Sport
SHIFT IN POWER IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE
There has been a shift in power in the Premier League this season with the teams from the south dominating, but how long will it actually last?
London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham are battling it out for the Premier League spoils leaving their rivals trailing in their wake, while Chelsea and Arsenal will also go head-to-head for the FA Cup later this month.
Manchester United secured the EFL Cup earlier this season with victory over Southampton, but that was not their main aim going into the start of the campaign.
Manchester clubs fail to impress
Manchester was supposed to become the capital of the Premier League this season, especially following the arrivals of managerial heavyweights Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, but it has not worked out that way with both clubs battling it out with the also-rans for a top four finish.
Both clubs spent heavily in the transfer market to build squads with a view to winning the Premier League title, but after impressive starts to the campaign they have both fallen off the pace at the top of the table.
Manchester United are currently on a 26-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, but that run has been punctuated by too many draws which has stopped them from making a sustained challenge on Chelsea and Tottenham.
City on the other hand have flattered to deceive under Guardiola and only have a top four place to fight for in what has proven to be a baptism of firm for Guardiola in his first season in English football.
London calling
It has been the leading lights of London who have dominated during the last three seasons with Chelsea on course for their second Premier League title in three years, while Tottenham find themselves in a championship battle for a second successive season.
Chelsea under Antonio Conte look a different animal to the one which weakly surrendered their Premier League crown to Leicester last season, but you can be sure under the wily Italian there will be no such repeat of that should Chelsea go on to win the title this month.
Mauricio Pochettino’s young and vibrant Tottenham just seem to get better and better and if they can keep hold of their best players and add to the squad they look like they could become regular challengers and eventual winners.
Arsenal have always been the flag bearers for southern sides in the Premier League era, having never finished outside the top four under Arsene Wenger, but that record looks like it come to an end this season and can they get back to the heights of their last title success in 2003/04.
Manchester’s big two will again look to the transfer market to revitalise their squads this summer to try and close the gap on their London rivals, but like Conte suggested money does not guarantee you success.
Merseyside clubs threatening
Liverpool will be looking arrest the shift in power back to the north as they continue to make progress under Jurgen Klopp. Two cup finals under the German last season were encouraging signs for the Merseyside side, but only a top four finish and a place in the Champions League next season will allow them to compete with their wealthier rivals in the transfer market this summer.
Everton are also looking to redress the balance in power as they aim to make inroads into the top four and their new cash-rich status could mean they could become a major force again in the higher echelons of the Premier League.
There has been unmistakeable southward shift in the top-flight balance of power and London is currently the epicentre of English football, but the battle to maintain that status is going to be fiercer than ever next season.
