5 reasons why no team apart from Chelsea and Manchester City can win the Premier League

The English Premier League has already started, and this is set to be one of the most exciting seasons yet. Contrary to previous seasons, almost all the teams seemed to have made significant improvements to their squad in anticipation of trying to finish better than last season. However, irrespective of the upgrades the big clubs may have made to their squads, it will either be Chelsea or Manchester City who will end up winning the league. Here are a few reasons why.

#1 Managers

As is already known, Jose Mourinho is a no-nonsense manager who will do whatever it takes for his team to win a game. Not only does he have prior experience of winning the English league, he’s also shown he’s adept at adapting to changes with his league wins in different countries. He can assess the opposition and ensure that his team is set up in such a way that it will come out with the maximum points most of the time.

Manuel Pellegrini has also taken to the English game like a duck to water, winning the league cup and the Premier League last year. It was not an easy walk in the park, with Arsenal leading for most of the season and then Liverpool giving them a tough fight till the very end. But he was savvy enough to ensure his team prevails and he can be trusted to be tactically astute to make it happen once again.

There are, of course, other managers like Arsene Wenger and Louis van Gaal who have been successful in the past, but both managers have a lot to do if they are to have any hope of winning the league. Wenger must try and arrest Arsenal’s seasonal February slide, while van Gaal would be spending the best part of the year trying to get the players at his disposal to play decent football. Brendan Rodgers will have his hands full with the Champions League and it will be interesting to see if he can cope with the fixture overload.

#2 Squads

All the clubs have made some major signings, but it is Chelsea and Manchester City who can be said to have the most balanced squads. For Chelsea, Cesc Fabregas seems to be an upgrade on whatever strength Juan Mata brought to the team, and he certainly has settled in nicely, if the assists in his first game are anything to go by. The signing of an ageing Didier Drogba will still be an upgrade on whatever Fernando Torres has to offer, if any. Add to that last season’s success story Diego Costa and you have a team that is all ready to conquer the league. Manchester City, who already have a very good squad have made the important additions of Bacary Sagna and Fernando to help in their title defence.

Contrast that with Liverpool’s and Arsenal’s transfer activity, and despite signing a significant number of players, both teams still have holes in their squads that need filling if they are to make sustained challenge for the title. The defence of both teams certainly looks suspect, and while Liverpool have tried to replace the influential Luis Suarez, Arsenal are still looking to make do with Olivier Giroud and Yaya Sanogo. Neither team presents a confident look of winning the league. A cup or two maybe, but the league certainly seems far away.

#3 Opposition

As already touched upon, the opposition teams are certainly not complete enough to beat Chelsea and Manchester City to the title. Liverpool and Arsenal still have gaps to fill, and unless they do that in the short period left in the transfer window, it’s difficult to see them doing anything but falling short. Liverpool have to contend with Champions League fixtures, and that can be a heavy drain on the squad. Arsenal, as everyone knows, will shine till february, and then drop the ball like every season. Manchester United don’t even look to be having a squad capable of making it to the top 4, so even if they are a factor for the title challenge, that’d be a surprise.

There won’t be too many surprise elements either, with Everton and Tottenham Hotspur the outsiders. But even they will not last long when it comes to a sustained charge to the title. That leaves only Chelsea and Manchester City who are capable of winning the league this season.

#4 Consistency

Chelsea and Manchester City have been at the top end of the table for about 3 to 4 years now, and they certainly know what it takes to be the best team in the league. Their teams are filled with players who have done it before, and they have that experience to draw on when things come to a head. Being able to do it every season gives them an edge over teams that are still wondering what they need to do to win the league.

True, Liverpool may have one of the most experienced midfielders in Steven Gerrard, but even he can’t claim to have won a league title and that particular know-how is what is important. Arsenal, for all their manager’s experience, haven’t been able to win the league for a decade now, and it almost feels as is Arsene Wenger has forgotten how it’s done. There is not a single player in the London club that has won an EPL medal, and it’s hard to see it changing this season.

#5 HIgh Stakes

Beyond all the previous reasons, probably the most important driver for Chelsea and Manchester City is the high stakes involved. Both clubs have mega rich owners who are more concerned about glory and silverware than about balancing the books. The pressure on the managers to bring that silverware is very high, and if they don’t deliver, they know that they’ll be fired without much ceremony.

Jose Mourinho claimed last season that it wasn’t his team and they should wait one year for the transition to be completed. Now that it has happened, he will be expected to deliver the league title. The same goes for Manuel Pellegrini. Despite winning the league and the league cup last season, his job is not safe at all, and if more silverware does not come that satisfies the owners, then he will be in real trouble.