Is the 2017-18 Premier League title going to Manchester?

Both Manchester City and Manchester United have been the pace setters in this early stage of the season. It’s only by either goal difference or due to alphabetical superiority that Manchester City has been at the top of the table but Mourinho’s united have been more ruthless this term than any other team. They have scored four or more goals in 6 games this season while both the Manchester clubs’ are yet to lose a game.

It definitely is too early in the season to determine who might be the winner next May but what’s wrong in predicting?

Chelsea were a strong favourites entering into this season as champions, under the guidance of Conte, everyone thought they would be just as impactful as last season, when they won the Premier League and went on a 13 game winning streak but the current premier league champions have already lost two matches (against Burnley and Manchester City) and drawn one against Arsenal. They really seem to be lacking that killer instinct this season. Tottenham too haven’t been too threatening as their past two campaigns, where they finished third and second respectively. They have been a little toothless and are already 5 points behind the top.

Arsenal and Liverpool haven’t had the best starts to their campaign. Arsenal are currently 5^th in the table and Liverpool are 7^th each being six and seven points behind the top.

This scenario might not be a lasting one but the rate at which City and United are ascending the table, there just seems to be no stopping them.

To emphasise the point, let’s have a look at the next five fixtures of each the top 2 teams.

Manchester City      : Stoke City (H), Burnley (H), Wolves (H), West Brom (A), Arsenal (H)

Manchester United  : Liverpool (A), Huddersfiled (A), Swansea (A), Tottenham (H), Chelsea (A)

By the looks of it, United have a difficult fixture when compared to City. United have to go up against Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea, two out of three are title contenders. Also, United have more away games coming up next when compared to City who play 4 out of their next 5 at The Etihad stadium.

Arsenal are the only team that can prove to be a threat to City but given the Gunners recent form, I really doubt if they’ll be a problem to sweat about. City definitely hold the advantage if the fixtures are compared but with this game being football, we can always expect a few surprises.

City have a comparatively easy set of fixtures till December, Arsenal by November and United and Tottenham by December are the only competitive fixtures. If they can get maximum points out of their games till December and enter the New Year at the top of the table, they have a real chance of winning the title. As I believe that Guardiola will focus more on winning the Premier League than the Champions League.

As for Manchester United, the next five fixtures will be a real test for them to prove their mettle. If they can win all five games, they’d have played 3 of top teams and by December when they play Manchester City and Arsenal, a victory over the Gunners and the Citizens will see them defeat all their title rivals which will send their confidence right through the roof. After the New Year, United will have easy set of fixtures and the title will be theirs for the taking. Also, Mourinho has always won the League title in all of his second seasons.

So, what do you think? Is the Premier League title coming to the Manchester part of England this time?