English Premier League Winds Final Weeks Of Season

by Steffen Ploeger

The English Premier League concludes on the weekend of May 19, but the champions may as well be declared today. The League can determine a champion based on points before the end of the tournament if a team is far enough ahead.

The rest of the league is unable to reach the points already attained by the world's largest soccer club, Manchester United. Some fans may think that a pre-determined champion will take the passion out of the rest of the tournament. But there are still plenty of entertaining games scheduled in the weeks ahead, and since the number of global soccer fans exceeds any other professional sport, there are still plenty of interesting developments happening within the league.

One of the stories that is making headlines across British media is the suspension of Liverpool star forward Luis Suarez. Suarez was handed a 10-game suspension by a Regulatory Committee established by the Football Association (FA) for biting the arm of Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic. Suarez has a history of facing harsh suspensions, which Liverpool Manager Brendan Rodgers speculates may have contributed to the harsh, regulatory discipline. Rodgers' arguments are described in detail here.

Liverpool currently sits seventh in the Premier League with 51 points, while rival Chelsea holds onto the fourth placed position at 62 points. There are 4 to 5 games left in the season depending on the team, which means a potential 12 to 15 points is available for each team to accumulate in the final few games.

However, in the end, the points won't matter. Manchester United sits on top with 84 points with rivals Manchester City in second place with 68 points. Every team in the league could accumulate every remaining point in the season, but it won't change the final outcome. Manchester United is too far out in front for any team to compete, which means the team is already the unofficial champions of the 2013 season.

As of May 19 when all teams play their final games, the championship will be made official.