TOP FIVE BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS
By: Raymond Padya
Fantastic football showcasing in week 10 of the English Premier League as Arsenal thumped Liverpool 2-0, Manchester City laced a 7-0 win against Norwich City, Everton had a goalless draw with Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea lost 2-0 to Newcastle, living the top five league standings with no major changes.
With the next round of the UEFA Champions League underway, here is a breakdown of the current standings of the EPL top five teams and their upcoming clashes this week.
5. Holding the fifth position on the current EPL standings is Manchester City who moved up from the 6th position after beating Norwich City last Saturday to earn a spot in the top five. With the upcoming clash against CSKA Moscow at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday, Man City is confident that they can snatch the 3 points and stand a chance to proceed into the last 16. Man City right-back, Pablo Zabaleta says his team draws encouragement from their strong home record this season.
“We feel very comfortable at home and our performances have been great since the start of the season,” he said on Sport24.
4. Tottenham Hotspur could not cease its opportunity to move to the 2nd spot as they had a stalemate against Everton that saw both teams walking away with a point each after a goalless draw. The club coach Andre Villas Boas urged his team to be the best that they can be in order to stay in-touch with the leading teams.
“It was important for us to stay in touch with the group at the top, particularly against an opponent that has the same objective as us,” added Andre on SkySports.
Spurs have managed to maintain seven clean sheets in 10 league games so far. They will host the 9th placed Newcastle United at White Hart Lane on Sunday. Spurs is currently 4th on the log.
3. Liverpool suffered a massive defeat against Arsenal last Saturday with the Brendan Rodgers’ side failing to equalise on the 2 goals leading Arsenal. The loss maintained them the third position and even though the Reds admitted that the better men won, Rodgers is certain that they can still catch-up with the league leaders.
Barclays Premier League. Pictures from www.connectedrogers.ca
“At the moment we’re on 20 points and they’re on 25. There is plenty of time to get those points back,” Rodgers said on the Liverpool Daily Post.
Liverpool will host Fulham at Anfield on Saturday and with the return of their playmaker, Philippe Coutinho, the Reds will be expecting to recover from their 2-0 defeat.
2. Chelsea had a rather disappointing match against Newcastle that saw them miss out on a chance to maintain a 2-points trail on Arsenal. The 2-0 defeat has left club boss, Jose Maurinho very angry and threatening to make several changes in the up-coming UCL match against Schalke on Wednesday.
“I will be making a lot of changes. Maybe not 11 because it will be too much but a lot,” the Portuguese coach was quoted as saying by The Sun. “I don’t know my best team because we have this kind of performance. I knew basically my best team but performances and results alter your decisions,” said Maurinho.
“Wednesday is important because we are in a stable position to qualify but, if we lose, we are again in a difficult position. It is a very important game for us,” added the Chelsea boss.
The Blues will be looking forward to winning this match since they had a 3-0 victory the last time they played Schalke.
1. Arsenal is 5 points clear on top of the log, currently with 25 points in the EPL. After defeating Liverpool by 2 goals to none, the Gunners are confident in their clash with Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday. Despite having lost to the team on in their last encounter, Aaron Ramsey has faith in his team.
“We have been to Dortmund in the past and drew there after we conceded a late goal. We have experienced what it is like there and we know it can be a very intimidating place to play,” he said.
“I am sure we have the quality and the players to get a good result and put ourselves back in control of the group,” added Ramsey on Arsenal.com.
This week is full of football action and we will witness major teams clashing on the race to make it to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League and maintain good positions in the EPL.
