The Gunners, Citizens, or Reds: Who will Raise the Premier League Trophy


Warning: Necessary Football Knowledge Level may be high

    During spring break, I had been reading The Mixer by Michael Cox, which discussed the developments of tactics in the Premier League. Each chapter talked about different changes in the league - from major rule changes to new formations to game changing players - since it was founded in 1992.  Sounds familiar? Well I actually decided to read this book after reading Muhammad Iftikhar's post from a few weeks ago. If you don't know, the Premier League is England's football league (and no not American) which is considered to be the world's best. Chapter 18, "Inverted Wingers", talked about the end of a seven year quadropoly during the eventful 2009/10 season - with a shocking decline in Liverpool, an intense title race, and Tottenham Hotspur's fight for the 4th Champions League spot. Contributing to this was the rise of Gareth Bale - a left back who went from hardly getting minutes to becoming the most expensive footballer for his goal contributions. After reading this, I saw how it was similar to this season as the competition has been intense with the gap in points between the top 3 teams at this time, being the closest in history - a margin of 1 point. Therefore in this post, I would like to discuss about the top 3 teams - Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City - and where they stand in winning this season's title race.

Currently, most teams have played 28 of their 38 games to play, and the table on the left is where teams stand. Judging from the fact that the 4th place team is 8 points from the top, most analysists believe it is unlikely for a team below 4th place to win the title.

Arsenal (The Gunners): 
Although the least favorited of the three teams, the Gunners are on the top of the table and have been on a win streak in the league since the beginning of this year. They are also currently the team with the most goals scored and least scored against, which may put them in favor of winning the title if they end up tying for first place. However, the team still has multiple difficult fixtures ahead of them including Manchester City, along with games in the UEFA Champions League against Germany's Bayern Munich. After losing the title to Manchester City last season after leading for 248 days, the Gunners and their fans will hope that this year will end their 20 year title drought.

Liverpool (The Reds):
Behind Arsenal only by goal differential, is Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool, who currently have the least amount of losses in the league. After Jürgen Klopp announced that he will leave the club at the end of the season, the players have been fired up to try to make this a great final season for him, having won the Carabao cup and moving on to the quarterfinals of the Europa League. Even though their FA Cup title chances were ruined by Manchester United after a thrilling 7 goal game, with the Reds' promising new signings - including the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and Wataru Endo  - Liverpool may be able to win the treble and thank Klopp for his efforts to win 7 different titles since he came in 2015. 

Man City (The Citizens):
Favorited by everyone all over the world to be champions - of not only England but also Europe - the Citizens may become the first ever club to win the title 4 times in a row. Though they had a slow start this season, they have made it back to 3rd place - only 1 point behind Arsenal and Liverpool - with the return of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne (for a bit) from their injuries. But with difficult fixtures (both in the Premier League and Champions League) upcoming and crucial players such as Erling Haaland not performing to their peak - he has only scored 18 goals compared to the 28 he had at this point last season - the double treble (when you win three titles in a season), not alone Premier League title, might be in danger.


In conclusion, The Mixer by Michael Cox is an entertaining book with many stories. I recommend any people who have interest in football to take a peak if they are bored (Ronaldo fans!) The Premier League is also very entertaining and beneficial to watch, as you can learn from some of the world's finest players. 


I sincerely apologize if this blog was confusing with lots of different names and terminology, and will try to do better next time. Thank you for your time reading.

- Yuto. I

Comments

  1. MateoMarch 24, 2024 at 2:20 PM

    Hey Yuto, great work on your blog! 'The Mixer' seems like a very interesting book, but also very complicated. Also, Haaland will have his comeback.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucas BraunMarch 25, 2024 at 11:03 AM

    Great blog Yuto! Do you agrre with the statement that the Prem is the best leauge because I would say that some of the best players right now are in LaLiga. Also Ronaldo fans arent bored.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuto InoueMarch 27, 2024 at 9:06 PM

      Ronaldo fans are indeed bored. And no I think Prem is still better. It's been more interesting too without one team *cough cough* Real Madrid, dominating like La Liga.

      Delete
    2. AnthonyMarch 31, 2024 at 1:09 PM

      Honestly City might also turn the Prem into a farmers league like La Liga. Arsenal is out of the question since they always bottle, and although I'd really like Liverpool to win for Klopp, I predict City comes back again :(.

      Delete
  3. Muhammad IftikharApril 1, 2024 at 3:15 PM

    Hi Yuto! I'm here after the 0-0 draw between Arsenal and CIty, and I'm wondering if your opinions have changed after this match? Liverpool now has a 2 point lead over both teams, so do you think that they can hold on to this lead? Great blog!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuto InoueApril 2, 2024 at 8:59 PM

      Hmmmm. Personally I would like to see Liverpool hold the lead especially because they have pretty chill fixtures left (The harder ones might be against Man U and Tottenham which says a lot). But honestly if Arsenal win I won't really complain (Endo will carry Liverpool though so🤷) as long as it's not pep...again.

      Delete
  4. Charlotte LinApril 15, 2024 at 10:06 PM

    Hi Yuto, I'm not sure if I have a high enough level of football knowledge to fully understand and appreciate this post, but I can still clearly see your passion for the sport coming through. You talked a lot about the facts but do you personally have opinions that might differ from professional analysts? Or do you have a favorite team or player?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuto InoueApril 20, 2024 at 8:05 PM

      I (even though I hate to admit it) think Manchester City have a good chance of winning again, after seeing all three teams' performances lately. I feel as if Liverpool is slacking off lately and Arsenal are just never good enough...

      Delete

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