The traditional English "top four," which have been slightly disrupted of late, all have experience low points at this season. With 38 fixtures, congested by cup matches throughout, any team would find it hard to be a consistent threat on all fronts week in and week out. This season more than most has been a toss-up for the potential winner, resulting in any one team basically leaving the title up for the taking week after week.Truly, this season has not been about how many matches one team wins, but how many they can get away with losing/drawing week after week. With these four teams (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United) some have shown more fight than others in regards to wanting the famed Premier League Title, and have provided an interesting look on how each of these teams responded to particularly rough patches during the season.
Perhaps the most enigmatic of the Four this season has been Arsenal. This "brilliant" attacking team can create beautifully crafted goals week after week, but lack something when it comes to winning that preserves their trophy drought. By the end of January, Arsenal were firmly in the running of four competitions. Just a few weeks later, this club had crashed out of three of the four competitions and were tumbling to an eventual fourth place in the league by the end of the season. What caused this dramatic turnaround? Some will obviously say the defense was to blame, lacking the leadership and consistency that a championship side possesses. However, the main weakness of this squad is not in personnel, but rather in the mindset that they had. Yes, a defensive mistake led to Birmingham's late winner in the Carling Cup final, but the way that Arsenal reacted to this defeat destroyed the remainder of their season. Arsenal crumbled in the face of adversity. When it the fate of their season was riding on their backs, they would fail. After the Birmingham defeat, Arsenal won 3 league games, drew quite a few in a row and then just slumped to defeat at the end. Their response to potentially winning the title? "We're not man enough to fight for it."
Chelsea had the season plummeting to misery as well, but somehow were able to turn it around. Carlo Ancelotti's bunch banged out 12 goals in the first two matches but fizzled after their 1-0 loss to Manchester City. Chelsea had won only 6 of their 15 matches following the defeat to City up until the winter break. With talk of sacking Ancelotti on everyone's lips, Chelsea had a decision to make - continue a run of bad from into the new year or remember how to win like champions. Chelsea's response was swift and intimidating after December. After January 5, in fact, Chelsea did not lose again until May 8 at Old Trafford. This squad, who were written out of the title race very early, fought back to second place with a fiery passion that only winners have.
Liverpool had the most disgraceful run of form this year they have ever seen in modern football. With relegation threatening and turmoil in the administration of the club, this team was in utter shambles and had no will to even blink in the direction of the top four. Roy Hodgson's days in charge of Liverpool were dwindling with every win his squad failed to grab. After the embarrassing loss to Blackburn, the new ownership then turned to club legend Kenny Dalglish to march them out of the fire and into the limelight once again. The second half of the season taught the rejuvenated Liverpool that winning is all in the state of mind. 10 wins later, Dalglish's side is once again fighting for a coveted European qualification spot. Liverpool fans should be proud of the mountain they have climbed this season. Expect a ruthless squad of Reds next season that will be hungry for victory.
What set Manchester United apart from the rest of the bunch this season? What made this less than intimidating team so impossible to beat? How come this squad was able to avoid defeat until February? Once again, the winning mentality seemed to be more in control of this season's title race than a team's utter superiority. Frankly, this Manchester United team can just fight for their 3 points every week, no matter how poorly they play. Ferguson's bunch were able to snatch a late winner or equalizer on the helm of full time a jaw-dropping 7 times this season. These 7 results have been against weak sides such as Wolves, Aston Villa and Bolton. United's ability to snatch goals against their opponents have proven to be where all the other teams in contention for the title this season fell short. From a "mistaken" header by Park Ji Sung against Arsenal to 3 goals in 18 minutes against Blackpool, United just had the winning mentality and utter toughness that the others lacked. In short, congratulations to the over-achieving Red Devils on their 19th Premier League title.
Although the title race has been dramatically close all season, no team looked more prepared to win it than Manchester United. Arsenal never looked strong enough, Chelsea had an unfortunate run of bad form in the beginning, Liverpool hired the wrong manager, and Manchester City, no matter how much money they spend, just can't seem to gel as a team. As each team faced adversity, whether it be heartbreak or shutouts, each team responded differently. That response seemed to be the deciding factor on the team's respective title chances. Of course, next season will be a whole different game, and we can expect a whole different challenge for the winning spot. This is, after all, the most competitive league in the world.
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