EPL: The Best and Worst Form Among the Top 10 Teams

We follow the day-to-day results. Our hearts rise and fall with a win or loss.

But it's our team's form over the long term that decides whether we're playing for a championship or just a Champions League spot, a Europa league berth or just to stay far away from the relegation fight.

And of course, the possibility of being caught up in the race to the traditional safety of 40 points is just too painful to contemplate.

Here's a look at the recent form of the current top 10 teams in the English Premier League.

1. Manchester United - W W W D W W W W

Sir Alex Ferguson may be frustrated with his team's form in Europe (where they crashed out of the Champions League and have lost two straight Europa League matches), but he can have no complaints about the Red Devils' current 8-game unbeaten run in the EPL.

2. Manchester City - W W L W W W W L

Despite their neighbor's breathtaking recent form, City were doing a good job of maintaining their narrow edge at the top of the table. Then they went to Swansea and toiled after another disappointing performance in Europe.

Now Carlos Tevez is being prepared for a return from Roberto Mancini's doghouse. There's no-one better than a motivated Tevez. If it doesn't wreck the clubhouse, the Argentinian could be just what City need to get back on top.

3. Tottenham - D L W D W L L L

Spurs haven't played terribly in the course of taking just eight points from their last eight matches.

They crushed Newcastle, and three of their loses came to United, Arsenal, and City. Not what fans hoped for maybe, but hardly the stuff of crisis. Of course, they were absolutely terrible against Everton at the weekend, but we'll call that a one-off.

One theory is that since Harry Redknapp's name began surfacing in connection with the vacant England job, Tottenham have fallen apart.

At the current rate, Arsenal and Chelsea will both skip past Spurs in the standings by season's end. If Redknapp loses out on a Champions League place, I wonder if that England offer will ever materialize in the summer.

4. Arsenal - L L D W W W W W

What could the Gunners have accomplished this season if they hadn't lost four of their first seven games? It's a question that will nag at supporters, especially since they've only lost four matches since then.

The top two are out of reach this season, but it would take a brave man to put money against Arsenal overtaking Tottenham for third place. Since Arsene Wenger is the prime proponent of the "4th place trophy", that could be seen in a certain light as over-achievement.

5. Chelsea - W D D D L W L W

Now that Chelsea's players are free of that irritating Portuguese manager, they should be all set to storm up the table, right? Even Fernando Torres is going to start pouring in the goals, right?

Maybe not, but they did win their first league match under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo. So who knows? It could happen.

6. Newcastle - W L W W L D D L

Recent form be damned. If I had told a Newcastle fan before the season that they would sit 6th with just ten games to play, they would have kissed me on the mouth and bought me a drink. The success of Demba Ba has made it easy to forget just how much talent left the club this summer.

Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan, Jose Enrique and Joey Barton. Anyone remember those guys? Right now, they're all looking up in the table at their former club.

7. Liverpool - L D L W D L L L

The romance between the Kop and Kenny Dalglish was going along smoothly, with just three loses in their first 19 matches this season. But with five lost in the last eight games, can we say the honeymoon phase is officially over?

Liverpool simply cannot score goals. Luis Suarez wasn't scoring much prior to his suspensions, and he's scored even less since his return. Maybe he should have shaken Patrice Evra's hand after all. Some of United's luck might have rubbed off on him.

8. Sunderland - L W W W L L D W

After just two wins in their first 14 games, Sunderland sat in 17th place following a 2-1 loss to Wolves in early December. But things were already looking up after the firing of former manager Steve Bruce.

Since then, no team in the Premier League has climbed further, faster. New manager Martin O'Neill has overseen 14 matches in which Sunderland has only tasted defeat twice. And over the past eight games, Sunderland has taken more points than all but four other teams (Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Fulham (tie)).

9. Everton - L D D W D W D W

After a shaky start to the season, Everton has climbed back into the top 10 with just two losses in their last 13 matches. There's a reason David Moyes is into his 10th year in charge of the Toffees.

And let's not overlook the fact that Everton has managed their turnaround without any player on the roster scoring more than three league goals to this point in the season.

10. Fulham - L W D L W W W L

This season more than in the past, Fulham is Clint Dempsey's team. As the American goes, so goes Martin Jol's side.

Bobby Zamora took his talents to QPR's relegation battle, and his replacement (Russian forward Pavel Pogrebnyak) has only recently started to show up in the line-up and on the scoring sheet (five goals in the last four games).

Fulham (along with Sunderland) are the hottest team outside the Manchester clubs and Arsenal. So if Pogrebnyak can continue his current scoring run, his pairing with Dempsey could see Fulham hop up the table a few more places before May.