Today I want to talk about the Premier League since the transfer window ended yesterday. No big transfers happened in the 6 of the EPL. There were very few transfers during the window and even fewer major transfers. Djibril Cisse and Bobby Zamora transferred to QPR, Jelavic went to Everton and Gary Cahill was sold to Chelsea. Tottenham swapped Pienaar back to Everton for Saha. While QPR’s striker signings could help keep them out of the relegation zone, nothing happened to change the balance of power. Man City got David Pizzaro on loan, but I doubt he will see too much time and is more of a depth signing. So who will win the title and who will finish in the top four? I think it’s safe to say Man City, Man United and Tottenham are currently a class above the rest. There is no doubt in my mind that these 3 teams will finish in the top 4. I think Man City are still in the driver’s seat to win the title, even though they are now tied on points with Man U, mostly because of the class they have on their squad. Man United seems to be struggling with injuries especially in their midfield. Young, Nani, Rooney, Vidic and Cleverly are all currently out. I think this will be enough to push them out of the title race, even though they always seem to find a way to win anyway. Tottenham have just been playing extremely well, except against the top sides. They had big loses to the Manchester clubs early in the season. They followed this with a big win against a 9 man Liverpool. They barely eked out a 2-1 victory over Arsenal, drew to Chelsea and lost again to Man City. While they win against the lower sides, I think their form against the bigger sides will keep them from winning the title.
The race for the last Champions League spot will be as interesting as the title race. Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle are all currently vying for that last spot. Chelsea hold the lead by 4 points over Liverpool and Arsenal and Newcastle are 6 points behind with a game in hand. None of these teams has taken advantage of each other’s lack of form in the Premier League. Arsenal have lost 3 straight. Wilshire is set to miss the rest of the season, and they have just been too inconsistent with their midfield play to get RVP the ball in the right areas. If RVP goes down, kiss Arsenal’s chances of a top 4 finish goodbye. They may not even finish in the top 7 if he goes down. Liverpool lost 2 before winning yesterday at Wolves. They have just not been able to get the wins at home. Between missed penalties, lack of form of the new signings, not taking their chances, and Suarez’s ban, they have just drawn too many games. Unless Carroll finds his form, they will struggle to get into the top 4. Newcastle will probably struggle for the next few games since Demba Ba is gone for the Africa Cup of Nations and Cabaye was just banned for 3 games. And then we have Chelsea, who have just been inconsistent this year and have failed to distance themselves from the rest of the pack. They seem to be the pick for the 4th spot, not only because they currently hold it, but also because have a great blend of young talent with great veterans all throughout the pitch. I think it is just a matter of AVB getting the right formation and players on the pitch.
I predict Man City to win the title, with Man United close behind. Tottenham will finish possibly around 5 points behind United and Chelsea will finish with that last Champions League spot but will be nowhere close to the top 3.
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