Well it’s roughly half way through the season and the top four are, as expected, reflecting the small, but significant, differences between therm. No race is won with only half the course run, but some presumptions can be made.

Manchester United sit on top, a position their fans believe they will keep. The front two strikers have gelled well, and better then many expected. Add to this the Cristiano Ronaldo factor and they will be right up there. But the champagne is best put on ice for now, or it may taste like bitter plonk come the season's end.

Sir Alex Ferguson's January wish-list might be a target man/striker to complement the similar, if not effective, Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez. For all their attacking quality their title bid will be spurred on by an excellent central defence as exhibited at Liverpool recently. They can have off days but the defence covers the flaws of individuality. They are a team most deadly when their stars hit it off and dazzle with individual brilliance, but not always in a structured team pattern, like Chelsea or Liverpool.

'Liverpool are effectively six points adrift of the leaders, not bad considering they have dropped seven at home against their three big rivals'


Arsenal remain a lively competitor and breath of fresh air. Arsene Wenger, yet again, is their most important player. His ability to shop in Argos and turn out Rolexes is fantastic. However, a word of caution; the goalkeeper is somewhat a weak link and you get the feeling, when it comes to the crunch, he may let them down.

This, allied to the lack of creativity - strange for this Arsenal side - when they are missing Cesc Fabregas and Aleksandr Hleb, could make it easier for physical teams to take points off them. African Nations time will also be key for the Gunners so expect Wenger to invest in cover during the January sales. 

Chelsea, as ever, will be hard to beat, but even their huge resources are tested with key injuries. With John Terry out, in comes Alex, a good player but not a patch on Terry as player or leader. Add to the mix Frank Lampard's injury and the African absentees and I fear they will drift away. Nicolas Anelka would be a clever buy to cover for the absent Didier Drogba, but Michael Essien's drive will be missed.

Liverpool continue to frustrate, and may ultimately falter. Branded out of the tile race every passing weekend they sit fourth. And with three points from their game in hand, they are effectively six points adrift of the leaders, not bad considering they have dropped seven at home against their three big rivals. Certainly, their away form will need to be of the highest quality.

Essentially, the gap between United and Liverpool is the three games won by United that were drawn by Liverpool (presuming they win the game in hand). They have got problems but not to the degree others would think. And the gap is surmountable if a winning run can be put together. Writing them off at the half-way point might be premature, but this season may be a season too soon. And the addition of a left-sided centre-back would be a key buy.

Which team do you think will come out on top at the end of the season? Post a comment below or submit an article to Sportingo.