The last weekend of Premier League Football has come to an end before the final international break of 2017. Now, at Week 11, the table is starting to take shape. The teams in the Top 4 right now are Man City, Man United, Tottenham and Chelsea. All four of these teams have been playing well and getting good results but one is a cut above the rest: Manchester City.
Prior to this season, most experts and fans alike predicted that the 2017/2018 title would be in Manchester, but now, it's looking more likely that it will be on the blue side of Manchester. Pep Guardiola's side last season started the season the same way, tearing teams apart with 3-0 and 4-0 scorelines.
This year, Man City is looking like an even better team due to the impressive transfers done this summer. City had great players, but it also had a lot of deadwood in the team that needed to be transferred out. With aging fullbacks like Kolarov, Clichy, and Bacary Sagna, City needed new players that could cope with the physicality and high tempo of Guardiola's attacking style of football.
After business done in the transfer market this summer, the squad is young and talented. The team's weaknesses (mainly in defense from last year) have all been rectified with quality players like Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy coming in. Not only has the team fixed its weaknesses, but key players from last year have gelled better to enhance offense. With players like Kevin De Bruyne, Leroy Sane, and Sergio Aguero all firing, the offense is looking like the most dangerous in the league.
Last year, the winter fixture congestion was their downfall, where players started to tire, resulting in draws and lost games. Because of City's squad depth, this time around, the team shows no signs of slowing down. Top players that would make any other teams starting 11 are coming off the bench for City such as Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus, and Ilkay Gundogan.
City right now is definitely the team to beat. So it begs the question: Can any other team challenge City for the league? My personal picks are Manchester United and Tottenham. United has a strong, powerful and balanced team. When the season began, it was tied with City at the top of the table and found itself producing similar results with multiple 4-0 wins. Once Pogba, Fellaini and other injuries hampered its squad, performances started to suffer. However, the team still managed to win most games bar a loss to Chelsea and Huddersfield. A team with its best players out, yet getting results, says something about the players' mental strength and resilience.
With the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcos Rojo, and Paul Pogba, I expect United to play more convincing football and stay as close as they can to the league leaders. Tied with United on points are Tottenham Hotspur. Mauricio Pochettino has turned the Spurs into a team that get stronger and stronger by the season. The attacking triumvirate of world-class Harry Kane, Dele Ali and Christian Eriksen terrorizes teams. And the defense is just as strong as United and City's. After a 3-1 thrashing of European Champions Real Madrid recently, the team showed the football world they are the real deal.
When the season began, Manchester United was neck and neck with City. But as of this weekend, City is leading the table with an 8 point gap above United. Pep Guardiola is a fantastic manager and the football City play is a joy to watch. With dominating wins against top sides like Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, other teams can only hope that City loses form during this upcoming winter period. City plays United and Spurs in December, and it is up to those teams to show they are just as strong and get a positive result. Although there are plenty of games between now and the end of the season, at this rate, the league title looks like City's to lose.