Yogesh Joshee

Ghost Of Christmas Standings Past

‘Tis the season to be jolly…for Chelsea fans. With

their star-studded team perched comfortably on

the top of the Premier League table at 42 points,

we go into Christmas weekend, or week 18 of

EPL (as some of the more religious would say), with

the standings fairly reflecting why many

firmly believe the Barclays’ Premier League to be the most interesting

football league in the world.

Even though Mourinho’s

team, with its lethal combination of talent and

experience, has so far performed consistently to keep competition at bay,

with the exception of relentless Manchester City, weathered fans know better than to start rejoicing just

yet. Premier League history stands testimony to the fact that top-of-the-table team

before Christmas teams almost never wins the title.

While City is hot on heels of the table leader, it is from the third position

and below that things get really interesting this particular season.

Competition is fierce between Manchester United and and ten teams below it, with some teams

leveled on the same points with only

goal difference setting them apart. With teams like Manchester United,

Arsenal, Liverpool (the historically top-tier teams)

battling for a steady place in the top half, it is no surprise that the January

transfer rumors are wilder than usual, by EPL standards.

In the Gunners weekenddraw with Arsenal in a

nerve-wrecking game thatwasn’t decided until the last

few minutes, bothLiverpool and Arsenal lost

crucial points, a luxuryneither could afford.

Wenger’s team, the tableleaders on 1st January 2014,

are now sixth on the table –a rather unsatisfactory

place for Arsenal fans whofor the past few seasons,

and more importantly forthe past few games, have

seriously reflected on theirfaith in the French

mastermind.

Wenger has loosened Arsenal’s purse strings for the past two seasons with high profile purchases like Mesut Özil

and Alexis Sánchez and despite last year’s FA Cup victory, this finally seems like the season Arsenal fans are no

longer content with barely surviving the season. The January transfer market will show how far Arsene

Wenger is willing to go to keep the team in the next year’s Champions League run.

All teams still have two games each between

Christmas and New Years to gain the

essential points before deciding on transfer

tactics for the January window. All in all, the

next two weeks promise a lot of

excitement for EPL fans and if the transfer rumors are even slightly

true, even more excitement to follow as

2015 unfolds.For more, please visit:

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