Their apparent challengers might not be ready to admit it just yet, but as widely suspected from the opening weeks of the season, Chelsea are this year's Premier League champions.

The Blues boast a seven-point lead over second-place Arsenal, with one game in hand, and are now just four wins away from securing the prestigious guard of honour.

So the real question in the final weeks of the season isn't who'll take this year's crown, who'll make the top four or in what order - it's who's ready to challenge Chelsea next year, following a campaign in which they've held top spot for its entirety.

With Manchester City set for a few years of soul searching, logic suggests Arsenal and Manchester United will be the predominant competitors - two sides who've shown drastic improvements as the season's dragged on.

Arsenal's turning point was that 2- 0 victory at the Etihad in January, not only providing their first win against reigning Premier League champions since Chelsea all the way back in 2010, but also representing a seismic shift in Gunners philosophy; the introduction of defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin and a more disciplined approach all round showing the pragmatic shrewdness they've shunned in favour of champagne football over the last few years.

Since that result, Arsene Wenger's side have lost just once in the Premier League - in the north London derby - and improved their league standing from fifth to second. The Coquelin-induced formula has brought more stability to the Gunners, leading to five clean sheets in their last ten outings. Title-winning form, unquestionably.

The prevailing concern, however, is that we're witnessing yet another false dawn. Arsenal have a habit of ending campaigns in hollywood fashion just in time for season ticket renewals, whipping their fans into a frenzy of title-winning fantasy before bringing them back down to earth with a lackadaisical start to the following season.

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Their biggest challenge will be to start at the same pace as the rest of the pack next year; this term, for example, the Gunners won just four of their first twelve, dropping down to eighth place. The season previous began with that infamous 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa - which almost caused a small riot at the Emirates - and during the 2012/13 campaign they spent just two weeks in the top four until mid-April.

Similarly, Arsene Wenger's atrocious record against Jose Mourinho, still waiting on his first win from twelve Premier League encounters with the Portuguese, is another obstacle the north Londoners must overcome to get to the English crown. More than simply the six points on offer, the psychological subtext does the Arsenal boss no favours.

Meanwhile, Manchester United's 2014/15 campaign draws parallels with Chelsea's transition process last season. It's not always been pretty, glamorous or exciting, but hard graft and efficiency has dragged them through. Likewise, their record against the top teams is fantastic, picking up 13 points from a possible 16 against last term's top four, including four consecutive victories - Arsenal in November, a double over Liverpool and a 4-2 win against the noisy neighbours last weekend.

Admittedly, a Chelsea scalp heralding a title charge in 2015/16 is missing from that list. But in recent weeks, Louis van Gaal's master plan has finally begun to materialise amid a run of six consecutive wins, three of which have come against some of their closest divisional rivals - Spurs, Liverpool and City. If this is the end result of an often painful transition process, United look ready to challenge next season.

That being said, the summer window will have a considerably bigger impact on United than Arsenal or Chelsea. Whilst the former will strengthen sparingly and the latter already have a trusted starting Xi, the Red Devils are expected to spend another £150million and sign some major names - potentially Real Madrid's Gareth Bale and Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels. Although, in theory, the new signings should make United stronger, that all depends on how quickly they settle in.

But the coming weeks will give us some vital insight; Chelsea face Manchester United on Saturday and Arsenal the weekend after. Although the Blues can afford to lose both and still boast one game and at least one point over second place, the fixtures are an important barometer of where all three clubs are at right now, and whether Wenger or van Gaal are capable of outfoxing Mourinho - a manager neither have yet beaten in the Premier League.

We may not be left with a definitive answer to who'll win next year's crown, but results over the next fortnight will affirm whether either can compete with Chelsea next season.

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