Throughout the majority of the top European leagues, certain teams are already to impose their dominance. Paris Saint-Germain are already miles clear in the French Ligue 1, while Bayern Munich are on course for their tenth consecutive German Bundesliga title. Although there’s a fierce battle in the Italian Serie A, in Spain it seems Real Madrid will face little competition in their bid to win LaLiga.
Meanwhile, the quest for supremacy in England appears to be split between three teams. The last campaign saw Manchester City crowned 2020-21 Premier League champions, after finishing 12 points clear of neighbouring rivals Manchester United. This time around the biggest challengers are Liverpool and Chelsea, with both teams mounting a serious challenge for the 2021-22 title. But how is this race going to unfold?
Manchester City
The Etihad Stadium has grown accustomed to success over the last decade. Ever since the takeover led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who installed Khaldoon Al Mubarak chairman, Manchester City fans have enjoyed a meteoric transformation of their football club. During this period, they have won five Premier League titles, the FA Cup twice, plus the EFL Cup six times.
Since his appointment as manager in 2016, Pep Guardiola has led City from strength to strength, cementing their position as the dominant force in English football. Essentially, they are now the team to beat in the Premier League, with the Spanish coach having masterminded three titles in five seasons, including a unique domestic treble in 2018-19.
The biggest difficulty in stopping Manchester City is their fearsome consistency. While they have drawn twice and lost twice early in the 2021-22 campaign, Guardiola’s men are always capable of putting together strong winning runs. Now 15 games into the season at the time of writing, they are currently on a five-match winning streak in the Premier League, indicating they could be about to pull away from the chasing pack.
Liverpool
Once recognised as the most successful club in English football, Liverpool utterly dominated throughout the 1970s and 1980s. That cycle was eventually broken in the 1990s, when Alex Ferguson led Manchester United into a new golden age, as they overtook the Merseyside club and set new records for domestic success. Although they still enjoyed relative success in cup competitions, Liverpool hadn’t won the English league title since 1989-90.
Three decades is an eternity in football and for the fans of Liverpool, an inability to win the Premier League was a huge thorn in their side. However, that all began to change with the appointment of Jurgen Klopp in 2015, bringing his own brand of “heavy metal” football to Anfield. Almost immediately, fans in the stands were rocking to the sound of success.
Thanks to Klopp’s genuine charisma and exemplary work ethic, Champions League glory came 2018-19, immediately followed by the prize that had eluded the club for so long, as Liverpool finished 18 points clear to win the 2019-20 Premier League title. Despite falling short last season, the Reds appear are in top form again, starting the season with just one defeat in 15 games. As the top scoring team, Liverpool could blitz the title race this season.
Chelsea
Prior to the arrival of Roman Abramovich in 2003, it’s fair to say that Chelsea was a historic but largely unsuccessful club, having only won a smattering of silverware throughout its history. Thanks to being bankrolled by the Russian billionaire, the Blues have emerged from the shadows, going on to become one of the most successful English clubs of the last two decades.
During the Abramovich era, despite his frequent hiring and firing of managers, Chelsea has won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three EFL Cups. They have also taken centre stage in continental competitions, winning the UEFA Europa League twice and the UEFA Champions League twice, including the UCL final triumph against Manchester City last season.
The 2020-21 season underpinned Abramovich’s impatience for success, when he sacked popular former player and manager Frank Lampard, midway through the campaign. However, hiring German coach Thomas Tuchel proved to be a masterstroke, which lead to the Champions League triumph. Now the team is making a genuine bid for the 2021-22 Premier League title, jostling for leadership alongside Liverpool and Manchester City.
Premier League Title Favourites
Looking at what the latest football odds from the leading online bookmakers, Manchester City have the shortest Premier League title odds, closely followed by Liverpool and then Chelsea. Beyond the odds and given this is now a three-horse race, this list of the best sports betting sites in the United Arab Emirates will help towards finding added value. Detailed reviews cover the overall quality of service, plus the range of sports and betting markets available.
Safety and security is also important whenever betting online, which means that only trustworthy and reliable sites with proven track records are listed. Once you choose the right location to bet, the hardest part will be deciding which teams you fancy for the Premier League title race. As things currently stand, it could be any one of the three teams we’ve looked at, given they are so much more consistent than anyone else, including the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal.
This promises to be a battle for supremacy that goes right down to the wire, although that’s perhaps what makes English football and the Premier League so exciting.
