"Three-legged?"

"We're halfway through the league and it's getting clearer. Manchester United, Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers are three teams in the top three. The gap between them is just one point, with Manchester United one point above Leeds United and Leeds United one point above Blackburn. Leeds United have played nineteen rounds, while Manchester United and Blackburn have played eighteen. ”

"And then Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea are not in a good situation at the moment. Arsenal have lost five games, Liverpool and Chelsea have lost even more. Arsenal, who have the highest points, are eight points behind third-place Blackburn Rovers with one more game. Although there is still half a season left, it has basically withdrawn from the championship race. ”

"When it comes to the team's experience in winning the championship, Manchester United, Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers are of course the most experienced of Manchester United. They have won four Premier League titles in seven years. Last season, they won the FA Cup and the Champions Cup. They have the most experience in winning championships. ”

"Of course, more importantly, Manchester United's ability to grab points in the second half of the season should not be overlooked. Ferguson's 12-point chase for Newcastle a few years ago is still fresh in my mind. ”

"Leeds United, who finished second this season, have been both surprising and reasonable. At the start of the season, it should have been a battle between Manchester United and Arsenal. But Leeds United rose to prominence and finished second in the Premier League. But if you think about it, Leeds United's results are also imaginary. Last season, many of Leeds United's main players played in the Premier League in their first year, but they have already shown amazing quality. This season's more mature players, more mature teams, their strength can be imagined. ”

'But Leeds have one of the biggest problems if they want to win the Premier League. It's that their players are too young to stand the pressure. Last season, O'Reilly's Leeds United finally collapsed under George's pressure. The eleven-point advantage was eventually overtaken by Blackburn and lost their place in the League Cup. With such psychological endurance, whether Leeds United can stabilize in the end is a big question. ”

"Plus O'Reilly is a new coach and was a manager for the first time last season. I don't have any championship experience yet. It's hard to stand up against a seasoned Ferguson. So I'm not very optimistic about Leeds United's title prospects. ”

"Let's talk about Blackburn Rover, who is number three. In fact, Blackburn Rovers had already shown strong strength last season, but their results in the opening stage were too poor, so they only finished fourth. And Blackburn's head coach, George, also has championship experience. During his time at Burnley, George was promoted as champions in League Two and League One. At Burnley, they won the League Cup and the FA Cup. But it's all in the lower leagues. ”

"Blackburn have their own problems. George said at the start of the season that he was aiming for the UEFA Cup title this season. I'm sure George will never give up the UEFA Cup because that's a slap in the mouth. So how much energy will be put into the league is also a big question. Fighting on two fronts is a burden for Blackburn Rovers now. ”

On the 26th, after the end of the nineteenth round of the Premier League, The Sun made a half-season summary.

They have already excluded Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea from the title race. The focus is on Manchester United, Leeds United and Blackburn. He analyzed the strength of the three teams, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.

However, it is still Manchester United who have the best hope of winning the title.

However, there seems to be a slight problem with the report. Because the day after this newspaper came out, Leeds United and Blackburn won the 20th round of the Premier League.

Although Blackburn has been on the bench a lot, he still relies on Davao. Suke and David. Dunn, and Henning. Berg's goal came to a 3-0 away win over Watford. As the season progresses, George is looking to buy Davo this season. Suker and Henning. Berg's affairs were greatly satisfied.

These two veterans do not ask for the main position. And as long as you come off the bench, you can play very well. George felt like it was great to have players like that on the bench.

Even the other three powerhouses, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, have all won.

Only Manchester United, which is most supported by The Sun, was drawn 2-2 by Sunderland away from home. The points are the same as Blackburn, one point behind Leeds United. In this way, Leeds United became the first place in the Premier League, while Blackburn Rovers ranked second in the Premier League by virtue of goal difference. Manchester United finished third in the Premier League in one game.

The current England Christmas schedule is not as dense as it was later. Then around the 25th, there were three or four games in a week. But in the 90s, it was always the 26th that had a game and the 28th. Or either the 28th or the 29th.

And on January 3 of the new millennium, the 21st round of the Premier League started.

Leeds United and Blackburn, who have been strong lately, have won again. Blackburn even defeated Bradford with a score of 6-0. Klose scored two more goals, bringing his tally to 14 in the Premier League.

