Hailed as the greatest domestic league in the world, the English Premier League has not disappointed this year with the quality of football and the dramatic upsets that shake up entire teams’ seasons. Going into the season, Liverpool’s splurge in the transfer market seemed to position them to retain their title from last year, but this year has been anything but clear-cut.

Currently shy of the top four, Liverpool now find themselves in a race to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League, sitting behind Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Manchester United. Each team has had a dramatic, documentary-worthy season, and here’s what I think comes for them.

Arsenal and Manchester City 

Both Arsenal and Manchester City are favorites to win the Premier League this season, with Arsenal currently holding the top spot. Having led the league by nine points at one time, Arsenal have seen that difference whittle away to just two points as we approach Gameweek 29.

I think this is anyone’s race. The lifelong United fan in me hates to say this, but I want City to win the league over this year’s Arsenal team. Arsenal’s title charge can be summed up in the two games they played against Manchester United this season, where they headed into the match as the favorites in both situations.

In the first match, Arsenal won 1-0 but faced criticism over their over-reliance on set pieces and their overall robotic style of play. In their second meeting, Arsenal could not handle Michael Carrick’s revolutionary new tactics of “Carrick-ball” and became another statistic in United’s (so-far) unbeaten run.

Personally, I think Arsenal’s biggest issue is the fanbase. Arsenal’s status as one of the best teams in the world is doubtless. With a dependable, rock-solid centre-back partnership of Saliba and Gabriel holding the fort for an impressive midfield led by Rice and Odegaard, and occasional sensational performances from players like Merino and Zubimendi, Arsenal’s attack is where I am unconvinced.

Many expected Viktor Gyökeres to come into the team and set the league ablaze with his prolific scoring record, having scored more than 50 goals last year for Sporting. But not every new striker is an Erling Haaland. While Gyökeres has picked up a strong run of form lately, Arsenal lacks the prolific firepower of a striker like Haaland or an Isak (although Isak has been injured and disappointing so far for Liverpool).

Meanwhile, City have firmly positioned themselves in the title race, and are creeping up on Arsenal’s protected top spot, driven by some impressive signings like Cherki, Reijnders, and Semenyo in the winter.

This is the part of the season where I think City shines. Manchester City has a history of maintaining consistency like no other team. They are capable of sustaining long winning streaks and not dropping points to random upsets like other teams. Yes, they are not infallible and are capable of losing the odd game, but when the pressure hits the top, they make it count. Arsenal, on the other hand, suffers from a lack of a winning mentality.

Arteta’s Project has been in the making for years now, and so far he only has an FA Cup to show for it. That, too, during the lockdown years, when football was as random as can be, and Liverpool were losing 6-2 to Aston Villa.

I understand that categorizing Arsenal’s rise is not as binary as their trophy record. They have built an incredible squad over the years, and Arteta seems to have a system in place that the players are built for. I may not like the system, but it works.

The burning question is whether this year they can finally counter Patrice Evra’s labeling as a “Netflix team,” always asking to wait for the next season.

Aston Villa 

Unai Emery has revived Aston Villa from a strong midfield team into a serious top-four contender.

Villa had a rocky start to the season, but followed it up with a good run of form sustained for a long time before recently having upsetting wobbles, hallmarked by their 2-0 loss to last-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Morgan Rogers has been stealing the show as the second coming of Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, scoring and assisting with remarkable ease.

With 15 wins, six draws, and seven losses, Villa sit third with 51 points, only three ahead of a charging Manchester United, who also have a game in hand.

Villa were never serious competitors for the title but have firmly put themselves into the top-four conversation.

Their greatest thorn is a struggle to find consistency. They have shown themselves capable of competing with top teams, with wins against teams like Arsenal, but then drew to Leeds, and suffered the infamous loss to Wolves.

I believe they are in strong contention to play Champions League football next season, which would not be surprising considering their exit to PSG this season. However, they need to find the final push in the attacking third to convert their overwhelming control of the midfield into goals.

Manchester United

Here, I am incredibly biased. I have been a lifelong United fan and at times, fall prey to the delusional optimism that is a necessary trait for being a United fan and maintaining your sanity and inner peace. While I was a strong advocate for Reuben Amorim, I concede that he has got a lot wrong.

While Michael Carrick’s interim term has seemingly transformed United into a completely different team, it is easy to forget how important Amorim was to United.

Amorim was the first manager in a long time who sought to reinvigorate the culture of immense discipline and merit from the olden days of Sir Alex Ferguson. For me, United’s biggest issue has always been the leadership.

The infamous Glazers have drained the club dry like vampires, prioritizing the brand name over the quality of football being played. Not only do they insist on an overwhelming control over decisions that impact footballing quality, like the scouting and choice of players for transfers, but they have also employed one of the most despicable transfer policies of all time.

Every time the fans turned up their constant protests against the leadership, United seemed to respond by buying the hottest player on the market, at a much higher cost than they should have.

Players like Sancho, Antony, Hojlund, and the retention of deadwood players like Rashford have led the club into a deep pit of players who are simply not of the standard that United claims to have.

Meanwhile, the fanbase is stuck with the nostalgia of the Ferguson days and is quick and reactionary on every single game. Players who are built up to be the next Zidane, Ronaldo, or Messi are booed off the pitch the very next game, and a single loss can trigger a widespread outcry of sacking claims.

