SportsMate: A shift in power

The Barclay's English Premier League is going through an exciting phase in its 17th year of existence. As the world's most watched sporting league, and the strongest national league for 2 consecutive years in a row (2007 & 2008), the balance of power is finally being more equally distributed - breaking the traditional 'Big Four' dominance.

A snapshot of the table as of 1st November 2009

At first glance, you may be forgiven for thinking that its business as usual - as all (well, with Liverpool as an exception) the big names are occupying the top 3 spots. A close look will reveal how close these teams are from the rest of the chasing pack. Arsenal with 22 points could go above United if they win the next game (having played only 10 games and with superior goal difference) and City could potentially make it 22 points - having played 1 game less as well. Villa could also move into 5th if they win the next one - having 18 points and having played 1 less as well.

Interesting enough - all top 3 teams have lost twice so far with 11 games played. Gone are the days where title contenders run away with a clear cut lead after playing only 1/3 of the season. All top teams have been going through a tough time so far:-

Chelsea - Woeful away form (2 away losses) and slapped with 2 transfer window ban. Better hope no one gets injured.

United - Lack of creativity in attack and midfield. Hopefully for United, all the rumors of capturing David Silva and David Villa will come through good. Scrapping through 1-0 wins may not be good enough at times - like what the Gaffa always say - At the end of the day, it may come down to goal difference. Right now their 12 is a pale comparison against Arsenal's 19 and Chelsea's 20.

Arsenal - Inexperienced young Gunners tend to collapse towards the end of the season. Games like the one against West Ham are tell tale signs. That being said - when they thump teams, they really do it in style!

Manchester City - Showed promising signs defeating the likes of Arsenal. Like Liverpool, they rise to big occasions, but play poorly against mid table teams. Looking at their performance against Birmingham - Hughes has a lot to do for the remaining season.

Liverpool - Most likely to drop out of the top 4 position. Rafa has got to make up his mind. With a squad like theirs (Lucas & Voronin - need I say more), competing on all fronts for honours, is an impossible task. Now staring at Champion's League exit and with Gerrard possibly out until December - League title should be a foregone conclusion by then.