After 11 games in the Premier League season it’s as good a time as any to take a look at the top four positions in the league. While Manchester City were always seen as punters favourite to win the league, it has to be said that so far they have exceeded expectations by quite some margin. With seemingly an army of potential goal scorers their overwhemling performance has been matched only by the underwhelming performance of their supposed main rivals. Their unbeaten record has led to them coming down in price to the point that they’re now 1/7 at a comparatively early stage in the season. Their nearest rivals are around 14-1. Unless there is a seismic shift, before long Manchester City will have well and truly cemented their place at the top of the table. Do we have a precitable rest of the season to look forward to? Time will tell!

The premier league season is now well and truly in full flow and the action is ramping up week on week. We’re already seeing aspects of the season develop, such as the bewildering length of time it took Crystal Palace to win a game (or even score a goal for that matter!), and then winning against one of the top teams in the country, Chelsea. It’s always fascinating to see teams pluck up a bit of courage when it looks like they could be well on their way out of the league. We also see very real competition at the top of the premier league table with Tottenham and Manchester United currently scrapping away in positions two and three.

Riding high at the top of the table now though is Manchester City with an impressive five point lead after nine games. If they play their cards right, they may well be the story of the season. They’ve certainly not been goal shy so far having put 32 goals past the opposition over these nine games, that’s 10 more goals than their closest rival. On top of that they have just conceded 4 goals. With this in mind it’s no great surprise to see them at such meagre odds (1-4) to beat West Brom in their upcoming match. In fact their odds to win the league outright have tumbled to the very same odds (1-4) with some bookmakers. This indicated a high level of confidence is their ability to do the job, even this early in the season. It’s hard to argue for betting against them at their current trajectory.

With eight wins and one draw out of nine games, a record like this speaks for itself and must have sent the City player’s confidence levels sky high. With a five point buffer already, if they manage to extend that over the next few games, it will take quite some effort for any of their rivals to claw their way to the top of the table. With seemingly endless goalscoring talent in the form of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and more it’s almost hard to see where the goals ‘aren’t’ coming from.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season squares up, but we’re certainly already seeing clear indications of how it’s unfolding. Stay Tuned.

Author: Gareth C

The Club

For years, The Blues were one of the ‘big’ clubs in England without much success. League titles were a rarity, while FA Cup runs and having good players was the norm. Since Roman Abramovich bought into the club in the early 2000s, though, they’ve won league tiles, domestic cups and even the European Cup.

They are without doubt among the biggest clubs in England today, with their love of continental superstars and an affluent fan base now having the real financial clout to ensure they maintain their position.

16-17 – How Was It?

Awesome! Expected to struggle under Italian coach Antonio Conte, Chelsea dominated the league and carried out a league record unbeaten run. Their impressive nature set the tone for a season that seen them win the league with exceptional ease, merely delayed by the good form of others not allowing the gap to extend even further.

They won the league in some style, building a team that can easily be seen as one of the most impressive in the country. Sweeping all before them, only an FA Cup loss can be seen as a blight on a dream debut season for the coach.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

Next season, though, will be tougher. European football returns, as does the now-famous Chelsea transfer inertia. Little work has been done so far, with not much going on in the terms of ins or outs. The departure of club legend John Terry is a huge blow in terms of experience, and a lack of movement to build a new spine to a rather ageing side should be of interest to many other clubs.

We expect that Chelsea will be in a league hunt for much of the season, but European success is what we believe will be prioritized by both player and coach. Consecutive league titles are huge – but a European trophy would be even moreso for both Conte and the club.

The Club

Spurs are a perennial also-ran, having not win the league since Bill Nicholson in the 60s. European success in the form of two UEFA Cups occurred in the past, while they have been known for having some of the best English players and foreign imports since the 1990s. from Kilnsmann and Modric to Bale and Harry Kane, Spurs have had some rather fantastic players pull on their white jersey over the years, despite their relative lack of trophies.

16-17 – How Was It?

Impressive. The club looked set to challenge for the league, but the irrepressible form of Chelsea made that nearly impossible. Unable to compete, they fell away and secured a strong 2^nd-place finish as well as reaching the FA Cup semi-finals. They also finally finished ahead of rivals Arsenal, a hoodoo that had stood over the club for decades.

It was a good season, but their poor Wembley performances both in Europe and in the cup competitions ensured that another season ended with progress but nothing tangible to show for it outside of another year of easy qualification for the Champions League.

17-18 – What Lies Ahead?

A title challenge, IF they can get used to the Wembley problem. Last year ensured that the team did not feel at home and if that continues this year, it could become a problematic issue for the fans and the club. New blood is needed, too, with a slow transfer window no doubt frustrating the club and its fans.

With most of their competition signing players en masse or even circling around Tottenham themselves to pick up some stars, it will come down to how well they adapt to Wembley and how they can best go about investing in playing staff.