Liverpool and Chelsea were on fire during the weekend with emphatic wins over Watford and Everton respectively. The two clubs are among the favourites nominated by betting lines to win the Premier League this season and the race to win the title may end up being between those two.
Both teams had finished outside the top four in the last campaign. Last season witnessed the penetration of an unlikely club Leicester City into the top four. The Premier League top four is no longer being rotated among the usual landlords of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. That sequence changed since the year the UAE business man bought Manchester City which saw them winning the league in 2012.
Chelsea languished around the relegation zone for some parts of last season despite being the defending champion for the 2013/2014 season and eventually finished in the 10th position with 50 points, their lowest in this decade.
Liverpool were no better though they show some glimpses of the efforts of Jurgen Klopp’s restructuring towards the end of the season and finished 8th. This season has seen them delivering on the pitch and Klopp input is paying off at the moment.
Arsenal have not won it since 2004 and missed the chance to go top of the table this weekend after drawing in the North London Derby against Tottenham. Manchester City also drawing with Middlesbrough saw missed the same opportunity.
Even though Tottenham preserved their unbeaten run in that match, they have not won their last five matches and that sequence of result cannot deliver the title and can make finish outside the top four but maybe within the top six.
Chelsea have put their disappointing losses to Liverpool and Arsenal behind them and have been impressive since then. Switching to a 3-4-3 formation proved to have done the magic. They are scoring goals for fun as it stands now and they are somehow unstoppable.
They have 25 goals in 11 league matches, 16 of those goals were scored in five matches and they maintained a clean sheet in each of them including the 5-0 demolition of Everton which saw them moved to the top of the table before Liverpool leapfrogged them after their 6-1 win over Watford.
Liverpool have netted 30 times in 11 league games and are leading the table with 26 points, just a point separating the two but the London club boast of a superior goal difference. The win over Watford made it the fifth time the Red Devils have scored four or more goals in a league game this season.
The Anfield outfits have already played their title rivals – Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham- away from home this season and have claimed seven points from a possible nine which looks encouraging.
The confidence at the Stamford Bridge and Anfield are high at the moment. Both Antonio Conte and Klopp are getting their desired results. The difference between Liverpool and Chelsea and the other contenders is that they are getting the goals but Liverpool need to work on their defence
No comments:
Post a Comment