The wondrous uncertainty of the Premier League

The joy of a goal and the despair at conceding it

‘The Invincibles’ of Arsenal, the nouveau riche Chelsea and City have all tasted domestic success in the spell spanning Barcelona and Real’s domination.

Which leads us to this season. To describe the Premier League as a changing landscape would be an understatement. The top 3 of last season i.e. United, City and Chelsea all have new men at their helm, all of whom have understandably had slow starts. These slow starts have opened the door to the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool to catch up to the three who seemed to be front runners at the start of the season.

Arsenal got their much awaited star player in the form of the brilliant Mesut Ozil. The German’s introduction along with Aaron Ramsey’s blistering form has propelled Arsenal to the top of the table. Liverpool have continued their policy of rebuilding by buying young players and have managed to keep hold of Luis Suarez and find themselves second in the league table.

Spurs may have sold their key man in Gareth Bale but they’ve invested the world record transfer fee and invested very very well. All this means that this is the most open title race in recent times. Whether all 6 of the teams can sustain a title challenge for the entirety of the season is doubtful but if early signs are anything to go by then this season’s title race could be one that could last the distance.

Outside the top 6, few of the mid-table sides have bought exceedingly well in the transfer window (Southampton, Swansea, Norwich to name a few). Everton seem to be finding their feet and West Brom picked up 4 points in their last 2 games against Manchester United and Arsenal. Villa have beaten both Arsenal and City already this season and Cardiff also got the better of City in what was their first home league game of the season.

The bottom line is that the old cliches of “There are no easy games in this league” and “We can beat anybody on our day” are ringing true in the Premier League.

For instance, let’s look at Southampton’s trip to Old Trafford this weekend. The Champions have had a testing start to the campaign whereas the Saints are sitting pretty in 4th spot. William Hill have Manchester United as favourites at 4/7, but given the uncertainty of the Premier League and the form of the teams, I’d definitely advice you to claim your football betting coupon and split your bets on at least a draw along with a United win.

After all 3/1 for a draw and 5/1 for a Southampton win don’t look too shabby eh?

Football hipsters tend to deride the Premier League and its multitude of followers. I see the pros of the other leagues and the cons of the Premier League and indeed would definitely watch, say a Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund over a Chelsea vs Norwich. Having said that, the Premier League is still my favourite league to watch. I’ve grown up watching it and have come to revel in the dramatic and sometimes even chaotic nature of the league. And if early signs are anything to go by, this season is bound to bring more of the same!