Full-time Fletch on the close Premier League title race

I have got no doubts whatsoever that Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal will all be in the title race. They are at the moment the three best teams in the league and are the most creative so will be there or thereabouts, but all three of those teams come with caveats.

The most impressive team has been Liverpool, but they have no title-winning experience.

Manchester City have a squad that has proven they can win the league, but they are still prone to making mistakes and giving points away.

Arsène Wenger has been telling everyone since the summer that he thinks Arsenal have their best chance to win the league this season because he does not see any weak links in the team. At the minute, they look like they are fulfilling that, but Arsenal are historically susceptible to having a little trough of five or six games at some stage during the season.

Tottenham will also be near the top four. Their problem is that if they are going to challenge, they will have to start turning draws into wins, as they have currently drawn half of their games. They have got the best defence in the league, but they need to start scoring more goals. If they can do that, they are one of the most balanced teams in the league and can sustain a challenge.

Long-term I have more confidence in Tottenham seeing out the season than Chelsea. The two toughest games Chelsea have had, against Arsenal and Liverpool, have seen them well beaten, so I’m not jumping on the bandwagon like everyone else is with Chelsea.

Beyond that, we will wait to see if it all falls into place for Manchester United, who are still close enough if they can put a run together to move into the top four, but they have got to play much better.

It is so tight that one win and one defeat can change everything so you would be a brave man to pick a winner at this stage.

You could theoretically get to the middle of April with three or four sides still in the running for the title, which we have not had for a long time. The result could be the most dramatic season in the Premier League era.