To English soccer fans, a significant emphasis is traditionally placed upon the team that manages to top the EPL table on Christmas Day. As with the team that sits rock bottom of the EPL come the festive season, the league positions at this time of year are used as the basis for many soccer betting tips and can offer a fairly accurate representation of how things will look come May.

But regardless of previous trends and stats, the psychological advantages of being out in front in the middle of a festive schedule that is one of the most hectic in world sport cannot be underestimated.

With Manchester City cruising their way to one of their easiest wins of the season last night at the Etihad Stadium, Stoke City slipping to a 3-0 defeat that was in fact far more humiliating than the scoreline suggests, their fans have been left celebrating their team’s position at the top of the table, the first time the northern side have achieved such a feat in a whopping 82 years.

Despite their win, City will have been watching on as their close rivals Manchester United thrashed Fulham away from home. With Fulham a club United traditionally don’t do well at, their 5-0 drubbing sends out a signal of intent to Roberto Mancini’s men that the second half of the season may not be as straightforward as they hope.

Should Roberto Mancini continue to prove himself to be a man capable of keeping the likes of the dissatisfied Wayne Bridge and Carlos Tevez quiet and not able to affect the atmosphere in the dressing room, those who bet on soccer games will back City to remain on the right road to push for EPL glory.

If, however, the minority of dissenting voices in the City squad starts to become a majority, with squad rotation unavoidable come January and February, you can bet your bottom dollar that Sir Alex Ferguson will be waiting with his sleeves rolled up and his mind games ready and prepared to further unsteady the ground beneath City’s feet.

In a strange twist of footballing fate it was the Premier League’s high-flying due that were booted unceremoniously out of the Champions League in midweek while the supposed London strugglers – Chelsea and Arsenal – made it through as group winners.

If you bet on the Champions League then you will have found mega rich City and last season’s finalists United among the favourites, so to see them drop out is a real game changer.

Manchester City were quick to play down the significance of their failure to finish ahead of Napoli and Bayern Munich. They stress that they are only just beginning and that the Premier League is the most important thing for them this season.

They are, of course, always going to say that and while it is true to an extent, with £500million spent, plus the very vocal and grand speeches of ambition about becoming the best and the biggest in the World, ever; to drop into the Europa League represents a failure on their part and their reaction represents a change in their stance as to the current position of the club.

The looming financial fair play rules may also become a bit harder to reach as the TV money would go a long way towards recovering the massive losses incurred thanks to Abu Dhabi’s generosity.

However, their elimination was perhaps overshadowed – much to their delight I suspect – by Manchester United’s failure in Switzerland.

The Red Devils have no excuses; they have played Champions League football for nearly 20 years and were given and infinitely easier group than City. But a failure to beat Benfica or Basel has cost them dear. The last time they went out at the group stages they finished bottom of the table and went out of Europe completely. Now they will have the hangover of the Europa League to stretch right into next year.

Patrice Evra said it was a ‘catastrophe’ to go out and ‘embarrassing’ to be in the Europa League, but the accountants may be using even stronger words. The estimated £20million lost from TV money and gate receipts courtesy of their early exit will make the £50million they pay in interest payments all the more harder to find. The club are used to the riches the Champions League provides and for the tap to suddenly run dry maybe  a difficult adjustment to make.
You can bet on the Premier League taking on greater significance for the two clubs this season as they seek to massage those bruised egos that have come from these stinging eliminations.

The Republic of Ireland stand on the brink of yet another play-off with the memories of Paris slowly and menacingly looming into view.

It is clear the deep wounds of that night and that handball are still raw and perhaps will only begin to heal if the current generation can nudge past Estonia and reach Euro 2012 – their first tournament since 2002.

The soccer betting is certainly pointing towards a Republic win. Estonia are the lowest ranked team in the play-offs, playing in their first ever play-off and therefore were the team Ireland would have chosen to play had they been given the option. It is little wonder then that Leicester defender Sean St Ledger believes it is meant to be.

“I’m a big believer in fate,” St Ledger says. “It was a huge injustice in Paris but who knows? We might get one ourselves this time. I won’t be complaining. I’ll be a complete hypocrite.”

Few would begrudge Ireland a bit of luck should fortune fall on their side after the injustice in France but they will have to do so without a number of key players. Leon Best had to pull out of the squad for the first game in Tallinn with a toe injury, joining Liam Lawrence and Shane Long on the sidelines. Kevin Doyle is also suspended, meaning Jonathan Walters or Simon Cox will partner the captain Robbie Keane in attack. Best, however, could return along with John O’Shea for next week’s second leg in Dublin.

On a personal level St Ledger admitted his respect for Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni for helping him progress over the past few months, especially as at club level the football scores haven’t gone his way.

He suffered relegation to League One with Preston last season before a big-money move to Leicester went sour, falling out of favour under boss Sven Goran Eriksson before his sacking earlier this month. However, Trapattoni has been lauded for helping him at international level, despite his owes in the domestic game.

“I have to thank Giovanni a million times for what he’s done for my career,” St Ledger added. “There have obviously been bad times and playing for Ireland has kept me going at times. For me, coming from Peterborough United, and to now be working alongside people like Giovanni and [the assistant manager] Marco Tardelli, and to be playing alongside the players in the Ireland squad … it’s surreal, really.”