Once again the Premier League looks as if it will be won by one of the two teams who have finished as champions for the past five seasons. Arsenal's defeat by Chelsea has left them nine yawning points behind the leaders, making Manchester United the most likely to battle it out with Carlo Ancelotti's side for the title.
United and Chelsea have seven more league games before a showdown at Old Trafford at the start of April that should be pivotal in deciding where the title goes. The pair have dominated the league since 2005 – only Arsenal, that season, and Liverpool, last time, have split them.
"It's the way everyone expected it to be when the season kicked off," said Lou Macari, who played more than 400 times for Manchester United and is now an MUTV pundit. "We're getting on to the home run, and the points that separate them is probably the difference at this stage that [was] expected. It's there for either side to win."
Indeed, after 25 games Chelsea have 58 points to United's 56, with Sir Alex Ferguson's side accruing a goal difference of 41, one better than their rivals. Tomorrow evening each side have tricky away appointments – United visit the much improved Aston Villa and Chelsea walk out at Everton, whose recent form has lifted them to ninth.
"It's still wide open," said John Hollins, who wore Chelsea colours in more than 600 games, before managing them to sixth place in 1986. "There's 13 matches still left, and they've still got to play each other."
From that meeting on 3 April, John Terry and company will hope to depart Manchester having killed off the champions' prospects of taking a record fourth consecutive championship.
And yet, this year's unpredictable chase makes that eventuality unlikely. Arsenal's recovery from 11 points behind in late November to overtake Chelsea briefly last month is evidence of that. Even before United and Chelsea's April encounter, a glance at their respective league calendars reveals opponents of a similar calibre who could steal points from them.
After Everton, Chelsea play Wolves, Manchester City, Portsmouth, West Ham United, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa. United follow Villa with Everton, West Ham, Wolves, Fulham, Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers. Hollins, for one, is sure further twists in the title narrative await. "Who would have put money on Hull drawing with Chelsea?" he asked, referring to their two dropped points last Tuesday on Humberside.
Who triumphs in May might just depend, then, on which club keeps its player of the year fit and functioning. In Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney each has a striker who is scoring prolifically while enjoying the best season of his career. Drogba grabbed both on Sunday against Arsenal to take him to 17 league goals, from 20 games. Rooney, who tops the league charts, has 21 from 24. "Rooney is unstoppable at the moment; he's got so much variation playing him up front.
"Who is Ronaldo?" Hollins asked of the Portuguese whose summer departure left an apparently gaping void which has since been filled amply by Rooney.
Macari prefers to look beyond the pair and asserts that May is now close enough for each squad's trophy-winning antennae to be twitching. "Obviously they're both important players who are scoring goals. But I think both managers will tell you winning the Premier League title just doesn't rest with Drogba and Rooney. When players get a smell of winning trophies, then missing one from each side won't make a great deal of difference between now and the end of the season."
Hollins also pointed out that "the thing is you could have injuries", and each manager is about equal in terms of the leading players that they have available. Ancelotti is still missing Michael Essien, whose knee injury will keep him out until next month. Ferguson cannot pick the utility man John O'Shea again this season, although Nemanja Vidic is due back soon.
Other factors in the title charge might include Manchester United's early exit from the FA Cup (courtesy of Leeds United), which is one less drain on mental and physical resources. And, how they and Chelsea fare in the European Cup, which restarts next week, when United travel to Milan and Chelsea face Internazionale at home.
Come spring, then, whose title will it be? "United," says Macari. "Chelsea," says Hollins. Between now and then it should make unmissable viewing.
