Chelsea’s win over Manchester City in the Monday night kickoff has squeezed in the top five close together, with only nine points separating the top five. And with the bottom two of the aforementioned pentalogy being the two North London sides; Spurs – who have a game in hand, and dropped their first points for ages over the weekend; and Arsenal – who have retraced rejuvenation over the past month or so, this means that the title race can no longer be labeled as a neighbourhood matter in Manchester.
Chelsea are back
Prior to kickoff at Stamford Bridge on Monday, Chelsea were 10 points behind City, and knew well that only a win against the table-toppers would be heralded as Chelsea’s return to the title race. Even though Chelsea were under the gun over the first twenty minutes or so, as City flaunted some of their best football of the season, the hosts managed to whether the storm successfully. Meireles’ goal might have evened matters before the half time whistle, but it was clear that the game was City’s to lose till the second half kicked off. The game was going nowhere in the early skirmished of the second half before Clichy’s sending off gave it unambiguous direction. The red card might’ve been the defining moment of the game, but the result is absolutely humongous for Villas-Boas and Chelsea. The win over City has rounded off a lucrative week for Chelsea that saw them qualify for the last 16 in the Champions League and with only seven points between them and the league leaders, Chelsea are well and truly back in the title race.
City still the frontrunners
Man City can take a lot of heart from the fact that in spite of being on the receiving end of their first Premier League defeat of the season, they probably showcased their best football in the first half, and were clearly the superior side in terms of their play and their control of the game. Bouncing back from a loss is what defines champion teams, and with another enormous game this Sunday, the gauntlet has been thrown towards City to prove their mettle as potential league champions. If City continue to play like they’ve done till this point in the season, they have no reason to have any concerns over their title-winning credentials.
United have reason to rejoice
Chelsea’s triumph was a victory for the red half of Manchester as well, who finally have something to cheer about. By overpowering an average Wolves side, they did their part in putting pressure on City before their match, and now with only two points between the two neighbours United are hot on the heels of City. Being knocked out from the Champions League was catastrophic for the English Champions, but if this gloomy cloud has any silver lining whatsoever, it’s probably the fact that they can focus on retaining the league title and prevent City from winning their first league trophy for ages. Nonetheless, it’s one of those silver linings that need a really robust telescope to be perceived appositely.
Spurs jolted at the Britannia
Spurs fans have every reason to vent their anger at Chris Foy; however, they probably need to locate the right profile and get off the back of Chris Hoy on twitter! If Spurs fans were to look for Foy’s profile on twitter, sadly they wouldn’t find one. Nonetheless, while the loss was unfortunate, Spurs still have the mélange of form and drive with them that should see them persist with a similar run to the one that ended at the Britannia ill-fated circumstances. The betting men might not be skewing towards Spurs as league winners anytime soon, but considering the fact that Spurs are only seven points off the pace and have a game in hand, and are also knocked out from Europe – again, connoting more concentration towards league action – Spurs fans have every right to believe that they are in with a shout.
Arsenal continue their resurgence
Robin Van Persie’s volley against Everton was indeed a thing of sporting beauty! Arsenal’s captain has singlehandedly transformed his side from being the laughing stock in September to title contenders. Yes, even the thought of Arsenal prowling anyway near the realm of a title challenge was unfathomable not so long ago but their talismanic leader – with apt support from Arteta, Ramsey, Song et al – has swung their fortunes around. Arsenal are nine points behind Man City as things stand, and if they get can triumph against City on Sunday that might throw another spanner into the intriguing works and we might even throw in a cat and pigeon idiom into the mix as well.
Big match Preview: Man City vs Arsenal
A couple of weeks ago no one would have given Arsenal a sniff, but the timing of their trip to the Etihad Stadium couldn’t have been more opportune for Wenger and his troops. City are on the back of being knocked out from the Champions League and the first league defeat of the season; hence Arsenal might want to strike when the iron is still hot. A three point strike against City would bridge the gap between the two sides and narrowed it down to six. However, even with the contrasting fortunes of the two sides off-late it is difficult to see Arsenal returning from Manchester with three points, or even one.
As pointed out earlier, despite the irksome results City’s performances have showed no sign of diminishing, and with a perfect home record they’d be a hard nut to crack or even pinch. Arsenal should go with their expected lineup of 4-3-3, with four center backs formulating their defense, and an increasingly prolific trio of Arteta, Ramsey and Song in midfield. Gervinho and Walcott should provide adept support to their captain Van Persie up top, and of course a lot depends upon his ability to pull the rabbit out of the proverbial hat. City, however, should have enough control over the match to parry away any hats or rabbits that the Dutch wizard might be hell bent upon conjuring up.
City’s lineup should be unchanged from Monday, apart from of course Zabaleta replacing the suspended Clichy. It is difficult to perceive Arsenal’s rearguard successfully dealing with the likes of Aguero, Balotelli and Silva, and Milner’s dexterous wing play could trouble Vermaelen who is out of his comfort zone at the left fullback position. All the same, Arsenal do have a tailor made opportunity to proclaim their return to the title race against City, even though it is difficult to look past a City win on Sunday.
