I think it's widely accepted that Manchester United have already got this season's 12/13 Premiere League title in the bag.
Their closest rivals Manchester City are currently 15 points behind (with only 8 games to go - including tonight's derby (08/04/12).
However, although Man Utd may become the "technical victors" of the competition - I'm of the opinion that currently fifth placed Arsenal are the true victors.
How Arsenal won the 2012-13 Premier League
The most obvious argument is that Arsenal are the "financial fair play" winners of the league.
Of the top 7 teams, Arsenal is the only one that turns a profit. Last year their income reached £382m, of which £56m was profit. I personally think that winning the league whilst racking up incredible amounts of doubt is best described as a "hollow victory".
People may argue that money has nothing to do with the talent of a football team, and that prize-winning teams like Montpellier (last years Ligue 1 winners) weren't the richest in their league.
However, I'd argue that Arsenal's commitment to financial fair play has directly cost them the league. The club's "fair but firm" wage structure was the main reason Dutch striker Robin Van Persie left Arsenal for bitter rivals Manchester United.
Not only did Arsenal lose their top-scorer in the transaction, but they effectively gifted Manchester United 19 goals (so far) this season.
Those goals were directly responsible for 23 of Manchester United's points in the league (I did the maths).
Take away that significant world class contribution, and replace it with the 12 scored by the "average" Manchester United striker - Wayne Rooney, and that would leave Manchester United scrapping to get into the Champions League next season.