Amorim challenged this culture and sought more control in footballing decisions as the protagonist of United’s on-pitch fates. Not only did he get rid of players like Antony, Rashford, and Garnacho, but he also created a culture of more discipline and accountability.

However, his over-reliance on the 3-4-3 system and confusing preference of players like Ugarte over generational talents like Mainoo, justifies his sacking just as much as his poor win-loss record.

United seems like a new team under Michael Carrick. Switching to a conventional back four, and a fluid attack with options like Amad, Šeško, Mbeumo, and Cunha has led the team to great success recently.

As of Gameweek 28, not only is United enjoying a long unbeaten streak, but they also position themselves as fierce competitors for the top-four Champions League spots. Wins against Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea have breathed new life into the team, which was only curbed by surprise draws against West Ham, Wolves, and Burnley.

Bruno Fernandes seems to have found a new level of midfield control and has reaffirmed himself as one of (if not the) best United signing since the Ferguson days.

For the future, I think United needs to strengthen their midfield depth, find replacements for players like Harry Maguire, and focus on developing their most promising players.

Kobbie Mainoo can be the second coming of Paul Scholes, while players like Leny Yoro, Amad Diallo, Shea Lacey, and Patrick Dorgu can be the faces of the future.

Manchester United are finally showing a level of quality and consistency that fans have not been used to for a while. Šeško’s goal record as a super-sub has led the team to multiple last-minute victories. Bryan Mbeumo’s goalscoring form cements him as the club’s leading goalscorer so far with the creative input of Bruno Fernandes.

United must build on this success and maintain it to sustain their favorable league form. I can see a top-four, or even a top-three finish at the current run of form.

Liverpool

Liverpool are currently fifth in the league with 14 wins, six draws, and eight losses, and remain within touching distance of the top four if they continue their playstyle that enabled a convincing 5-2 win over West Ham.

Going into the season, Liverpool were the universal talking point and the hot favorites to retain their title.

After Jürgen Klopp announced his departure from Liverpool, all eyes were on the successor and whether he could live up to the great success Liverpool saw during Klopp’s time, hallmarked by Champions League and Premier League trophies.

Arne Slot rose to the challenge, winning the league in his first year, with sights on a treble challenge spoiled by exits from the Champions League and not being able to win domestic cups.

This year was expected to be the year Liverpool retained everything by an even larger margin. With the additions of Florian Wirtz from the Bundesliga and the highly sought-after Alexander Isak from Newcastle, Liverpool made two of the most expensive signings in the history of the Premier League.

Interestingly, their standout signing has been Hugo Ekitike, who has been collecting goal involvements like nothing else.

In my opinion, Liverpool’s best player this season is Dominik Szoboszlai, who has adapted to any position the team wants to play him in, even filling in the right back roles when needed. His best traits, however, are in his deadball speciality from set pieces, scoring magnificent free kick goals like they are nothing.

On the other hand, players like Mohamed Salah show signs of a curtain call on an illustrious career. This year, Salah has been nowhere near the level we saw from him in previous years, and especially last year, where he mounted a season that put him in the conversation for the Balon d’Or. Had his team had more success trophy-wise last year, there was a very high chance he would have won it.

Liverpool are struggling with defensive consistency, with the previously spotless Virgil van Dijk at the crux of some of Liverpool’s more egregious defensive mistakes lately. Overall, Liverpool’s defense has let 37 goals in (so far), which is not among the top half of the defensive stats this year.

Their year would be greatly supplemented by an Aston Villa or Manchester United collapse, allowing them to overcome the minor points gap between the top four and the teams in contention for it.

Chelsea

Interestingly, Chelsea are almost on the same boat as Liverpool. With 12 wins, nine draws, and seven losses, Chelsea is three points behind Liverpool. They are competing in a tight top-six battle and may find their way into the top-four race if one of the upper teams falters.

Teams like Brentford and Everton are close behind and are emerging as a real threat to Chelsea’s season.

They have scored 48 goals in the league so far, and have a good record of scoring first, showing a real attacking intent and threat from the team, throwing the floodgates open.

The main issue with Chelsea this year is discipline, having multiple suspensions and red cards. Chelsea has shown a great struggle to maintain their winning positions, and saw managerial changes from Enzo Maresca to Liam Rosenior. They have a knack for getting red cards, such as Roberto Sánchez’s red card against Manchester United, where he tackled Bryan Mbeumo, who was through on goal.

This same mentality is echoed across the team, with personalities like Alejandro Garnacho, who signed from United after falling out with Amorim, and has not been a transformative figure for the team.

Meanwhile, players like João Pedro, Enzo Fernández, and Moisés Caicedo have cemented themselves as top players.

Chelsea’s star player last season, Cole Palmer, has been underwhelming this year, especially after considering last year’s trademark season. But with new signings like the exciting Estevão, Chelsea have the firepower to really do some damage.

Final Predictions 

Given their embarrassing run of form and almost finding themselves in a relegation scrap, I no longer consider Tottenham Hotspur a top-six team. My predicted final-day league table is a little optimistic, to say the least, and very biased. However, I still think I have gotten the predictions right. I think Man City’s firepower and winning mentality will lead to them winning the Arsenal-Man City showdown. I know that Arsenal looks poised to win it all right now, but you can never count out drama in the Premier League. I think Manchester United will finish third, ahead of Chelsea and Liverpool. I think Aston Villa have started to lose their footing and may find themselves sixth when all is said and done.