Lowdown on Title Contenders

This season, more than any other I can remember, is indeed very exciting. In previous seasons, it has mainly been a two-horse or at most three teams competing for the League Title. This time around, as many as five teams have a chance to be truimphant. In this article, I will be evaluating the teams and predicting where they'll finish.

Manchester City

They've spent tonnes of money to get their current bunch of players together. Their latest signing, Bosnian Edin Dzeko has just joined to add firepower into the frontline. Due to their coach, Roberto Mancini, having the Italian philosophy, has made them a very defensive team. They have conceded the least amount of goals in the country but their attack is suffering due to this. In the past couple of games though, they've not kept clean sheets but scored 4 in each game. Their captain Carlos Tevez has been in impressive form as well. At the moment, the have the squad to challenge for the title, and one player who has proved to be a revelation this year is Yaya Toure. He was signed to be a defensive midfielder but he's now playing behind Tevez and is doing very well under Mancini.

Position : 4th


Tottenham Hotspur

Spurs have been playing very good football and one signing who has made all the difference is Rafael van der Vaart. Previously, Luka Modric was the only attacking midfielder in the team and he was good but was mostly bullied by other defensive midfielders. The arrival of van der Vaart has taken some of the attention off him and it has helped Spurs. Modric now has more time on the ball and everyone knows he has an eye for a pass or goal. I was disappointed that Harry Redknapp picked Peter Crouch to start the game against Man Unites because he was 'handled' easily by Ferdinand and Vidic. Pavlyuchenko was left on the bench and so was Defoe. The only worrying thing for Spurs is that their inability to keep a clean sheet when required. That might deter them from staying in the hunt for the title.

Position: 5th


Chelsea

The Blues had a terrific start, had a mediocre run in between and now the question is how they'll finish. Signs point to a good finish though it's hard to see why at the moment. This Chelsea squad does not have the depth the used to have. The departure of Ballack and Deco has not been replaced (though Ramires has been signed but he's more of a defensive midfielder compared to Ballack and Deco). The injury to Lampard and Terry really hurt them and they're even short at the back. Ivanovic hasn't looked comfortable playing in the centre and they're now waiting for Alex to return. In my opinion, they're too far behind to challenge for the title now. In the summer, they really need fresh faces because Drogba and Anelka are on the wrong side of 30 and they've become predictable.

Position: 3rd


Arsenal


The Gunners have the best away form in the league but silly defeats against Newcatle, West Brom and Spurs have proved costly. If they'd won those games, they would have been top of the pile. Consistency is a real issue with Wenger's boys and his selection at times has not helped. He picks one team for the league and another for the FA and League Cup. The front line of Bendtner, Chamack and Arshavin has just not gelled enough and that's why they're paying the price for it. Robin Van Persie's return to fitness will surely help them but the worry is how long will he be able to maintain it. They might need a back-up centre back to cover for the injuries of Vermaelen and Squillaci but knowing Wenger, he'll wait till the last minute before making a decision. They will be there challenging at the top and it will be a close run.

Position: 2nd


Manchester United


The Red Devils are top of the League, undefeated but not playing like world-beaters, yet. I have a feeling that they will go unbeaten in the League this season because the defense has been superb this season. Ferdinand and Vidic are rocks at the back and so are Evra and Rafael. The only problem has been consistent goalscoring which previous Man United teams were very good at. Wayne Rooney has been under-par to say the least. Hernandez has looked good at times but the only partner for Berbatov is Rooney. When he's on form he is definitely unplayable. The question is when?. Considering all this, they all still top of the goalscoring charts. And as I said, they've not played brilliant football, but are still unbeaten. The title is United's to lose.

Position: Champions


Cheers,
Jay Jay