Friday 1 May 2015 14:32, UK
Chelsea closed in on the Premier League title with their 3-1 victory at Leicester on Wednesday and another win at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday will see them lift the trophy with three games to spare.
Jose Mourinho's men find themselves 13 points clear of their closest rivals, leading Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to criticise the challenges of Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool.
But while the title race may be nearly done and dusted, the chase for the European places continues, with seven clubs still fighting for six places, depending on the outcome of next month's FA Cup final between Aston Villa and Arsenal.
Sky Sports News HQ welcomed Ray Wilkins and Stuart Pearce on The Morning View to assess the performances of the Premier League's top seven and whether they have been a hit or a miss so far this season…
Chelsea
Position: 1st, Points: 80
Jose Mourinho’s side are 13 points clear at the top of the table and they’ve spent the entire season either top or joint top. They could even set a new Premier League record for days at the top of the table, beating Manchester United’s record of 262 days during the 1993/94 season.
RAY WILKINS’ VIEW: They’ve won two trophies this season. It’s never easy to win one, let alone two, and Jose’s done exactly that. I’m sure they will win on Sunday. The purchases they made have been absolutely outstanding and they’ll just go from strength to strength.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: HIT
Manchester City
Position: 2nd, Points: 67
The defending champions are in danger of missing out on a top-two finish for the first time since the 2010/11 season. Currently sitting in second on 67 points, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have not found goal scoring a problem, firing 70 goals but it’s at the other end where they have struggled, conceding 36 – the most of all of the top-four sides.
STUART PEARCE’S VIEW: The money they’ve spent on players and their non-impact in the Champions League. I think at this stage, after three seasons in the competition they would have hoped to have had a better impact in that, and where they finish in the league. I don’t think they’ll finish second. I think Arsenal will end up taking that honour. It’s a miss on City I’m afraid.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Arsenal
Position: 3rd, Points: 67
Arsenal, who had their worst start to a league season in 58 years, have been the form side in the Premier League during the second half of the season, losing just two of their last 18 matches. A winning run of eight straight league games before Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea gave Arsene Wenger a glimmer of hope in the title race but they will now focus on a runners-up spot. They do have an FA Cup final against Aston Villa to look forward to and can post their highest league finish since the 2004/05 season.
RAY WILKINS’ VIEW: The signing of Alexis Sanchez has been a massive plus for them. He’s been absolutely outstanding and I think they will go on and win the FA Cup. So I would have to say a hit for Arsenal.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: HIT
Manchester United
Position: 4th, Points: 65
Louis van Gaal’s first taste of English football has seen him lead Manchester United back into the top four with just four games to play. United are already one point better off than they were last season and that is largely thanks to a run of games which saw them lose just one of 11 league matches. They’ve also tightened up at the back under the Dutchman, conceding just 34 goals compared to last season’s 43.
STUART PEARCE’S VIEW: For me it’s a miss. The only thing that would get them out of jail slightly would be that the football club is still going through the Ferguson hangover from him leaving the club. They are coming out of it. You can see shoots of the club reviving. Next season I expect big things from United but the points deficit between them and Chelsea would put United down as a miss.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Liverpool
Position: 5th, Points: 58
Liverpool came within a whisker of the title last season but 12 months on it’s a different story for Brendan Rodgers’ men. In fifth place, they are seven points behind United in fourth and it’s been in the goal-scoring department where they’ve seen the biggest difference. Last season, Luis Suarez, who is now at Barcelona, and Daniel Sturridge were in fine form as Liverpool fired 101 goals during the season but with four games to play they have managed just 47.
RAY WILKINS' VIEW: The fact Daniel Sturridge has not been able to take part in the majority of the season has been a massive hindrance to Brendan and his team. But if I’ve got one criticism of Liverpool, they need to buy more experienced players. They need to buy a couple of players that have been round the block and seen it, not only at league level but also at European level, for them to start picking up and progressing. Let’s face it they lose Steven Gerrard at the end of the year, and it looks like Glen Johnson will be leaving, so there is lots of experience leaving that squad. I think they need to bring some experience.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Tottenham
Position: 6th, Points: 58
Spurs find themselves in similar territory to last year in the league but throw in a League Cup final, and the emergence of Harry Kane, then there is an air of optimism around White Hart Lane. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side boast the joint-fourth worst defensive record in the league and without Kane’s goals – he has hit 20 in the top flight this term – it could have been a different story.
STUART PEARCE’S VIEW: It’s a borderline miss. The upsides of this are a League Cup final, Harry Kane and a lot of young players from the academy coming through. That’s a plus. Would I expect them to finish above any of the five or six teams above them? Probably not, but their expectations at Tottenham would be being closer to Champions League football so it’s a very slight miss for me. Once again though there is expectation for next season.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: MISS
Southampton
Position: 7th, Points: 57
Southampton boast the meanest defence in the Premier League having conceded just 26 goals compared to the 46 they let in over the course of last season. Saints, who finished eighth last year, have already bettered their points tally of 46 as they look to qualify for European competition for the first time since the 2003/04 season.
RAY WILKINS’ VIEW: It has to be a hit. Ronald Koeman lost a lot of players at the start of the season but he bought in some fabulous footballers as well and they’ve just gone from strength to strength. Again, he’s given young players an opportunity to come in and be footballers.
STUART PEARCE’S VIEW: Without doubt Southampton are the biggest hit. If you roll the clock back to the start of the season and with all those players leaving the club, there was the suggestion that they might get relegated. With a new manager coming into the country as well and finding his feet in the Premier League, Southampton are without doubt just behind Chelsea as a hit.
MORNING VIEW VERDICT: HIT
Agree with the verdicts? Sends us your own @SkyFootball or use the comments box if you're reading on skysports.com
Watch the Championship finale, Chelsea’s title hunt and Barca v Bayern on NOW TV with a Sky Sports Week Pass. No contract.
