It's time for crucial battles in the English Premier League. There is not much time left until the end of the season, and among the contenders, the fight for the champions' title is still intense this year. The biggest surprise of this season has been the Leicester City team. With less than 10 rounds left until the end of the championship, Claudio Ranieri's team is at the top of the table and currently the most realistic contender to become the Premier League champions. As the season approaches its conclusion, there are many unanswered questions. The positioning of teams in the league table raises many considerations, and a championship full of surprises promises a very intriguing end to the season. Perspectives of the league's top teams Last season, Leicester City fought for survival in the lower part of the league table, but this time the team became a true surprise when firmly holding the first place in the Premier League table. With their remarkable performance and victories, the Leicester City team has forced pundits to scratch their heads. Assessing the performance of the team that has become the sensation of the year, there have been conflicting opinions in the football backstage. Some say that the "Foxes" deserve to win the national championship, while others believe that Leicester City's results are temporary and the team is not even worthy of playing in the Champions League. According to football expert Nerijus Kesminas, such comments are quite amusing, and the team's prospects depend solely on themselves. "A very important question is what Leicester City will lose during the offseason, as there are players in the team who will become too expensive for them. Both for qualifying for the Champions League and for selling players, the team will earn a lot. So the most relevant question at the moment remains how they will build the team. And the talk that they are not worthy of playing in Europe is somewhat funny because such questions should not arise when they are at the top of the league table," said the sports commentator. Is Tottenham Hotspur the most realistic contender to stop the sensation? Currently, the closest chaser of the leaders in the league table is the London club Tottenham Hotspur, which is only 5 points behind the first place. However, if not for the recent disappointing draw with Arsenal, the difference between the teams would be only 3 points. With a solid goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, defender Eric Lamela, the prolific striker Harry Kane, and other players who have performed well this season, it would be difficult to say that this London club does not deserve to win the championship. According to Nerijus Kesminas, who has been commenting on football for many years, the current results even show that winning the national championship is more important for Tottenham than playing in Europe. "Looking at the recent matches in the Europa League, it may seem that their biggest goal is to win the Premier League title. Tottenham looks very sympathetic this season, and we should appreciate the players who have shone this year. The whole team is playing solidly. If this club becomes a champion, it would not be a big surprise," said the football expert. Repeated problems for Arsenal The chances of becoming the best in the Premier League are still not lost for the players of the London Arsenal team, although their desire is viewed skeptically among football professionals. Watford goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, immediately after his team eliminated the Gunners from the FA Cup, even called the London Arsenal team weak and stated that they do not resemble a team fighting for titles, looking very poor in matches against big clubs. A great start to the season, solid play, a place at the top of the table, and many cherished hopes. However, in the second half of the season, glaring mistakes, painful defeats, and losing the leading position have been revealed. This is how the Gunners have looked for the second season in a row. Finding the reason for all this would be difficult, and only the club itself can truly know what is happening. This is also the opinion of football expert Nerijus Kesminas. "We should ask Wenger himself what's wrong (laughs). Perhaps it's because the team is quite young and lacks experienced players. They lack a champion's mentality. There may be many reasons, and we can only speculate," he said. Does the competitiveness of teams raise the level of the championship? Looking at the overall situation of teams in the Premier League table, it is clear that not only the leaders in the league table occupy the spotlight. Based on the positions they currently hold, next season we may not see Manchester United in the Champions League, and Chelsea might be left out of European competitions altogether. The fifth place held by West Ham United also seems quite unexpected. The team lineup at the beginning of the season looked quite different and suggests that the Premier League level has increased, and the competition between teams has grown significantly. This is also agreed upon by Nerijus Kesminas, who believes that there is no longer a huge gap between the giants of the league and mid-table teams in England, making it more interesting for everyone. "Speaking of the overall level of teams, it has indeed become more competitive. There are no huge differences between the league giants and other teams as there are in the German or Spanish leagues. However, when looking at national championships, it is much more interesting for viewers when the league is more competitive, and all teams are fighting equally and fiercely, rather than two or three teams dominating while all others are just their satellites," he said. The end of the season awaits many intrigues Although there are not many matches left, the positions of teams in the league table can still change significantly, and the desire of some teams to appear in Europe next season promises battles until the very end. Manchester City is breathing down Arsenal's neck, trailing only one point behind, and knowing that these two clubs will face off once again, this could be the most important match of the season for both teams. However, this may not be as important if the Citizens manage to achieve the desired results in Europe and finally surpass the cursed quarter-final barrier in the Champions League. According to Nerijus Kesminas, the Chelsea club should also step up its game. "Although they looked quite lackluster for half the season, lately the Blues have started playing better. The team lacked Hazard's abilities from last season. This forward's game is not as good as it could be. They also lack a bit more contribution from Fabregas. However, the club has picked up, and its composition leaves no doubt that they will fight with all their might for higher places and to play in Europe next season," shared the football commentator. Looking at West Ham United, they appear to be quite a mysterious team. According to pre... The most important intrigue at the end of the season, however, remains Leicester City's chances of celebrating the champions' title. The schedule shows that in the remaining part of the season, the Foxes will face two matches against the big clubs. They will have to play at Old Trafford against Manchester United, and in the final round, they will visit Chelsea's home fortress. All the other encounters of the current leader will be against so-called mid-table teams, which suggests that Leicester City's chances are still significant. The only obstacle could be the lack of a champion's mentality and experience, but this is just evidence that the final stretch will be full of surprises, and the Premier League will have new champions.
Tomas Zmitrevičius, alfa.lt
