Few sports carry the global appeal of football and as the archetypal home of the game, England is as synonymous with football as any country in the world.
With the first professional incarnations of the game taking place in England in the late 1800’s football is deep rooted within the culture of England and the UK and is the undisputed national sport.
As a consequence, the accompanying businesses and financial sectors have developed exponentially over the years and football is a multi-billion dollar industry in the UK and beyond.
External investment into teams, stadiums, players and more has changed the landscape of the English game forever, with everybody associated with the game seemingly keen to get their piece of the pie.
Inevitably though, not all people that look to get involved in the English game have the strongest motives, with potential investors often failing to see the importance of the game with fans – the lifeblood of every club and the relationship between owners and fans can often become fractious.
Such is the chasm between the working class fan and the billionaire owners, that the FA – English football’s governing body – and the UK government have opted to introduce an independent regulator, to oversee the day to day running of the game, from the ground up.
Teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been vocal in recent months, at their displeasure – not from their own owners but from some of the decisions made by the FA and this arbitration between all parties promises to be a positive change for good.
On the field, the English Premier League title race looks set to go down to the wire between the aforementioned Manchester City and Liverpool.
Defending champions Manchester City have made much of the running in the title race this season but have seemingly wobbled at the wrong time.
Pep Guardiola’s side have won 5 of the last 10 Premier League titles available to them and they certainly have the playing staff to cope with the pressure of a title run in.
However, they now only find themselves 1 point clear of Liverpool, with 5 games to play.
The blues travel to Wolves, Leeds United and West Ham, whilst welcoming Newcastle United and Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium.
According to the British gambling sites, with their one point lead, they have their fate in their own hands and at -225, they are the favourites to go all the way and clinch another Premier League crown.
Meanwhile for Liverpool, the unprecedented quadruple is still on, with the Carabao Cup safely in the bag, an upcoming Champions League semi-final, FA Cup final and their title endeavours.
The one point gap won’t concern Jurgen Klopp’s men, however the fact they only have 5 games to overturn it will.
Coming up next for Liverpool is a trip to Newcastle United, whilst they also have to play Tottenham, Aston Villa, Southampton, and Wolves.
Jurgen Klopp will be reminding his players that there is no margin for error but if they could hold their nerve, they would etch their place in footballing history.
Other games and commitments could ultimately catch up with Liverpool but with the reds only having won one title in 30 years, they will be eager to emulate their incredible success in 2020.
At +175, Liverpool are very much in the hunt for the Premier League title this term and they look to be on hand should Manchester City slip up in any way.
