Why Arsenal Are the Favourites To Win the Premier League

Yes, you've read that correctly!! Arsenal ARE the favourites to win the title!!

If you haven't already written me off as an incredulous and delusional red and white bleeding Gooner, then I congratulate you for not letting your mind be brain-washed by the most inept and phony gutter press that unfortunately passes as football journalism these days.

One only has to look at what followed after Arsenal's 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea in November, and how it all suddenly fell flat and maneuvered the sharpest of U-turns a month later, only to change its direction again on the Jan. 31, to realise the absurdness of today's press.

And all the talks linking Arsenal's one week "disaster" in late January to the team's lack of depth in squad is almost hilarious. I don't think either Manchester United or Chelsea can win their games like Arsenal do when four or five of their first team key regulars are in the sick room.

The whole world witnessed United's one after another shocking displays during their defensive injury crisis. That speaks of enough depth in Wenger's squad. Let's not forget Arsenal, playing with a much weaker side as compared to the one that was fielded at the Emirates, outplayed United in their own backyard in August and even the most ardent of United fans agree they were lucky to come away with a win in that game.

But I'm not here to have a go at the media, but to give you what is definitely a logical and believable say on why the Gunners are in as strong a position, if not more, to win the league as Chelsea are, and why this would be the case even if they were to return from Stamford Bridge this Sunday with no points.

First of all, never in my footballing life, whether it be playing the game or watching it, have I ever witnessed more appalling refereeing than this ongoing season. Playing away games has never been tougher for the top teams, for the referees are giving in to pressure far more easily.

Small, but significant, decisions that go in the home team's favour, when they clearly should not be, have almost become a weapon which the small to mid-table teams invariably wield and use quite effectively.

What's my point? Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United all are likely to drop points when they play away not only because of the biased refereeing, but also because the so-called small teams play with a renewed vigour when facing the giants. I, for one, was hardly in shock when the mighty and "infallible" Chelsea could manage to come away only with a point from KC Stadium.

One critical flaw which people make when writing off a team's chances when it loses is that they fail to look at the fixture lists of its rivals and itself. Winning any kind of league not only depends upon how you fare in it, but also how your opponents do.This was exactly the case after the Arsenal-Chelsea game where we witnessed a period when Chelsea and Manchester United dropped points in games they were expected to win.

Now let's have a  look at the remaining matches (after this weekend) for the three where there is a chance that points might be dropped.

For Arsenal

Home to Liverpool, away to Spurs, home to Manchester City.

For Chelsea

Away to Everton, away to United, home to Aston Villa, away to Liverpool, away to Spurs, home to City.

For Manchester United

Away to Aston Villa, home to Chelsea, home to Liverpool, away to Sunderland, away to Manchester City, home to Spurs.

This only suggests one thing—Arsenal have the easiest of run-ins after this weekend and come April, it is not impossible to foresee or imagine a change in leadership. Now, the reason why Arsenal suddenly look in the driving seat after looking at that list is this:

Both Chelsea and United had a much easier first half to the season than Arsenal, but they failed to take advantage of it because they failed to take points where they were completely and utterly expected to win.

Chelsea dropped points at the JJB, away to Birmingham, away to West Ham, and now again against Hull.

Likewise, United did themselves no favours when they lost at home to Villa, drew at home against Sunderland, lost at Turf Moor, lost at Fulham, drew at Birmingham, and lost at Anfield at a time when Liverpool were in complete disarray.

Losing or drawing home games is almost a double set back these days as a tough away return leg guarantees no easy points. Chelsea, you can argue, have done a better job than United but their remaining run of games is also much tougher.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have lost or drawn matches where you could have put the money on more than one side. The obvious exceptions being the draw at West Ham and the loss to Sunderland. But these too, were away. At home, Arsenal have done the job against the lesser teams and more importantly, they won crucial games like Fulham away, Liverpool away, and they also managed to grab a point at Villa Park.

On Sunday, Wenger's team would be on the brink of seeing off the tough phase of their season whilst their rivals gear themselves up for theirs. On top of that, the treatment room at the Emirates is getting less crowded day by day and the team is nearing full fitness again.

At this stage, given the relatively easier first half to the season, Chelsea and Manchester United should have been much ahead of the Gunners than they actually are. Now they are faced with twice as many tough fixtures as Arsenal are, where you definitely wouldn't bet on them grabbing all the three points.

In other words—Arsenal have done their hard work, but for Chelsea and United start theirs starts NOW.

So if Arsenal come back to the Emirates from the Bridge with all three points this Sunday, it would tilt the title balance hugely in their favour. A draw would be a good result for Arsenal and Manchester United. And considering what I just mentioned above, a loss would definitely not be the end of the world for the Gunners or for United.

Well, whatever happens on Sunday, one thing is clear—the path has already been laid for what would be the most thrilling finish ever witnessed in the history of English football.