It’s 19 May 2024. You’ve got Liverpool v Wolves on the big telly, you’ve wheeled in the small, very old one from the bedroom for Manchester City v West Ham, Arsenal v Everton is on the iPad, Graham Potter’s Palace (fresh from his bruising 44-day stint at Manchester United) v Villa is on your phone and Sheffield United v Spurs is on the radio. All five could still win the title. It’s unprecedented. Sean Dyche’s Everton could still get into Europe with a win at the Emirates.
And that’s before we’ve considered Burnley v Forest – winner takes all to stay up after Vincent Kompany’s side won six of their last eight. Forest caretaker manager Martin O’Neill has been given five games to save them after Julen Lopetegui’s disastrous and short-lived run in charge since February. Rúben Neves, Jordan Henderson, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté all start for Newcastle at Brentford. Eddie Howe’s side need a win and results to go their way to get fifth – which may still be enough to qualify for the Champions League.
There’s very little to play for at the Amex, but all eyes are on Roberto De Zerbi’s return as Manchester United manager. As for Jadon Sancho, 10 goal involvements in his last 10 games is some return from him. Meanwhile interim-interim-interim Frank Lampard has called on Ivan Toney to help his Chelsea side leapfrog Bournemouth for the Europa Conference League spot to secure his seat on the plane for Germany.
You’d suggest most of the above is ridiculous until you start to recall what happened last year. Sam Allardyce at Leeds, Lampard’s actual return, and Roy Hodgson turning into an Ardiles/Keegan hybrid at Palace for a few games.
December is often considered the first setting of the reckoning, as if the points are suddenly worth more (see also ‘the business end’ from Easter onwards). European football and international breaks are done. Now just a glut of Premier League games seemingly happening on any day at any time as we approach Christmas. It’s impossible to keep up, even if your job is actually keeping up with it all.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 16 | 21 | 37 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 16 | 18 | 36 |
| 3 | Aston Villa | 16 | 15 | 35 |
| 4 | Man City | 16 | 20 | 33 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | 10 | 30 |
But right now, it is possible to dream of a title race that might go the distance. Like many, I presumed City would walk away with the league this year – mainly because the sides below would improve enough to take points off each other, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side to stroll it.
Pep does have a habit of just working it all out around now, picking four centre-backs before telling John Stones to wander and thus winning 20 games in a row. They’ve been vulnerable and played catch up successfully before – lulling neutrals or anyone who wants a new winner into starting to believe. And history – plus a fully fit Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne – suggests they’ll be hard to stop. But that recent Villa game did feel different. Unai Emery’s side may have won only 1-0, but they battered them, restricting City to two shots. That isn’t how City lose games.
Now for the infernal arguments about whether it’s time to “take Aston Villa seriously”, are they really in the title race? Well, yes. It doesn’t mean they will be in May, but they just took six points from Arsenal and Manchester City. That feels like “to be taken seriously” material.
I recall a former Villa player – I forget who – talking about how big and wide Villa Park is and that Emery’s use of width is key. And perhaps why their home form is so good. It gave the impression of some kind of gargantuan savanna, impossible to see one end from the other – Pete Postlethwaite leaning out of a jeep, taking out his binoculars to see John McGinn barging past a triceratops in the distant opposition half.
In the slightly less exciting real world of measurements, it’s the same size as Spurs, Arsenal and City, with Anfield just slightly shorter. Nevertheless it feels big, doesn’t it – perhaps their squad will find the sapping Wembley turf a little pokey should they reach the FA Cup final.
But Villa are in this. As are Arsenal. Declan Rice is such a great footballer. When he drives with the ball it is joyful. And in those slightly underrated wide men Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, along with Martin Ødegaard sweeping the ball home almost from just inside the box every time you look up, they have a real opportunity. Last year’s experience will surely help them.
Liverpool are top without anyone really noticing. Stealth Liverpool. They’ve lost only once. And that was to a last-minute own goal when they had nine men and had already scored that goal – the VAR goal. Howard Webb and friends must hope that if they don’t win the title, it’s by more than a point or two. Jürgen Klopp has conjured up a wonderful midfield from somewhere, and five attacking players who all give something different. If they can navigate missing Mo Salah during Afcon and presume the Saudis don’t start offering Jon Rahm money for him in January, then they have every chance.
Speaking of Afcon, Spurs losing Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma while Son Heung-min goes to the Asian Cup will surely be costly. Writing as a fully-fledged Ange disciple, he can do no wrong (apart from throw away five leads in five games). Seven points off the top with a relatively friendly fixture list for a while, they could still be in touch until mid-April when it’s Newcastle (a), Man City (h), Arsenal (h), Liverpool (a). Not the easiest.
Manchester United and Newcastle United now have no European football. The former are not good and the latter knackered, but form can change, players can get fitter, others become injured. Right now it doesn’t feel like either could sustain a push for anything but they’ve both proved a lot of people wrong before.
The best bit is that none of us know. We can dream, not think about the handball law – until we’re next forced to confront it – and enjoy it all. Just don’t re-read this in early May when everything is sewn up and we’re beginning to ready ourselves for a quarter-final Euros defeat by Portugal.
