There is an argument that says that in effect the Premier League season is over, in that the gaps between the clubs at the top are so big that no one is going to change position at the very top. Maybe the battle for third and fourth place is not yet over, where three teams are fighting for two places, but at the very top, it’s done.
Certainly, as we know, Arsenal are seven points behind Liverpool which effectively means Liverpool have to start stumbling to allow Arsenal to catch up. Beyond that, Nottingham Forest are 13 points behind in third place, ManC are 16 points behind in fourth and Bournemouth are 17 points behind in fifth.
So I began to wonder if this isn’t like it always is at the 25-game marker. And it only took a moment of reflection to realise that no, last season was quite different. For instead of having gaps of 7, 13, 16 and 17 points that clubs were behind the leaders, last season at the 25 games stage, Arsenal were two points behind the leaders Liverpool, ManC were four points behind the leaders, Aston Villa were eight points behind the leaders and the mighty Tottenham Hots were 10 points behind (thus giving rise this season to the saying “how the mighty have fallen”).
Lookin gback we can see that ManC, Liverpool and Arsenal are all in the top four this season as they were last season, but the gaps are very different. Going back to 2023 we find that ManC were five points behind Arsenal, ManU were 11 points behind, Tottenham 15 points behind and Newcastle United in fifth were 19 points behind.
Indeed sometimes the table by the 25 game marker the top teams can be spread out, sometimes they are bunched. But seeing the name of Tottenham in fourth place just two years ago, I wondered whether the sudden drops (or indeed sudden rises ) were the norm, or whether the top clubs remain generally the top clubs.
You’ll know the top two of course for this season
2025