2024/25 EPL TITLE: WHO WILL WIN?

The English Premier League(EPL) is the most famous and prestigious football league worldwide. The highly respected league features mighty and historic clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham, as well as recently successful clubs like Manchester City and Newcastle United. Twenty clubs play in the league every season. While three clubs get promoted from the Championship at the beginning of a new season, three other clubs will have to grapple with being relegated at the season’s end.
From the start of the 2024/25 season on August 16 until now, the EPL has witnessed, just as usual, fierce and mind-boggling matches, great performances, surprises pulled by some match officials, clubs, and players, renewed hope and dashed hope for some clubs, busy schedules for several clubs week in week out, injury crises, club management issues and many more.
Today, we’ll look at the clubs that probably could win this season’s title based on their current standings, resources, advantages and disadvantages. As of today, January 17, 2025, twenty-one league matches out of the total thirty-eight have been played by every club, except Liverpool and Everton; both having a game in hand against each other. In this analysis, we’ll focus on the top six teams on the league table presently and in that order from the first to the sixth.
Sitting at position one is Liverpool FC, with 47 points and a game in hand. Under their new manager, Arne Slot- renowned for leading Feyenoord, his last club, to the 2022 UEFA Europa Conference League final in his first season and for winning the Eredivisie and the KNVB Cup for the same club in the subsequent seasons, Liverpool has been in imposing form since the season began, having the least defeat, least draws, most wins, most goals scored, and most goal difference.
They boast of great players like Mohammed Salah (former winner of the African Best Player of the Year Award), Alexander Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Konate, Luiz Diaz, David Becker and several new recruits like Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez among others. Having won the EPL last in the 2019/20 season, Liverpool has only won the EPL once in the last thirty-four years. So their fans, club owners and players are desperate for another victory.
One key reason they parted ways with their last coach, Jurgen Klopp, who won them the 2019/20 EPL, was that they thought he was not sufficiently passionate to set them up to win it again after his EPL and Champions League accomplishments.
Under Arne Slot, Liverpool’s style of play is characterized by a structured build-up from the back, quick passing, and patient possession. They also use pressing traps to neutralize the opposition’s pressing. Their offensive transition is characterized by a focus on verticality and speed to progress the ball, driven by the clear intention of the ball holder to move forward and initiate a fast attack. In essence, they are very dangerous with open play and set-pieces. The only injury concern for Liverpool is Joe Gomez, their defender, who is out for weeks due to a hamstring issue.
Going further, Arsenal FC is the second on the table with 43 points, having played twenty-one games. They have the second-least defeat and second-most wins, jointly with Nottingham Forest, and the least conceded goals, one short of Liverpool. They boast of some of the finest players in the league; Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, Declan Rice, David Raya, Martin Odeguard, Thomas Partey, new recruits like Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori, and uprising and exciting academy stars like Ethan Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal has experienced a resounding resurgence, unlike their previous self: struggling to qualify for the Champions League. For the last two seasons in a row, they were very close to winning the league, falling short to Manchester City in both seasons on very slim margins. On that ground, many pundits and football lovers have tipped them to win this season’s EPL after they last won it in the 2003/04 season. However, their first half of the season has not exactly met hope or expectation, as they are presently trailing the league topper, Liverpool, by four points, which could become five or seven when their rival plays their outstanding match.
Also, from the start of the season, they’ve been beset by injury crises, unfavourable match decisions, and managerial issues, and in addition to that, their big stars like Bukayo Saka, Ethan Nwaneri, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Calafiori and Alex Zinchenko are presently sidelined with injuries and will be out for weeks or months.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal plays a structured yet fluid style that typifies defensive solidity and attacking creativity. Their style is characterized by high pressure, tactical flexibility, and a focus on building from the back. They are excellent in open play, perhaps not like Liverpool, and in set-pieces, in which they appear better. In fact, they’re famously called the set-piece kings and former Stoke City because of their immense success at this. Thanks to their set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover.
At position three is Nottingham Forest, with forty-one points. They have the second most wins jointly with Arsenal and the second least conceded goals with Liverpool, behind Arsenal. Their coach is Nuno Espirito Santo, a former Tottenham and Wolves manager. Under his management, Nottingham, an underdog and relegation club, has grown into one of the strong league contenders this season, to the big surprise of many. They focus on defensive solidity, counter-attacking style using pacey players, and tactical flexibility, which has worked well for them. They pride themselves in impressive players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Nikola Milenković, Álex Moreno, Anthony Elanga, Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi, Chris Wood, Callum Hudson-Odoi and others. Presently, they have just two injured players, Sangare and Danilo.
Fourth on the table is Newcastle United, with 38 points. Since the arrival of their current coach, Eddie Howe, in 2021, they have gradually transformed themselves into a force to reckon with in the Premier League by winning several matches – big games as well, and qualifying for the Champions League. They recruited many top players to their squad – the likes of Alexander Isak, Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier, etc. As a matter of fact, they’re a threat to any big team that faces them. They are in impressive form lately, having won their last six matches. Current injury crises include Nick Pope, Callum Wilson, Emil Krafth, and J. Lascelles.
Fifth on the table is Chelsea, with thirty-seven points. At the start, Chelsea was least considered a serious contender because of their inconsistent performances, previous seasons’ struggles and failures. However, their impressive run of form before December, which saw them to the second position on the table, changed the narrative of what is to come. In the EPL, Chelsea has the largest squad with many top players like Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Mykhailo Mudryk, Reece James etc,. It appears as though their luck has turned around under Enzo Maresca, their current coach. Their style of play is characterized by high-energy pressing, wide and inverted wing movements, and a focus on regaining possession quickly. Presently, Chelsea has five injured players; Omari Kellyman, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
The last club we’ll be analysing is Manchester City, presently sixth on the table with 35 points, having struggled for form since late October. Under their magical tactician, Pep Guardiola, they’ve won EPL six times in the last seven years: pure dominance. This club have the very best players in the world in their squad, like Rodri (recent World Best Player), Erling Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Kelvin De Bruyn, Kyle Walker, Jeremy Doku, Jack Grealish, Ederson, Josko Gvardiol and the likes. However, their recent injury crises with players like Rodri, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Ederson, and Oscar Bobb seem to be taking a toll on them. It remains to be seen if they can do the almost impossible by winning the league again this season.

From the above information, it may seem like a six-horse race; however, from a deeper insight, I believe it will be decided among Liverpool, Arsenal and perhaps Nottingham. I think less of Chelsea and Newcastle in this race because of their lesser points now and their questionable consistency. For Manchester City, I’m more than convinced that they’re out of the race. Perhaps, next season, we might begin speaking about them again after their rebuild. Because of their stance this season, they won’t get the leisure time to fix all their deficiencies and clear the discrepancies. Nevertheless, the most trusted club, having the highest stakes to win the 2024/25 EPL title, is Liverpool FC.
What do you think about this, fans?