Yes’ Arsenal play beautiful football but they are unable to win away from home and the “curse” of the Emirates Stadium has yet to be broken. They still aren’t consistent enough. Liverpool have fantastic world class players in Steven Gerard, Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch (well maybe not in his case). Yet they are unable to win away from home and until recently couldn’t keep the same team sheet for two games in a row.
As it stands, United are two points clear of Chelsea after their one all draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. The nearest rivals to these teams are the ever classy Bolton -you can’t see it but my tongue is lodged firmly in my cheek - who are eleven points away from the top of the table, with Arsenal in sixth and Liverpool in a lowly ninth position. Mid table mediocrity to you and me.
United and Chelsea are consistent, they can win at home and away and have only lost three games between them so far this season. Both can play beautiful football and yet both are able to grind out one nil draws when necessary. They can win beautifully and they can win “ugly”. That is the sort of thing that champions are made out of.
There in lies the problem for Arsenal and Liverpool, they either win big and beautiful, or they don’t win at all. Neither side, for whatever reason, you can blame it on tactics or you can blame it on the manager, can simply win at all costs. United and Chelsea are always able to pull something out of the bag at the last minute, to make something out of nothing.
The so called big four are no more. It is now a two horse race and my bet is that it will be a photo finish at the end of the season and the men from North London and Merseyside wont be in it.. The sooner Liverpool and Arsenal fans realise this and admit it, the better for all.
About this team
This article was written by Ben Ritchie, 16, from our Belfast newsroom. It was published on the Reach for the Sky website.
