The Premier League title race is heating up and as the competition draws closer to the midway stage, the top title contenders have already separated themselves from the rest of the pack.
The bookies still have Manchester City as odds-on favourites to win the league, citing them at 4/6 despite being behind current league leaders Chelsea, whose odds are 5/2. Liverpool sit in third place at the moment, two points behind leaders Chelsea. There does not seem to be a single factor that can separate these teams as all three look menacing, and it seems a tough task to knock these teams off their momentum.
Goals, Goals and more Goals
One of the more poignant similarities between the teams is how ruthless they have been in front of goal. Cumulatively, Chelsea, City and Liverpool have scored a whopping 80 goals across 12 matchdays, a sign of the quality possessed by these teams on the attacking front.
Typically, there are players who make it their point of duty to carry the scoring mantle for a title-challenging team. Mo Salah and Sadio Mane have assumed that responsibility for Liverpool. However, in a more unorthodox approach, Man City and Chelsea, have conjured up goal scorers from almost every position, sharing the responsibility throughout the entire team. Two of Chelsea’s top goal scorers in the league this season are full-backs, with Ben Chilwell and Reece James scoring three and four goals respectively. As for Pep Guardiola’s men, their top goal getters consist of the likes of Bernardo Silva (4), Phil Foden (3), Kevin De Bruyne (2), Gabriel Jesus (2), and Ilkay Gundogan (2).
Similarly, to a good attack, it is always said that a good defence is what wins you titles, and perhaps the only way to predict which of these clubs will lift the trophy at the end of the season is to identify who has the better defensive record.
As it stands, Thomas Tuchel’s team is the best defensive unit in the league, only conceding four goals from twelve games, with a goal difference of twenty-six. It would therefore be fair to suggest that the Blues are best equipped for a full title charge by May 2022. It is also important to note that, in my opinion, Chelsea’s squad depth is slightly superior to the other two challengers, who are lacking in some departments when it comes to quality.
Whichever team you predict to win the 2021/2022 Premier League title, it would still be a baseless assumption at this point in time. However, what is certain is that we could be in for a riveting run at the top of the table. If all three teams continue firing on all cylinders in attack and maintain their outstanding defensive records, then perhaps this will be the best EPL title race in years.