Is the Premier League title race as unique as Jose says?

It may look like an interesting race, but it’s likely the top places will be filled by the usual suspects.

Jose Mourinho summed it up perfectly: “It is a unique situation, an unbelievable championship because we are all there.”

At the halfway stage, this season’s Premier League title race looks wide open. Just eight points covered eight clubs as the weekend’s fixtures got underway.

The four who traditionally finish in the Champions League places are all there, so are four for whom Europe’s elite competition is normally the goal.

Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham and Newcastle still have a chance of breaking up the cartel established by the two Manchester clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal and it’s obvious why.

Three of the big four changed their manager last summer. The disruption has left them temporarily more vulnerable.

The expected dip following Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has been deeper than anticipated, but David Moyes seems to have got a handle on things at last.

It may not be enough to retain their crown, but does anyone seriously believe that they won’t finish in the top four?

Some expected Mourinho to walk back into Chelsea and the old trophy-winning machine would automatically fire up on all cylinders. But even the Special One has needed to make adjustments.

Manuel Pellegrini’s philosophy that you win matches by scoring goals looked a bit nave early on, but Manchester City have built up momentum like a runaway juggernaut.

Arsene Wenger has exploited the transitions elsewhere but Arsenal still don’t have the steel in the ranks to stay the distance.

Newcastle’s first XI is a match for most, but they are likely to fall away when they have to dig deeper into their squad.

Tottenham, starting from scratch after their managerial change, have too much to do to make the top four.

Roberto Martinez has done a remarkable job at Everton but you wouldn’t consider them a title team.

Liverpool play inventive football and possess the league’s best player in Luis Suarez. The squad is not quite there yet, though.

So maybe the race isn’t as open as it looks.

In fact, the title will go to a club that has already won it in the last decade and the top-four places will be occupied by the clubs that always occupy them.