To the wire
Drama, chaos, and a cat race. The Premier League is living up to its infamous title of the 'best league in the world,' yet again. Eight years since the last three-horse title race, which ended with the most fairy-tale outcome of Leicester City lifting the trophy, we are going down to the wire in the penultimate rounds. Will it be Manchester City retaining their fourth straight title? Will Jurgen Klopp get his fitting farewell in his last dance, or will Mikel Arteta's 'process' finally come to its ultimate fruition? Genuinely, it doesn't get better than this.
Let's start with Pep Guardiola. A serial winner with a hunger to win that can never be satisfied. With Pep, there is always a sense of wonder around him. It's intimidating to meet someone whose brain is always processing and developing and always moving forward and thinking ten steps ahead of you. Given that he has won every trophy possible and has finally won the Champions League with City, there is little to nothing left for him to prove. Yet, he is here, still delivering for the Mancunians.
For this season though, in City's level of perfection, this is perhaps coming short of the high standards they've set themselves. There's talk about Erling Haaland misfiring, yet he is the top scorer with 18 goals. With Kevin De Bruyne's absence, Julian Alvarez is in the top three with eight assists, two shy of the leader. In terms of the most important statistic, they're only a point away from the top of the table. The only reason you can argue that they are running short this term is that their record against the top six looks less like themselves. With six draws and just two wins against Chelsea and Manchester United, it questions whether the top coaches have figured out how to hold off City. The only loss they have incurred is the one against Pep's prodigy, Mikel Arteta.
Last season Arsenal came agonisingly close to winning the league. Then Arsenal did what Arsenal does, succumbed to the pressure, and lost out of the race. Some believed it was too soon for Arteta's prophecy to come true; others blamed the lack of maturity in a squad with an average age of 24. Most believed that would be a one-off sprint, yet, here they are again, sandwiched between two giants who have shared recent glories, fighting, and winning.
To dismiss Arsenal is to dismiss the beauty of belief and identity. Just two seasons prior they struggled to finish in the top four and many Emirates faithful concluded that Arteta was still inexperienced and was perhaps over-complimented by his peers. But his peers are the ones who face him on the field and most managers, to a degree, believed that what he was building would reap rewards in the future. And so, here they are now, one of the most exciting teams to watch with a football that stays true to the club's identity of sleekness.
If records speak for themselves then Arsenal's speaks the best. Three wins, four draws, and zero losses are why they are at the top, though tied. The way the Gunners have played in 2024 has been a statement of intent, conceding only 4 goals and dishing out 33 on the other end. However, it is important to note that they have yet to play Spurs and United away and Chelsea at home. Then again, they are only one of the two teams to have bettered Liverpool this season.
Liverpool has been a different spice this season. Perhaps the mood shifted, and the gear kicked off when Jurgen Klopp announced this would be his last season at the realm of Anfield. This is perhaps one of football's most beloved managers in modern times. A man who wears his emotions on his sleeves and occasionally on his face. His reign lived up to its reputation, guiding Liverpool to an elusive European title and then winning the Premier League after thirty barren years.
When the season kicked off, Liverpool was dismissed to an extent. After the departure of key players and leaders within the club, they struggled to compete last season and thus fell short of qualifying for the Champions League. The last two seasons have been an effort to rebuild, and strong recruitments are now comfortably settling in and challenging for the title. In hindsight, perhaps not qualifying for the Champions League this season might just become the decisive factor to tilt the title towards them. Even on days when Mohammad Salah is not racking up goals, they are finding a way to win – an important characteristic all eventual champions must possess.
Mathematically, even till last week, this title was Liverpool's to lose. If they continued to win all their games, they would have been champions. But this is the Premier League and drama is the core ingredient. Their long-term rival, United held on to a 2-2 draw, lifting Arsenal to the top in goals difference and allowing City to close the once three-point gap to now just one. Now, factually, it is Arsenal's league to lose. However, they have the toughest run of games still yet to be played, while City on the other hand have the easiest fixtures left.
There is no room for errors for either of the three and it may even go down to the last day, down to the wire. Whatever the ride brings, and it may even just be the now-usual City League win, it is still going to be an exciting run toward the finish line.
Raiyan Binte Rafiq is the sports columnist for The Daily Star. She is currently pursuing an LLM, while freelancing for INDIVISA. She also oversees recruitment at Next Level Sports Management based in Bangladesh.
Views expressed in this article are the author's own.
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