This is the most exciting time of year for Premier League fans.
As we reach the halfway point in the campaign, one can finally look at the table and get a really good idea of which teams are hot and which are not. There’s a long way to go, and this is a particularly tight year, but there is a gradual separation between top and bottom.
The 11 or 12 games teams play through their packed December and January end up going a long way to deciding the course of their season.
Arsenal’s formerly big lead has been cut by a menacing looking Man City, who continue to grind out win after win. The Gunners are now just 2 points clear. Aston Villa’s insane ten game win streak has them just a point behind City, and after that there’s a worrying and growing 7 point gap before you reach Chelsea.
If the Villains beat us on Saturday, we will be adrift of the top 3 by 10 points.
So what of the Blues? Casino sites give you an easy way to make a fun bet, but so would backing the Blues to finish in the top 4 at this crucial moment. As it stands they’re clinging onto that spot, but by the end of January there’s no telling where they could be.
There’s a huge log jam of teams behind them – Liverpool are level with them on 29 points. Sunderland are on 27, Man U and Crystal Palace on 26. Even Newcastle and Brentford on 23 are potentially just two results away from catching up.
There are bound to be some major swings from the top to the bottom of the Premier League.
The hectic fixtures at this time of year test squads to the limit, and while Chelsea are missing a couple of players, they’re in better shape than many of their rivals. Second string stars are going to get the chance to step up and show what they can do in league games, and it’s a great chance for players on the periphery to earn their manager’s trust.
Of course the background to all this is Enzo Maresca’s dispute with the club’s hierarchy. Rack up some good results in the next 6 weeks and that will soon be forgotten. Struggle, on the other hand, and it will continue to be mentioned in every press conference, and could start to really eat away at the harmony at the club that looked to be developing just a couple of months ago.
