Who would have thought by mid November we would be talking about so many teams already out of contention for the Premiership title. Look at the current table and it is clear there are 3 tiers to this seasons title race. The staggering thing, this year, is how few teams are actually in with a chance of winning the league. It the past we have had 4 or 5 teams pushing for top spot come Christmas, not this year though. Clubs that have been well positioned to make a strong challenge will do well to actually make the top 4 and so, qualify for the Champions league. Manchester is where the title will go this season. Whether it is the red side or the blue, is hard to tell. City are unproven and although unbeaten so far, when the final stages of the Champions league kicks in, their season could quickly fall apart. Yes, they have a large squad but, with characters like Balotelli, it wouldn't take long to split or lose the dressing room. United have a proven track record and seem to get stronger through the season. They are also accustomed to the toils of the premier european competition and even when they get knocked out, take it in their stride and use that to spur them on for the remainder of the season.
Man City - 12 - 34pts
Man Utd - 12 - 29
Then onto the second tier within the Premiership. All of these clubs would have been expecting to be in contention to win the league (except Newcastle) but, already their focus is a place in the Champions league.
Spurs - 11 - 25pts
Newcastle - 12 - 25
Chelsea - 12 - 22
Liverpool - 12 - 22
Arsenal - 12 - 22
Arsenal have done well to be in this position so quickly after a start that could be described as disastrous. Who can forget the 8 - 2 thrashing at Man Utd. There were even calls from all quarters for Wenger to go. Contrast that to Liverpool with king Kenny in charge. He can't go wrong, yet they have the same points as Arsenal. Both them and Chelsea are dropping points and losing further ground on the Manchester giants. Newcastle cruelly need another 15 points to avoid relegation. Many geordie fans expected another poor season and looked forward to bating Mike Ashley and Alan Pardew. They have clearly over achieved at this stage but, will they stay there? We doubt it as their squad is lacking in numbers and Ashley has proved in the past, he is unlikely to spend big in the January transfer window. Spurs, will be prime candidates for 3rd place as they will not distracted by the Champions league. 7 points below Arsenal is where the final division within a division starts. So, we see 13 teams in a relegation battle, from Villa to Wigan. All of the remaining teams will be looking to spend big in the January transfer window, to secure their place in footballs top flight for one more season, at least. Next we will see many managerial casualties fall by the wayside as chairmen lose patience but, who will go first?
