Chelsea and Manchester United: The ostensible contenders

You have to say these are still relatively early days in the Premier League season. That is why I am not too elated by Chelsea‘s surge to the top of table and their glittering form thus far. By now we all know how Alex Ferguson’s men start sluggishly and turn on the heat once winter sets in England. Manchester City have been clearly out of depth this term. Yet the ability of grind out three points from games holds them in good stead to retain the title at the end of season. It is this kind of application that remains the hallmark of a Champion. Arsenal started brightly with Santi Cazorla starring for the Gunners but they took an unexpected tumble against Norwich couple of weeks back. Again they had to etch out a win right at the end against QPR who gave them more than a few problems at the Emirates. Liverpool have been poor under Brendon Rogers and the lack of options in front of goal may yet again cost them dearly. AVB has had a better start to his Spur’s career than the one he endured in West London. However, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Spurs look lesser of a threat with Harry Redknapp and Luka Modric gone.

The Premier League is by far the toughest league in the World. Unlike Spain, where the title is often a two way race between Madrid and the Catalans, England has a much higher level of competition. The ability of lower teams to cause an upset is very high in English Football. QPR holding Chelsea to a goalless draw or Norwich beating the Gunners are examples of this. It is extremely hard to make predictions especially at this early stage of the season. No team look likes it has enough in its belly to run away with the title the way Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea did in the Portugese’s first two seasons. You certainly don’t want to be the one making predictions.

Chelsea have started the season extremely brightly with the trio of Hazard, Mata and Oscar causing mayhem at will. Yet questions that were unanswered at the start of the season remain unanswered even today. What happens if Fernando Torres gets injured or loses his touch yet again. There have been signs of that in the past few games, even though Robbie Di Matteo vehemently denies that. Another concern is that Chelsea have been uncharacteristically shipping goals for fun. A more attacking Chelsea side is exciting to watch, no doubt but I still believe they are far from being a finished article yet.

Manchester United remain right on Chelsea’s toes in the points table but they have big unanswered questions of their own. Defensively, I don’t think they can count on Rio Ferdinand for the entire season. The big man seems to have lost his legs and his reputation for breaking down is known pretty well. Neither Johny Evans nor Chris Smalling have been able to cement a place in Fergie’s first team. Vidic remains the only credible option and his injuries can hurt United badly. The midfield engine has lacked a bit of verve too. That was evident when Ferguson was compelled to deploy the versatile Wayne Rooney as a midfielder who could drive the ball forward quickly and creatively. Arsenal have Santi Cazorla – a midfielder of insane capabilities but their unending wait for Jack Wilshire to come back and revive their fortunes is beginning to hurt them. For all the ball they generally have. they find it inexplicably hard to break down the opponent. Manchester City, to be honest have had a torrid start to the season even though the points table does not reflect that. Roberto Mancini seems a little beleaguered at the moment after accepting that his team’s loss to Ajax in the Champions League was his own fault. It could be a problem of plenty for Roberto Mancini. He still hasn’t really zeroed in on his favorite strike partnership

November and December are the most important months of the season with the games coming in thick and fast. It is the time of the year when teams could use a little extra depth in their squads. Manchester City seems to have the deepest squad when someone as potent as Edin Dzeko is only a super sub at the Eastlands. Injuries can hurt Chelsea badly, especially one to an attacking player. Manchester United will be hoping for Nemanja Vidic’s speedy recovery to bolster their defense. Arsenal will be hoping that after a year and a half of misfortune, Jack Wilshire can finally come back and play some football.

This unpredictability of the Premier League is also its biggest charm. As a true Chelsea fan, I hope the title returns to South West London in May next year.