Premier League Table 2015 Week 29: Title Odds, Outlook and Predictions

Saturday's Week 29 results had a big impact on the 2014-15 Premier League title race, as defending champions Manchester City suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Burnley, and Arsenal cruised to a win over West Ham United.

The Gunners have climbed to within a single point of City in the standings but still chase Chelsea by six, with the Blues holding two matches in hand. The title race seems like a foregone conclusion, although Jose Mourinho's men shouldn't count their chickens before they hatch.

Here's how the standings currently look:

Pos	Team	PL	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
1	Chelsea	27	19	6	2	57	22	+35	63
2	Manchester City	29	17	7	5	59	28	+31	58
3	Arsenal	29	17	6	6	56	30	+26	57
4	Manchester United	28	15	8	5	47	26	+21	53
5	Liverpool	28	15	6	7	42	30	+12	51
6	Tottenham	28	15	5	8	46	39	+7	50
7	Southampton	28	15	4	9	39	20	+19	49
8	Stoke	29	12	6	11	33	35	-2	42
9	Swansea	28	11	7	10	33	37	-4	40
10	West Ham	29	10	9	10	39	37	+2	39
11	Newcastle	28	9	8	11	32	43	-11	35
12	Crystal Palace	29	8	9	12	34	40	-6	33
13	WBA	29	8	9	12	27	36	-9	33
14	Everton	28	6	10	12	33	41	-8	28
15	Hull	29	6	10	13	26	37	-11	28
16	Aston Villa	29	7	7	15	19	38	-19	28
17	Sunderland	29	4	14	11	23	43	-20	26
18	Burnley	29	5	10	14	26	47	-21	25
19	QPR	29	6	4	19	30	52	-22	22
20	Leicester	28	4	7	17	24	44	-20	19

The latest title odds, courtesy of Oddschecker.com:

Team	Odds
Chelsea	1/20
Manchester City	16/1
Arsenal	25/1
Manchester United	125/1
Liverpool	200/1

Manchester City's Title Bid Imploding Before Our Eyes

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Saturday's 1-0 loss against relegation-threatened Burnley means the Citizens have now lost two of their last three and chase leaders Chelsea by five points, with the Blues still to play on Sunday and holding another match in hand.

City are champions of the late-season comeback—just look at last year—but judging by the team's recent performances, such a feat may not be on the cards this campaign. The squad is still focused on the Champions League as well, where a difficult match against Barcelona awaits in midweek.

As shared by Fox Soccer, manager Manuel Pellegrini isn't giving up on the title chase just yet:

Pellegrini is right to continue believing—after all, anything can happen in a league as wild and wacky as the Premier League. But his post-match comments after Saturday's debacle showed the Chilean is perhaps ignoring what is going on in front of his eyes.

City looked completely disinterested against Burnley, showing little effort or urgency and deservedly succumbing to a loss. It was one of their worst performances of the season, but per talkSPORT's Jim Proudfoot, the manager didn't see it that way:

When you are the defending champion and you lose against a relegation-threatened team, your performance was by definition poor. There's simply no other way to put it. Pundits like Gary Lineker were a bit more realistic, going so far as to suggest Saturday's defeat put an end to the title race:

But could Arsenal get involved with a late push?

Arsenal are Winning, But it May be Too Late

Ian Walton/Getty Images

There's no denying the Gunners' form of late has been impressive—as shared by Squawka, the 3-0 win over West Ham United takes their winning streak at the Emirates to eight matches, their most ever at the—relatively new—arena:

The squad is healthy and playing attractive, mature football. In Francis Coquelin, they have finally found someone who can anchor the midfield. Barring a complete meltdown at home against AS Monaco, they've looked very strong as a group for weeks now.

Confidence is high, and some fans are even suggesting Arsenal should be taken seriously in the title race. While this may seem like a massive overreaction, even pundits like Thierry Henry are thinking it's possible:

Now, Henry is not saying Arsenal will win the title, but off the momentum in their sails, they're in with a chance. That said, it's extremely unlikely, and even the staunchest Gooners won't be demanding Arsene Wenger to produce a miracle title run to end the season.

Chelsea are out of the Champions League and can now fully focus on the Premier League title race, entering the final stretch of matches with a healthy lead. Up until now, the only team they were really worried about was City.

Arsenal's emergence doesn't change that. Even if the Blues lose both of their matches in hand, the gap is still six points, and Chelsea have lost just two matches all season. As Eurosport's Tom Adams pointed out, the difference is just too big to overcome:

"

Can exclusively confirm tonight that Arsenal are NOT going to challenge for the title. Sorry.

— Tom Adams (@tomEurosport) March 14, 2015"

The Gunners' top priority shouldn't even be second place, although that is well within reach and would be a fantastic achievement. Locking up a top-three finish and booking their spot in next year's Champions League has been the objective for months, and it should remain the same.

If Arsenal can finish the season in second place, they can look back on their campaign and be proud. But don't expect a late push for the title. Chelsea have simply been too consistent for that.

Title prediction: Chelsea celebrate the 2014-15 Premier League title with at least three matches to spare. Arsenal cling on to second place, City slump to third and Manchester United narrowly beats out Liverpool to complete the top four.

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