Leicester, Tottenham and Arsenal — wonderfully chaotic Premier League title now a three-horse race

MANCHESTER City are gone. Two points separate the top three with 12 games left. Have you got a clue who’ll win the EPL title? Because we can’t pick it.

David Hall

3 min read

February 15, 2016 - 12:09PM

MANCHESTER City are gone. Two points separate the top three with 12 games to go. Have you got a clue who’ll win the title? Because we can’t pick it.

We’re calling City’s season now. After another demoralising home defeat, Manuel Pellegrini’s team have just one win against any of the current top eight teams.

Maybe it’s because of the new era approaching like Pep Guardiola surfing a tsunami at the Etihad. A sense of impending doom for players who know the Spaniard will dismantle the current squad appears to have sucked the air out of City’s title bid.

Tottenham, by contrast, look fuelled by a big sniff of silver polish, a giddy rush of blood to the head after five wins on the trot that has the pulse of White Hart Lane pumping in a way unseen in a generation.

For all the concerns over their reliance on Harry Kane — who has scored 15 goals in his last 17 games — Spurs’ depth could yet take them all the way.

Midfielder Christian Eriksen has three goals and two assists in his last five games. Teen wonder Dele Alli already has seven goals and looks untameable. Former misfit Erik Lamela is delivering consistently.

Even the loss of injured centre-back Jan Vertonghen has gone largely unnoticed, with Dean Wimmer proving a more than adequate replacement.

Spurs have conceded just 20 goals all season. That’s a title-winning defence right there.

The problem for Spurs could be the fixture list, with games against Arsenal, Liverpool, Man Utd and Chelsea still to come, plus Europa League and FA Cup distractions.

Even Arsenal's Danny Welbeck doesn’t know if the Gunners can win it.

Elsewhere in north London, Arsenal’s defeat of Leicester was huge for the Gunners — they are the only team this season to beat the Foxes home and away — but inconsistency remains a problem. Their last six reads DDLDWW.

They really need to find a few more goals as well.

Despite Mesut Ozil creating 100 chances on his own, Arsenal’s 41 is the lowest in the top four.

Theo Walcott’s 70th-minute equaliser was their first shot on target.

The return of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck (OK, we’re being kind there) at this late stage is a big boost. That’s the sort of squad depth Leicester lack, and when the Foxes went down to 10 men at the Emirates, Jamie Vardy was left isolated for the first time this season.

But that won’t happen too often for Leicester — Danny Simpson was the first Fox to be sent off all season. And they also have the luxury of licking their wounds from that loss with a week’s holiday somewhere warm, while their rivals toil through congested fixture lists.

Tottenham are chasing their first title since 1961.

Vardy’s attacking threat was underlined again against Arsenal — the man has won more penalties by himself (six) than all the other Premier League teams.

Losing to Arsenal was painful but it wasn’t a disaster. No more games against top four teams, the energy and spirit that has taken them this far remains intact. Next up — relegation-threatened Norwich.

And after all that, we are no closer to calling a winner.

We’re waiting for that defining moment — a cruel injury or belief-shattering loss — but we’re also hoping that never comes.

Simply by virtue of the sheer level competition this has to be the most intriguing and compelling Premier League season yet.

In no season since the competition’s launch in 1992 have we had such equality, with the destruction of the established order giving way to a thrilling chaos that has fans of one generation blinking in disbelief, and those BPL (before Premier League) dinosaurs recalling the egalitarian years of the old First Division.

Whoever claims the title this year, for all our sakes, let’s hope this is just the beginning.

HIGHLIGHT

Southampton have risen to sixth in the table after six games — that’s nine hours — without conceding a goal. At this stage of this season, it’s near miraculous. And the Saints are now just one point behind Manchester United.

LOWLIGHT

No one hates Aston Villa. That’s why it’s so sad to see this proud club in such a sorry state. Liverpool weren’t really that good at Villa Park — but the home side were really that bad. And with the money flood about to hit the EPL, there couldn’t be a worse time to fall.

SAD UNITED

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