It's too early to speculate… but it's a forgone conclusion

Two games into the Premier League campaign most bar room discussions are spoilt by the phrase, "We'll see, there's a long way to go." 

Of course we'll see, and of course there's a long way to go but 'tis the season to be speculative, so I'll to stick my neck out and say that I think Chelsea and Wigan will remain in their current positions (1st and 20th) for the whole season.

Wigan are no strangers to a relegation scrap and their time may finally be up. Many admired chairman Dave Whelan for gambling on the  young and largely unproven Roberto Martinez from Swansea City prior to the start of the 2009/10 season.

Martinez's Wigan made an unpredictable start last season, beating Villa  and Chelsea yet losing to newly promoted Wolves. Now it seems they have finally found some consistency - they're always rubbish.

Whipping boys

Rarely does an established Premier League side get labelled a season's "whipping boys", but Wigan went on to lose 4-0 to Portsmouth, Bolton and Arsenal, 5-0 twice to United, 8-0 to Chelsea and 9-1 to Spurs. 

It's often noted that it's not the games against the big teams that will keep a side up but it's clear that Wigan know how to drop their heads and, having conceded 10 goals in two games so far this season, the damage may already done. They'll not be looking forward to the prospect of facing Spurs at White Hart Lane this Saturday.

The top of the table is a somewhat different matter; so closely matched are Chelsea and Manchester United. However, with Carlo Ancelotti's free-scoring Blues enjoying a straightforward start to the season, they already find themselves two points in front with a goal difference of +12.

Perfect start

Ancelotti claimed that last season's title was won in the first six games, during which his side made a perfect start, and Manchester United dropped only 3 points - away at Burnley - and eventually just a single point separated the top two.

Chelsea's next three fixtures pit them against Stoke, who they beat 7-0 last time, West Ham and Blackpool. But, by the time they visit Manchester City for their first real test on September 25, United will have had to face both Liverpool and Everton.

Obviously, an easy start means the rest of Chelsea's season will be all the more difficult. But having hit the ground running, the Blues' bandwagon will be difficult to stop and, with Sir Alex Ferguson showing increasing faith in ageing, evergreen players, his United side could find it just as difficult to keep up.