Sports just JUDGES Arsenal stays on top as Premier League marches on

■ As the Premier League season wages on, Arsenal and Manchester City look to pull away from the pack as the competition at the top gets fierce.

By JOSH GANS JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The English Premier League is widely regarded as the most prestigious domestic league in the world of sports. In addition, it is the most popular — and subsequently the richest — league in soccer, as it accumulates an estimated $5.3B in revenues per season and has more viewership than any league in any sport on Earth. It is historically known for its intense physical play, incredible upset stories, as well as for showcasing many of the best players in the world — this season has been no different.

While the talent across the league has been top-class, many players have felt the toll of a long and grueling season. Aside from the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down the world in 2020, this was the first time in the Premier League’s 30- year history that saw a pause in the middle of the season. This was thanks to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, taking place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18. Along with the many human rights controversies of that World Cup, there have been concerns regarding the wellbeing of players in the Premier League. This has forced the league to condense its season, creating a more rigorous schedule of intense matches. Amid the unfamiliarity of this season, it has been one of the most unpredictable and exciting campaigns in the league’s history. Now at the halfway point of the season, Arsenal leads the league by five points, with a game in hand. In August, they were given 25-1 odds to win the Premier League, or less than 4%. At the halfway point just two years ago, Arsenal sat in 11th place en route to an eighth place finish in which they accumulated just 61 points. Today, they sit on 50 points — on pace to equal the Premier League record 100, only ever achieved by Manchester City’s “Centurions” in the 2017/18 season.

Historically, Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in the world but has failed to win the league title since their “invincibles” side went unbeaten 19 years ago, Since then they have tailed off as a club. The broken culture at the club over the past couple of seasons has begun to shift since