The Premier League 2024 is into the last few weeks and looks primed to end up in a tight run to the finish line.
Just three points separate the top three teams, and the ones who will hold there nerve and their form together will finish on top. It might well be one that gets decided on the last day and for all the year long efforts the goal difference may well be the separator. A wonderful advert for the quality of probably the best football league in the world today.
But is all well elsewhere in the league??, Well, the answer may not be a resounding “yes”. None of the teams after the top three have had a stellar season. The other three of the traditional top six have suffered in varying degrees. The new pretenders from the last few years have stalled and seem to lack consistency.
It might be a few weeks to the end, but the season has already defined itself in the last 30 games. Here we go…..
THREE IS A CROWD : Premier League is tighter than ever.
It has never been as tight as this for sometime now. Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal all look locked together. On the weekends, the table top turns depending on the starting times of the matches.
Manchester City seem to be holding on. They look and unusually so, vulnerable at the back. While they still run the game they are in this season looking eminently beatable.
Liverpool has indeed raised itself out of the lows of last year. After an year when they looked out sorts at the top of the box, hollow in the midfield and clumsy at the back, they have clawed back. While the strutting Klopp Reds are not yet there, they have managed to keep the fight going with a few memorable last minute wins.
Arsenal’s young gunners have continued from the last year. They are playing brave, attacking and beautiful football. They seem to have also got a steel in the back line, something that the past Arsenal teams have woefully lacked. Some of their wins have been big and they haven’t lost their way against the other big teams.
There is very little to chose between the three and if it carries on this way into the last week, it is probably going to be the first time that the three teams are in contention on the last day in the Premier League’s history. The last it happened the Premier League wasn’t born.
Jaded Elites need a revival …The other three of the League.
It is the other three of the traditional Top Six elites that have all the troubles of the world.
Chelsea despite the splurge over the years , look jaded. For all the money and the signings, it is probably the young signing from Man City Cole Palmer who has kept them alive. They seem have everything and yet nothing. A conundrum which seems to take a long time to solve.
Tottenham , with a new manager have been steady, but look vulnerable . The Postecoglou gameplan is at times bewildering and bemusing at times. The manager with his demeanour seems to have endeared himself to the club and might well be getting it all together. Time is what he probably needs.
Manchester United is a tragedy in itself. It is increasingly becoming impossible to try and dissect the team and its performance. The transfer strategy has backfired, the ownership change is a wildcard, and the manager may be tipped over any time. The team has a strange mix of explosive youngsters, old baggage and hugely overrated and underperforming talent. God is fast looking the only one who can sort this red muddle.
Good but not good enough : The Premier League Pretenders remain just that now
The last few years have seen the likes of Villa, West Ham , Brighton and Newcastle promising to change the dynamics at the top. They have all appeared in Europe this year and looked promising. Managed by coaches with distinct flavours these three looked solid the last season. This season thought seems to be a stall for them.
Emery’s Aston Villa look strong enough to make it to the top 4. The team has a solid look about it. Good in possession and quick at progression, they do carry a threat for any team. They need to get more out of their matches consistently to challenge the top teams day in and day out.
Newcastle have looked undercooked whole season. The steely and solid defense has leaked goals withe ease. The forward line has sparkled in fits and starts. Their Europe adventure this year has been short and the next year looks a dream. Eddie Howe has struggled to piece together a formation given the injuries that they have,
West Ham and Brighton have like Newcastle been patch at best. Torrid for opponents on their day, they have caved in inexplicably on other days. They will need to be better across the pitch to be consistent contenders for the top 4 and European football.
It is theirs to lose… Premier League Champions tag
With just a few weeks to go and a flurry of activity upcoming, the top three have it all in them to get across the line. It is as difficult to call as anything.
