They say you can’t really tell too much about how a season will pan out until at least 10 games have been played.
Throughout the season, the odds on who will win the league will fluctuate, as the chasing pack either closes the gap on the pre-season favourites, or the front-runners break clear and become borderline unbackable at the bookies.
So with the Premier League now into double-figure games played, how are the EPL’s top four protagonists faring as we head into the winter period?
MANCHESTER CITY
City are currently 4/11 favourites in the Premier League betting to win the title this season, and it’s hard to imagine them collapsing as the season progresses.
They have the strongest squad in the league, a manager who seems totally at ease with the expectations placed upon him and a team that creates more chances than any other side in the division. They also share their goals around, with City offering a legitimate goalscoring threat from all over the pitch.
Put simply, things are going just fine for the Sky Blues from Manchester, and they’re going to take some stopping.
CHELSEA
View this post on Instagram
The Blues are experiencing a resurgence under new boss Maurizio Sarri, and the team are once again looking like serious threats for the title.
Sarri equalled a 24-year-old record by going undefeated in his first 11 games in charge of a Premier League side, matching former Nottingham Forest boss Frank Clark’s mark set back in 1994.
But more impressive is the way Sarri has brought the best out of players who had previously struggled, with striker Alvaro Morata a notable example.
Chelsea are still long-shots to win the title this season, at 9/1, but there is a real feeling that Chelsea under Sarri will present a more formidable title challenge than last season.
LIVERPOOL
Could this be the year for Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp? The Reds look the challengers best-equipped to overhaul City at the top of the table and, along with Chelsea, they have kept pace with the Sky Blues so far this season.
If they can negotiate the festive fixture pile-up and still be neck-and-neck with Pep Guardiola’s men, they could well have their best chance in years of capturing their first-ever Premier League title. But it’s imperative that they keep pace with the defending champions and avoid giving themselves a mountain to climb.
They’re 4/1 shots now, and that price could shorten significantly if they have a good end to 2018.
TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
With a settled squad and an impressive campaign behind them from last season, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side were expected by some to come up on the rails and give City a run for their money this term.
They’re there or thereabouts, but an over-reliance on talismanic striker Harry Kane may count against them in the final reckoning.
Spurs’ odds of 50/1 to lift the title aren’t surprising given the strength of those ahead of them in the Premier League pecking order, but the 10/3 on Kane capturing the Golden Boot may offer some value for Lilywhites fans looking for a nice return backing their side this season.