London (AFP) – A congested festive fixture list can often prove decisive in determining the destination of the Premier League title, but an action-packed Boxing Day also marked the halfway point of the league season with Liverpool surging into a six-point lead at the top.
Tottenham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal have also shone at different stages of the season so far, while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s appointment as caretaker manager has even offered some hope for Manchester United after the dismal final days of Jose Mourinho’s reign.
Here, AFP Sport looks at how the Premier League’s top six have fared so far this season and what they can aspire to come May.
Liverpool (1st, 51 points)
Despite manager Jurgen Klopp’s demands for Liverpool fans to remember it is still only December, the anticipation that their time has come after nearly three decades without a title is growing with every game.
Still unbeaten with their only dropped points coming in creditable draws with City and away to Chelsea and Arsenal, it is an incredible defensive record — conceding just seven goals in 19 games — that has turned Klopp’s side from entertainers into title contenders.
“What we wanted to do all the time (was) create a situation, a basis for the rest of the season and now the first part of the season is over,” said Klopp after thrashing Newcastle 4-0 on Boxing Day.
“What we said as well is that we want to create our own history. We are the first Liverpool team in the Premier League to be unbeaten in 19 matches.”
More history beckons for Klopp if he can be the first Liverpool manager since Kenny Dalglish in 1989-90 to win the league.
Tottenham (2nd, 45 points)
No new stadium, no new signings but so far no problem as Mauricio Pochettino’s burgeoning reputation as one of the world’s top coaches continues at Tottenham.
The question remains whether Spurs’ squad has the stamina to keep going with the demands of four competitions in the new year.
But they show no sign of slowing down having scored 11 goals in their last two games to thrash Everton and Bournemouth.
“Over the last six months we haven’t complained about anything,” said Pochettino. “The one thing we have kept is the belief and being positive and we have created a bubble. We are in this position because we have worked a lot and the players really believe.”
from World Soccer Talk http://bit.ly/2GKMoHx
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