THE RUN IN 1.0: Premier League title contenders

23 game weeks gone. 15 game weeks to go. As we enter the business end of the Premier League season it is Chelsea who find themselves in a superb position. Their great form mean they hold an 8 point advantage over 2nd place Manchester City; therefore it looks a certainty that they obtain the Premier League trophy. However, questions must still be answered. Can they maintain their form and win a 5th Premier League title? Or can any of the chasing pack defy the odds and reel in Chelsea? This article intends to break down each of the title contenders remaining fixtures in order to examine what each must do if they are to be crowned Premier League Champions.

GREEN = Games against relegation battlers (bottom 7)
ORANGE = Games against Mid-table teams
RED =  Games against title rivals (Top 6)

1st Chelsea - 60pts
Games against title contenders: 2
Games against mid-table teams: 6
Games against relegation battlers: 5

26: Swansea (H) 27: West Ham (A) 28: Watford (H) 29: Stoke City (A) 30: Crystal Palace (H) 31: Manchester City (H) 32: Bournemouth (A) 33: Manchester United (A) 34: Southampton (H) 35: Everton (A) 36: Middlesbrough (H) 37: West Brom (A) 38: Sunderland (H)

Mean league position of opponents:  11.538461
As well as an 8 point advantage at the top, Chelsea also have the benefit of having the 2nd easiest schedule out of the title contenders. They only have to play two of their rivals in this period, the two Manchester clubs, whereas they have 5 so called 'easy' games against the teams languishing at the bottom of the table. The run in is kind for Chelsea and given their form, you would expect them to close out the season with relative ease. However poor results against the two Manchester clubs could potentially throw the title race wide open again; and in my belief the results in these two games will be crucial. Lose both games: the title is up for grabs. Win or draw both games: the title is going to West London.

2nd Manchester City - 52pts
Games against title contenders: 4
Games against mid-table teams: 4
Games against relegation battlers: 5

26: Manchester United (H)  27: Sunderland (A)  28: Stoke City (H)  29: Liverpool (H)  30: Arsenal (A) 31: Chelsea (A) 32: Hull City (H) 33: Southampton (A) 34: West Brom (H) 35: Middlesbrough (A) 36: Crystal Palace (H) 37: Leicester (H) 38: Watford (A)

Mean league position of opponents: 11.307692
Manchester City are the team most people will expect to challenge Chelsea the greatest. They seem to have hit form at the right time; particularly as in their next 6 games they will play 4 of their rivals. This includes a gruelling run where they host Liverpool, before travelling to Arsenal and Chelsea; all in consecutive weeks.If City are able to produce a string of good results during this period and somehow close the gap to Chelsea, I believe the title race could go down to the wire. This is because City's last 7 games are relatively simple and I believe that them picking up near to maximum points in these games is a real possibility. Therefore, these next 6 games are pivotal for Manchester City and their outcomes will ultimately define their season. 

3rd Tottenham - 50pts
Games against title contenders: 2
Games against mid-table teams: 6
Games against relegation battlers: 5

26: Stoke City (H) 27: Everton (H) 28: Crystal Palace (A) 29: Southampton (H) 
30: Burnley (A) 31: Swansea (A) 32: Watford (H) 33: Bournemouth (H) 34: Leicester (A) 35: Arsenal (H) 36: West Ham (A) 37: Manchester United (H) 38: Hull City (A) 

Mean League position of opponents: 11.9230769
Tottenham are coming off the back of a very disappointing performance and result against an inconsistent Liverpool, but their fortunes may transform given they have the easiest run in compared to their rivals. They only have to play 2 of their rivals, Arsenal and Manchester United, where they will hold the advantage of hosting both games at White Hart Lane. However, if they are to get anywhere near to Chelsea they must produce a strong set of results in their next 9 games where they will play 4 relegation battlers. I wouldn't rule Tottenham out just yet, but to overhaul Chelsea whilst holding a 10 point deficit looks unlikely at this point. That is barring a Chelsea collapse.

4th Arsenal - 50pts
Games against title contenders: 4
Games against mid-table teams: 5
Games against relegation battlers: 4

26: Southampton (A) 27: Liverpool (A) 28: Leicester City (H) 29: West Brom (A) 30: Manchester City (H) 31: West Ham (H) 32: Crystal Palace (A) 33: Middlesbrough (A) 34: Sunderland (H) 35: Tottenham (A) 36: Manchester United (H) 37: Stoke City (A) 38: Everton (H)

Mean league position of opponents: 10.230769
Arsenal will go into their last 13 games having the second hardest schedule of the title chasing teams. They have not been firing on all cylinders at all in recent weeks and as a result find themselves 10 points down in the race for the title. Their last 4 games look particularly challenging, where they will play rivals Tottenham and Manchester United, before closing the season with two tricky contests away to Stoke and at home to Everton. It looks very unlikely, but to get anywhere near to Chelsea they will most likely need to go unbeaten in all their remaining games.

5th Liverpool - 49pts
Games against title rivals: 2
Games against mid-table teams: 7
Games against relegation battlers: 4

26: Leicester City (A) 27: Arsenal (H) 28: Burnley (H) 29: Manchester City (A) 30: Everton (H) 31: Bournemouth (H) 32: Stoke City (A) 33: West Brom (A) 34: Crystal Palace (H) 35: Watford (A) 36: Southampton (H) 37: West Ham (A) 38: Middlesbrough (H) 

Mean league position of opponents: 10.9230769
The feel good factor was present at Liverpool earlier on the season. However, a tough January has seen them slide down the table and they now find themselves 11 points below Chelsea. Fortunately for them, they have a relatively easy schedule remaining. Their title credentials will most likely be tested in a run of games from game weeks 30-37, where they play a series of mid table clubs. Liverpool have proven that they can beat all their rivals this season, but their results against teams in mid table and below are the ones that have really dealt a blow to their title credentials. If this is addressed they could potentially challenge Chelsea, but that is a big if.

6th Manchester United - 48pts
Games against title rivals: 4
Games against mid-table teams: 4
Games against relegation battlers: 5

26: Manchester City (A) 27: Bournemouth (H) 28: Southampton (A) 29: Middlesbrough (A) 30: West Brom (H) 31: Everton (H) 32: Sunderland (A) 33: Chelsea (H) 34: Burnley (A) 35: Swansea City (H) 36: Arsenal (A) 37: Tottenham (A) 38: Crystal Palace (H)

Mean league position of opponents: 10.1538461
After a poor start to the season under Jose Mourinho, Manchester United have produced a series of improved results recently, but still find themselves languishing in 6th place. Unfortunately for United, as well as a 12 point deficit, they also have the hardest run in out of the 6 title contenders. Although they still have to play 5 of the teams battling for Premier League survival, they also have to play 4 of the teams in the title race. This includes Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham, all of which they are scheduled to play away. Having such a hard schedule means United are bound to drop points, something that they just cannot afford to do if they are to defy the odds and become Premier League champions.

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