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This season has been unlike no other in the Premier League. In the initial stages of the campaign it was believed that the title race was wide open – with five, six clubs all showing great promise. Now that number has dropped down to three sides that will have to fight it out until the end of the season if they want to become the Premier League winners. Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City are in the running at the moment, while the title contenders from previous some seasons are out of the race.
Arsenal – 2.25 (5/4)
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Arsenal currently sit on top of the table, tied with Leicester City on 43 points. This is the first time in over a decade they have a real chance at the title. Despite being three points ahead of Man City, Bet365 Sports doesn’t automatically rank them as favorites to become the 2016 Premier League winners, with their odds being 2.25 (5/4).
Jason Pettigrove of Metro, pointed to the fact that Arsene Wenger’s men may actually succumb to pressure in efforts of getting their hands on their first Premier League title since 2004. “We’ve been here before of curse, and the Gunners have choked badly under the pressure of trying to secure a first championship in years,” said Pettigrove.
This is certainly true, only this time they have much less competition for the title than before. Arsenal don’t have to worry about Man United or Chelsea – especially the latter – since they nowhere near being serious title contenders.
Leicester City are holding strong, but judging by previous underdogs that managed to reach similar heights as them, they will probably lose form as time goes on. That should leave Manuel Pellegrini’s men as the only other real challengers, and they are certainly a team with enough depth and quality to overcome all the obstacles.
If Arsenal are to be crowned the Premier League winners this year, Wenger will have to take out the cheque book and find the right players to fill in the holes. They have recently captured Mohamed Elneny for £5 million from Basel, however he’s not a signing with proven ability. Now, getting a player like Dortmund’s Aubameyang would add some serious fire power in front of goal, and highly increase their chances of lifting the crown.
Manchester City – 2.20 (6/5)
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Man City are third on the table with 40 points, but despite this Bet365 Sports favour them to win the league 2.20 (6/5). Their main striker Aguero is still trying to find his form, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts firing on all cylinders. So far he has 8 to his name in the top flight, but we reckon he can easily find the back of the net on another 10 occasions until the end of the season. The Sky Blues are only three points behind leaders Arsenal, which means that one slip from the London club could see them jump to the top of the table.
Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola recently announced plans he’ll be heading to England as his time in Bavaria is up; this immediately put a number of Premier League managers under pressure he might be looking to take over one of their jobs. The Etihad is believed to be one of his favoured destinations, but Manuel Pellegrini will be delighted with the news that Guardiola might wait a full year before he manages in England. This might relieve huge pressure off the Chilean manager, so he can properly focus on his task.
The 2012 and 2014 Premier League winners will be looking to make the most of their games throughout January and the first two weeks of February before pressure starts to mount due to Champions League fixtures. If they manage to collect as much points as possible during this short period, it will serve them well later on.
Leicester City – 13.00 (12/1)
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Leicester City have been a true revelation this season. Claudio Ranieri has transformed the Foxes from a side that finished 14th in the Premier League last season into prospective title contenders. No matter what club they faced, they almost always managed either get pull off a win or at least get a draw. Arsenal were the only side that managed to get the better of them this season, a match in which they lost 5-2 on home soil.
The secret to their astonishing results is down to the combination of two things: brilliant individual players coupled with great team-work. Their star man this season has been striker Jamie Vardy, who notched an impressive 15 goals until now. The Foxes signed him in 2012, when they were still playing in the Championship, and in hindsight it’s a move that definitely paid off for them.
But collectively the team has so far recorded some great numbers, despite not having the same financial muscle as other sides in the league. Leicester City scored a total of 38 goals, which puts them in the same rank as their direct competitors Arsenal (37) and Manchester City (39). Conversely, they also conceded 25 goals overall, only 4 less than the two aforementioned clubs.
Bet365 Sports views them as strong underdogs 13.00 (21/1), since, let’s be honest, they are outsiders in this battle. When asked about their real chances to become the 2016 Premier League winners, former Liverpool and Real Madrid star Steve McManaman commented, “We’re all romantics” in reference that people would love to see an underdog clinch the title. But he continued by pointing out that history shows that’s not really possible. It’s a common belief among football fans and experts alike that it’s just matter of time before they lose form, and start dropping down the table.
Other clubs
Tottenham are in fourth place with 36 points, which means that they can enter the final qualifying round for the Champions League if they manage to hold on to this spot. Breaking into the top three on the table is less likely; they are team struggling with consistency, among other things. The title is out of their hands, with their chance being very, very slim 17.00 (16/1).
West Ham have been rejuvenated since former Hammers’ player Slaven Bilic took over as the manager of the club in June 2015. They now find themselves in 5th spot on the table, after 9 wins, 8 draws and only 4 losses. But considering that we’re not looking at Leicester City as serious title contenders, who are 2nd on the table, West Ham are therefore even lower on the list of realistic Premier League winners. Their odds are obviously super low 151.00 (150/1), per Bet365 Sports.
Manchester United have been assigned odds of 26.00 (25/1), despite languishing in 6th position, outside the Champions League spots. Louis van Gaal has spent a fortune on new recruits last summer, but a number of them haven’t paid off dividends – at least not yet. But they desperately need to start producing results if they don’t want to find themselves out of the Champions League for a second time in three years. Essentially, the title is once again not the priority, but rather qualifying for Europe’s biggest competition is.