Premier League storylines going into the new year
With the Premier League reaching the halfway point, the transition into the New Year offered the perfect opportunity to analyze where the England's top division stands entering 2015.
The race to win the title
Chelsea and Manchester City are in a two-horse race for the Premier League trophy. Unless both stumble for a prolonged period of time, either the Blues of Manchester or the Blues of Chelsea will hoist it at season’s end.
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Jose Mourinho’s team has a three-point edge in the table and holds a slight edge as the favorite. Midfielder Yaya Toure’s departure for the Africa Cup of Nations could be the deciding factor, as the Ivorian entered the festive flurry of fixtures in form. Toure will miss the vital clash between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge at the end of January.
Also, a skinny front line due to injuries could catch up with the Citizens. In that same breath, though, a return to health for Sergio Aguero could quickly mask Toure’s absence. Aguero leads England with 14 goals in the Premier League.
The race to finish in the top four
Behind the top two, Manchester United appears to be settling back into the top four. Manager Louis van Gaal has returned results to Old Trafford, and the Red Devils have managed to swim 19 of the 38 laps holding steadily in third place. Even with a hobbled defense and a team swallowed whole by injures, United stayed afloat. If the Red Devils get healthy, they may even manage to creep into the title race by the end of the season.
In the battle for the Champions League, six teams are within eight points of Manchester United. Arsenal and Southampton are level on points for fourth place. West Ham and Tottenham sit only two points back of fourth. With Liverpool and Swansea City three points behind the Hammers and Spurs, the battle for England’s top four may be even more interesting than the title race. In all, five points separate six teams for the final Champions League spot.
The race to avoid relegation
With Crystal Palace, Burnley and Leicester City in the drop zone and Queens Park Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Hull City hovering dangerously above it, the relegation battle also appears to be coming into focus in England. Everything considered, the battle to stay up does not offer many surprises.
Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. He has previously written about the 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederations Cup and regularly provides opinions on the English Premier League, UEFA Champions League, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and Spanish La Liga. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA
