The top flight of English football, the Premier League, is now 21 games into its season, just past the halfway mark of the season. The season so far has produced some spectacular games, such as the 5-4 thriller between Manchester City and Fulham, as well as the 4-4 draw between Manchester United and Bournemouth. We have also experienced memorable moments. There were the special tributes for the late Liverpool player Diogo Jota, Sunderland achieving some great results against the giants of the league, and the sacking of Manchester United’s coach, Ruben Amorim, among other events. Some 587 goals later, as we begin to near the run-in, three teams stand out as clear title contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City, and Aston Villa.
As of January 13, the Premier League is led by Arsenal, which tops the table by 6 points over Manchester City. A very well-rounded squad managed by Mikel Arteta is beginning to prove that this may not be the Arsenal that we’ve seen for the last three seasons. The Gunners are looking like an unstoppable force capable of winning the title. Even neutral fans who support clubs that are not in the title race, such as Everton fan and OFHS Spanish teacher Mr. Blakley, must admit that Mikel Arteta’s team is in top form this year. Mr. Byrne, a gym teacher and Liverpool fan, also believes that the league is Arsenal’s to lose now.
You might claim that we’ve seen this story before: Manchester City trails Arsenal by a few points in January but ends up going on a run to dethrone Arsenal from the top spot. However, Manchester City fan Mr. McKinnon, an English teacher, thinks a little bit less optimistically. When asked if Manchester City still has a chance to win the title, Mr. McKinnon said, “Technically? Yes. Realistically? Only if Arsenal suddenly forget how to win matches. A six-point gap in January isn’t fatal, but this Arsenal side looks annoyingly grown-up.” It is true that this Arsenal side is more capable of winning the league than any other Arsenal team that we’ve seen in the last decade. A clear weak link in this Manchester City team is the back line, which has suffered a massive blow with the loss of Josko Gvardiol due to injury. Mr. McKinnon is not very optimistic about how well this back line will bode while trailing Arsenal, as he believes that Nathan Ake may not be able to fill the shoes of Gvardiol. Mr. McKinnon said, “He certainly has the mind for it, but physically, he just isn’t Jos.” Hope is still there for Manchester City, as a solution to a damaged defense is a powerful attack capable of outscoring the other team, which is certainly possible with Erling Haaland leading the line, who, according to Mr. McKinnon and most Manchester City fans, is their most impactful player. Mr. McKinnon said, “When he’s cooking, City steamroll teams. When he’s pocketed, the whole attack starts passing sideways like it’s preseason.” It is true that Haaland has been involved in 54 percent of Manchester City’s goals so far this Premier League season. Fortunately, with the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, Mr. McKinnon and I agree that it is a solid acquisition that could reignite hope for a charge at the title.
Let’s temporarily move on from the title race and observe the top six, as well as the midtable. Manchester United sits in 7th place, fighting to get in the top six, a drastic change from last season, in which they fought to avoid relegation, finishing in 15th place. This improvement is enough to satisfy many Man United fans, including Lorenzo Guiza, an Oak Forest High School student. He believes that Manchester United has been a consistent team recently and has a serious opportunity to make the top five and qualify for European football, especially with Bruno Fernandes, who Guiza believes has been their most important player, in the starting lineup. Based on his observations, Fernandes creates the most chances in almost every game, and he always shows up when the lights shine bright. But what could hold them back from making the top five? The lack of proper management could. Guiza believes that Manchester United will drastically increase their chances of qualifying for European football if, after the sacking of Ruben Amorim, they hire a proper manager. And it’s true that the sacking of Amorim could be a turning point for the worse in United’s season. According to Guiza and many other United fans, Amorim should not have been sacked because he was a successful manager who brought United from 15th place last season to 6th as of now, and he had the desire to save the club while returning it to its former glory with the right players.
Moving on, also in the top six, Liverpool has seen a drop in form compared to how it looked during its title-winning season in 2024-2025. Liverpool sits in 4th place as of January 13, but it has not been playing up to the standards it set last season. The club has had to settle for multiple draws in games that it should have won, and it has suffered humiliating defeats such as the 3-0 loss against Manchester City. Liverpool fans have certainly been disappointed, including Mr. Byrne, who said, when asked about Liverpool’s loss of form, Liverpool fans are certainly disappointed, such as Mr. Byrne, who, when asked how he feels about Liverpool’s drop in form, said, “Very Disappointed. The off season was excellent in terms of purchases but everything was so last minute it upset the balance of the team and we brought in too many players too soon.” Even after a successful summer transfer window with several big-money signings such as Ekitike, Wirtz, and Isak, the problem at Liverpool, as Mr. Byrne stated, is that “there seems to be a lack of motivation and energy in performances.” Although the summer signings—particularly Wirtz and Ekitike—brought outstanding game intelligence and technical ability, they also disrupted the team’s balance and affected its chemistry and cohesiveness, according to Mr. Byrne. Mr. Farrell, an English teacher and casual Liverpool fan, said, “It’s always difficult when a team—especially one that dominated the league as thoroughly as Liverpool did last year—experiences a drop to 4th in the standings. Huge signings, sometimes involving players adjusting to a different league, don’t guarantee victory.” We’re seeing evidence of that now with Liverpool out of the title race.
As the second half of the season unfolds, fans around the world will watch the remaining 17 match weeks to see who will be crowned the next Premier League champion. Regarding the title race, even fans of clubs besides Arsenal, such as Mr. Byrne, Mr. Farrell, and Mr. Blakely, believe that Arsenal will win the title this season. Others, though, such as Manchester City fan Mr. McKinnon and Manchester United fan Lorenzo Guiza, believe that there is still a sliver of hope for Manchester City to steal the trophy from Arsenal’s grasp. But for now, the title is Arsenal’s to lose.
