With the League leaders Liverpool holding a convincing 7-point lead at the top of the table, many wonder if anyone can catch them. The only team with a realistic shot at catching Arne Slot’s team was Arsenal – and those chances just took a hit. Recently, it was reported that starting attacker Kai Havertz had season-ending surgery on his hamstring. He joins Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka on the long-term injury list.

The gunners are left barren up front with their four primary attackers out for extended periods. In the future, they will be relying on Raheem Sterling, whose best years are behind him, Leandro Trossard, who has best served as a super sub, and Ethan Nwaneri, an emerging player still 17 years old. In many people’s eyes, these injuries could seal the fate of this season’s premier league. The title was already appearing to be slipping away from the gunners once again; now it seems all but a certainty that the North London team will finish runner-up in the league once again.

Does anyone else have a chance to catch Liverpool? The short answer is no, but let’s consider some other scenarios.

• Nottingham Forest. Forest has been the surprise of the season. Last year, they were 8 points off relegation; this year, they are 3^rd in the premier league, 10 points off the top of the tree. They are the ultimate example of continuity and synchronization within a team. If not Arsenal, they will be the next team who could make a comeback and claim the title. Over the final 14 games, they play eight games against teams in the bottom half of the table. They also benefit from Liverpool playing 6 games against teams in the top 10. For Forest to claim the title, they would have to be virtually perfect going forward and not drop any points, and hope Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle can eke out wins against Liverpool.

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  The only other possibility worth considering is Man City. By their standards, City has been poor this season. They currently sit 5^th in the table and have struggled mightily in the league and in European competition. They are a whopping 16 points behind Liverpool, and the only reason I’m giving them a shot in the dark is that they are Manchester City. They have dominated the Premier League over the past 7 years. They have a winning DNA within their team, and they have quality players. Like Nottingham Forest, City would have to win out and would have to prey that Liverpool suffers defeats at the hands of Newcastle, Aston Villa, Chelsea, and Arsenal. City came back to claim the title from behind last season, and while they were not this far behind, they did come back; if they can do it once, they can do it again – stranger things have happened.