Arsenal, on the other hand, were held to a 1-1 draw by Sheffield Wednesday, Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Tottenham, and Chelsea were held to a 2-1 draw by Coventry. What's more, Chelsea's second and fifth rounds, which were postponed due to the Champions League, were played within a week. The schedule is very intensive.

Manchester United, one of the title contenders, missed the 21st round of the tournament at this time because it was due to the death of the Club Cup. Since then, Leeds United have four points ahead of Manchester United to remain at the top of the table, and Blackburn have also won three points above Manchester United with one more game.

Everyone was stunned that the current strength of Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers completely overshadowed Manchester United.

At this time, people are instead wondering who the Premier League champion will be this season. It's going to be Leeds, it's going to be Blackburn. No matter which team wins the Premier League, the impact on the Premier League is very large.

Leeds United and Blackburn, most of their players are young. Their potential is not yet fully exploited and once they have a Premier League title, it will inject something new into the team.

At that time, the Premier League will appear after Manchester United and Arsenal, and the real third pole will appear.

In the past few days, George has been beating drums in his heart, whether he should compete for the Premier League title. George actually looked down on Leeds United in his heart, but he was just an upstart. In order to show their talents in the Champions League, Leeds United, which finally got a good job, can only swing in the lower leagues.

If Leeds United develops step by step, it may become an important force in the Premier League in the 21st century. Many of these young people have been raised by themselves. It's a pity that they were too eager for quick success, and in the end, they hurt Leeds United.

George doesn't know why Leeds United have been so strong this season, but he remembers clearly that the Premier League title this season is Manchester United. The period between Arsene Wenger's arrival at Arsenal and Jose Mourinho's arrival at Chelsea was the battle between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Among them, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Leeds United occasionally pop up, but they are just foils. Could it be that his own arrival has affected history?

George was in a good mood and heading into the fourth round of the FA Cup on 8 January. George's strategy is still to train newcomers and give substitutes opportunities, but I didn't expect Blackburn's bench to be quite powerful. A narrow 1-0 away win over Manchester City, who are still in League One. Reached the fifth round of the FA Cup.

Just as George was preparing for the 22nd round of the Premier League, something very big happened. Something that completely changed the current Premier League standings.

At this time, the media suddenly broke the news that two Leeds United players, Woodgate and Lee Bowyer, had beaten Asian students. At first it didn't seem like a big deal, but soon the media was flooded with accusations against Leeds.

And there is also news that the court also subpoenaed Woodgate and Lee Bowyer.

Who are Woodgate and Lee Bowyer? Woodgate is currently the main centre-back for Leeds United, and Woodgate's reputation in the Premier League at this time is no less than when Terry made his debut. Woodgate and Rio Ferdinand have been hailed as England's two most promising young centre-backs at this time.

And Li Bowyer is known as a genius. Despite his bad temper, his quality in midfield is England's best young midfielder in recent years. Even if it was the double virtue that became popular later, Frank Lampard and Gerrard were not as famous as Lee Bowyer at this time.

The two of them are absolute mainstays at Leeds United.

With the two of them embroiled in the scandal, Leeds United's morale suffered.

Even George didn't expect Leeds United, a young team, to be so unbeaten. In the next four games, Leeds United turned out to be on a losing streak, and for the first time this season, they won a four-game losing streak.

Not only did George not expect it, but it is estimated that this English football world did not expect it. Leeds United, who were almost invincible in the first half of the season, turned out to be a bully when this scandal came out. Or rather, Leeds United's mind is not in the game at all.

A four-game losing streak immediately allowed Leeds United to slip to third place in the Premier League. And fourth-place Arsenal in the Premier League are only a point away from Leeds United.

In January, Blackburn's results weren't great. However, they also won two and drew two, while Manchester United returned from the Club World Cup and won three of their next matches. The momentum is still fierce, and George, who is at the top of the table, has felt the aggressive posture of Manchester United.

The scandals of Woodgate and Lee Bowyer completely ruined Leeds United's strength in the first half of the season.

All the media have expressed their regret for Leeds United. But they know Leeds United's decline and it won't end there. They are still third in the table and could still play in the Champions Cup next season. But according to the current situation of Leeds United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea behind them may be able to catch up with Leeds United.

Unless Leeds can quickly salvage the situation, they may not be able to achieve anything by the end of the season.

Everyone sighed, who would have thought that such a thing would happen at Christmas.

(To be continued)