Chelsea are currently six points clear of two teams, Liverpool and Arsenal, for the top of the table. Of the two teams with 34 points right now chasing the team with 40, the Reds have one major advantage over the Gunners- no European football to be concerned about.
Thus, like the team in first place from Stamford Bridge, they can put all their eggs in the domestic league basket. The fourth place team, Manchester City, like Arsenal has UEFA Champions League play to devote focus and attention to as well.
According to Bet365, here is the most updated odds of winning the Premier League:
Chelsea 4-5, Manchester City 9-2, Liverpool 6-1, Arsenal 7-1, Tottenham Hotspur 25-1, Manchester United 25-1
That means Liverpool, who have spent a decent amount of the season with the second best title odds of anyone in the league, have now fallen down a peg to third, while City the preseason title favorite, are now second. United, backed with the second best odds in the preseason, are now down to sixth.
What Chelsea is doing right now is out of this world. Everyone believes that they will come back to Earth at some point. In fact the law of averages says so. The Blues have won ten in a row, meaning they have a very good chance of tying the record of 14, set in 2002 by Arsenal. Here’s what the Soccer Power Index, in partnership with FiveThirtyEight.com, has for Chelsea win projections over their next four fixtures-
at Crystal Palace 50%, AFC Bournemouth 72%, Stoke City 68%, at Tottenham Hotspur 29%.
While they still may not lose for awhile, Chelsea will lose again, the question is just, are Liverpool the team which can be consistent enough to catch them?
Why not? Who else could it be? You know that they can score and they can score with panache. However, they also give up goals too. Manager Jurgen Klopp has dropped goalkeeper Loris Karius in favor of Simon Mignolet. You know all too well the issues Mignolet had before, but has he figured that out now for good?
Of all the teams in the top eight, only the Reds across-the-park rivals, Everton, have conceded more goals. Meaning that Merseyside Derby Monday night is going to be lit. Almost every Liverpool game is fun to watch, but if they are truly the biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Blues claiming their second league title in three years, then those entertaining contests are going to become even more meaningful.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.