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"We do not buy superstars, we make them." Arsene Wenger

Thursday 21 April 2011

It's now a three horsed race

With United dropping points after a 0-0 draw with Newcastle, Arsenal and (unbelievably) Chelsea needed to maintain the pressure on the league leaders. The Gunners travelled to White Hart Lane and Chelsea welcomed Birmingham at the Bridge.

Despite the north London derby being a great spectacle for all neutrals, the result would please neither of the clubs. A 3 all draw means Arsenal stay 6 points behind leaders United and Tottenham fail to go level on points with Man City. What made the night worse for the Arsenal players and all their fans was that Chelsea beat Birmingham 3-1. This meant that Ancelotti's team go above the Gunners on goal difference and back into the title race.

So Chelsea are very much challenging for the top spot in the league but where does that leave Arsenal? They may need some luck to bring the title to the Emirates but with 5 games left anything can still happen. Now I assess each teams chances of success.

Manchester United
The Red Devils have the best chance of winning their 19th title as they are 6 points clear however they still remain in the Champions League and have a terrible away record. On Saturday they welcome an Everton side which have 5 wins from their last 6 games and themselves are battling against Liverpool for 6th place. Just three days later they travel to Shalke and after that is the big one vs Arsenal. There will be a huge amount of hype to that game and with so much riding on the 3 points it's a must see. The second leg of the Champions League semi finals is on May 4th with Chelsea visiting Old Trafford on the Sunday. They are five huge games for United which will take it out of the players but if they pull through they will be crowned champions. On the other hand, these games could put the two London clubs right on their heels meaning Blackburn away and Blackpool on the last day would be must wins.
Chelsea
Carlo Ancelotti ruled Chelsea out of the title on Tuesday, yet 24 hours later they're into second. Like United they have a tricky run-in. West Ham should be an easy win on Saturday although West Ham have had a few surprises this season, their most recent the 3-1 win against Liverpool. A week later they play Spurs and then visit Old Trafford. Tottenham will be battling for 4th but should Chelsea win they could, could go first. Their final two games are Newcastle and Everton which Chelsea failed to beat earlier in the season
Arsenal
Some people may see Arsenal's final fixtures as the easiest but with all the pressure, will they cope? Bolton away has been challenging in the past though the Wanderers will still have the 5-0 defeat to Stoke still in their minds. Next is United which is a must win for Wengers side. Should they win this they will have great belief for Stoke away, Villa at the Emirates and finally the short trip to play Fulham. The Potters may decide to rest key men for the FA cup just 7 days after Arsenal. Aston Villa would surely be safe by then so have nothing to play for and the same would be expected for Fulham.

There's no such thing as an easy end to the season, there will be many surprising fixtures still to come and nothing is certain in the Premier League. Every week will be nail biting for all three clubs but it would be worth it providing your club is victorious at the end of it.

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