Why Manchester Utd are easily winning a record 20th EPL crown

After the final day drama of the 2011-12 English Premier League season, when the title was decided on goal difference, no one could have predicted that the race for the 2012-13 crown would be close to over with nine games to go.

We have seen it happen, but why has it? Pritesh Mistry has the answers.

A lethal attack which covered defensive weaknesses

They say attack is the best form of defense; Robin Van Persie has perfectly illustrated how true this is. His arrival in summer delighted Manchester United fans, but what delighted them even more was how quickly and often he got on the score sheet.

Unlike previous Premier League triumphs, United have not been rock solid at the back and hardly managed to keep clean sheets.

They were unlucky to have many first choice defenders including Vidic, Jones and Smalling injured at the same time at the start of the season.

This contributed to defensive frailties in a big way. However, the sheer amount of goals Man United scored covered their defensive weaknesses and took all the pressure off their back four.

Special mention of Michael Carrick because he has been nothing short of "Supreme" for United this season. Everyone recognizes the amount of goals Robin Van Persie has scored, but what could he have done without the consistent defense shredding final balls?

Carrick is a constant figure in the side this season and hardly missed a game. He's been criminally underrated for some time now, but his performances this season have made even the biggest Carrick doubters admit their admiration for a genius in the centre of United's midfield.

With statistics comparable to the likes of Xavi and Pirlo, Carrick has become one of United's most important players this season. A midfield duo not including the Englishman simply doesn't look right.

I don't think there is any doubting that this squad is the best United have had since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

This season, Manchester United have had the depth in almost every position and whenever there was a player missing, another one simply slotted in and done the job equally well.

From Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez as scoring subs to Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa as relentless hard workers in midfield, this crop of players have not only blended well, but also stood up whenever the team has needed them to. 

There have been under performers in Valencia, Evra and Nani, but they have gone unnoticed for the most part.

Managing egos of the best players on the planet and keeping them motivated to perform week in week out is some task, and no one does it better than Sir Alex Ferguson.

Like many other successful seasons, Sir Alex decided to go with a blend of youth and experience this season as well.

This has resulted in massive improvements in players like Cleverley and Kagawa, who have been playing alongside United veterans Giggs and Scholes.

More so, Giggs has also demonstrated how easily he can still fit into the starting eleven and make a winning contribution.

Hernandez and Welbeck have proven that timely rotations can ease the pressure off the first team in a big way.

Discipline is most likely the first word which comes to one's mind when we think of Sir Alex.

Most clubs have had stories on and off the pitch which have affected the results – Man City with the Balotelli stories, Chelsea with the John Terry stories, etc.

This cannot be said of United, as Sir Alex has really ensured that his team has every bit of discipline needed to win games every week.

There have been times when United trailed, but they managed to crawl their way back and won games more often than not.

United have been a tighter unit and shown a lot of character which makes them worthy of being crowned champions.

Manchester City have dropped points when no one really expected them to. Manager Roberto Mancini has had his fair share of problems on and off the pitch.

Under-performing City players are definitely worthy of criticism and have not stepped up when needed.

However, Mancini's choice of an inconsistent starting eleven has also cost them many games. City's strength is their defense, but their attack has relied too much on individual brilliance.

Overall, it would be fair to say that the noisy neighbours have not made a lot of noise this season.

Last, but certainly not the least, the quality of the Premier League teams has not been as high as it usually is.

We have not only seen the weakest of teams win in the most unlikely circumstances, but, also, massive upsets for the strongest teams in the league. 

The very fact that the title race became a two-horse race in the opening periods of the season suggests how much of a difference there is in the quality of the teams.