No room for error now in Premier League; only results matter

Something changes for players in the Premier League when winter turns to spring. The dark nights and the yellow match ball are behind you for another season, replaced by bright afternoon games and the white ball. This final stretch of the season is still a time of hope for many teams, but a dip in form quickly turn that into despair. Everyone is playing for something, and one mistake can define your season.

Up to this point of the campaign, teams and coaching staff have been focused primarily on performance levels -- how well is the manager's playing style bedding in? Which players are forming effective partnerships? But by the time you get to March and April, the reality is that it's all about the outcome. Results are the most important thing. If you're down at the bottom, you have to get a result. If you're up near the top, it's a must-win game. Springtime is business time.

Even with Liverpool, who have a 13-point lead on Arsenal at the top of the table having played an additional game, have moved into the mode of just getting it done. Their general performances were probably at a higher level a few months ago, whereas now they're finding ways to get results, which is the sign of a team that is worthy of winning a league title. They are not just the best team in the country. They have also shown in the last few weeks after a couple of bad setbacks -- exiting the FA Cup to lower-league Plymouth and then being held to a combustible draw at Everton which earned their manager a touchline ban -- that they are also the best at getting the job done.