Inconsistency rife at the top of the Premier League

Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea have been inconsistent in his second spell in charge, just like a number of the blues rivals

This season inconsistency seems to be the order of the day at the top of the Premier League.

Yesterday Chelsea suffered a late 3-2 defeat at Stoke, while Manchester City drew 1-1 with Southampton.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Everton at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, which could turn out to be a very good result, after the way the Toffees performed in north London.

Favourites

Manchester City and Chelsea kicked the season off as favourites for the Premier League table.

They are also the two teams considered to have the most strength in-depth. The two blues have quality throughout their teams, but for some reason have not achieved any sort of consistent run.

Everybody had written-off Arsenal at the start of the campaign. I do not think anybody expected the Gunners good start to the season, except maybe boss Arsene Wenger, who predicted that they could challenge for the title this season.

The arrival of Mesut Ozil seems to have completely transformed the mood at the Emirates and the men from north London have a comfortable lead at the top of the league.

Tough

The Gunners consistency will be put to the test with a difficult run of fixtures which includes games against both Chelsea and City. These games should show us whether the Gunners do in fact what it takes to win the league.

Both teams will be hoping to defeat the Gunners, but Arsene Wenger’s side has already passed a number of tests already this season, so they really cannot be written-off. If Arsenal win those two fixtures it will be difficult for their rivals to catch them at the top.

City also has a tough home game with Liverpool coming up over the Christmas period. The games over the festive period could have a big say in how the rest of the season goes.

Clean sheets

The likes of Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho seem to only now be putting their stamp on their new teams. Mourinho’s second coming has not gone completely to plan and his team are conceding goals at an alarming rate.

Manchester City are also struggling to keep clean sheets. This season both teams’ leaky defences have cost them dearly. City’s away form has also been poor this season.

Arsenal have the best defensive record in the Premier League and that is making a major difference at the moment.

Open

If results do not go well for Arsenal in the next few games then the race for the Premier League title could be blown right open. Liverpool have got themselves among the challengers, but like their rivals have not been that consistent in the last few months.

The Gunners are currently five points clear at the top of the Premier League table. If Arsene Wenger’s side were to suffer two defeats then it would bring them back within touching distance of their rivals.

However, it is hard to see Arsenal losing both their next two Premier League games and even if they did they would still be very much in contention for the title.

Top four

The race for the top four could be one of the most fascinating ones in recent years. Everton have proven in the last five days that they can go to big grounds and hold their own, picking up 4 points from a possible six at Old Trafford and the Emirates.

Newcastle’s form has improved in recent weeks and the Magpies are not that far behind the top four. Manchester United may be down in ninth place in the table, but they will be expected to mount a charge up the league at some point.

This season’s Premier League has been so unpredictable and literally anybody can beat anybody else in the league.

Long gone are the days that the top teams just need to show up to claim three points.

Realistic

In my opinion only Arsenal, City and Chelsea can really win the Premier League crown this season.

Despite Liverpool being second in the table they have an outside chance of winning the league, but face some big games in the next months and could miss injured striker Daniel Sturridge.

Favourites

Arsenal are my favourites to win the Premier League this season. The Gunners are currently only second favourites with the bookies to win the title at 2/1 though, with City current favourites at 7/4.

If the Gunners can continue their good form in the next two league games then they will be well on their way to ending their trophy draught. Arsene Wenger’s side have been the far most consistent team in the Premier League this season and hopefully they will receive their reward at the end of the season.

Can Arsenal keep up their decent form to win the Premier League?