Here is the lowdown on the top four after 16 matches.
ARSENAL: After a morale-sapping loss at the hands of Aston loss at the hands of Aston Villa on the opening day, the Gunners rebounded spectacularly to raise hopes in their fans. The heavy defeat against City has, however, sowed seeds of doubts in the minds of the faithful. Lack of firepower up front will under mine Arsenal's campaign if manager Arsene Wenger fails to splash the cash in the New Year.
LIVERPOOL: Luis Suarez is on fire and the Reds are dreaming about landing their first league title in the EPL era. Liverpool's faith in youthful man LONELY: Olivier Giroud is the only striker firing for Arsenal. Believed that Suarez would stay with the club at the start of the season but the Uruguayan has become the darling of the fans with a string of impressive performances and a bucketful of goals. Suarez can't do a thing wrong at the moment. Can he keep on firing until the end?
Unlikely . And, football is a team game.
CHELSEA: Jose Mourinho's Blues version 2.0 is different for the worse. This team can lose. His and his team's refusal to throw in the towel marked the Portuguese's first innings at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea are now going down to teams Mourinho wouldn't have lost to in his dream when he was the Special One. The absence of a forward who can make a difference -like Didier Drogba -is a minus for the Blues. In the end, it will boil down to the team's hunger.
MANCHESTER CITY: Manuel Pelligrini's side have the momentum now. But the advantage has been nullified by Sergio Aguero's injury .
The Argentine is his team's Xfactor. Man to man, City should be the overwhelming favourites. But the league isn't decided on paper strength. The Manchester club's penchant to lose points against smaller teams may come back to haunt them.
