Premier League Power Rankings: Are Chelsea emerging as potential title contenders to challenge Arsenal?
At the moment, these rankings can’t really tell us who is the fifth best team in the Premier League and who is sixth. So we won’t really try to reflect that. Instead, consider it a reflection of the more interesting and impressive sides with just over five percent of the season in the bag. A kind of vibration control. There’s not much to do, but this is what we have:
1. Arsenal (–)
At the time of writing, it is unclear whether Arsenal will be able to use the proceeds from the sales of Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira to fund the superstar attacker they so covet. But really that’s more of a Champions League question. In England, they have the depth and quality to overcome all but the strangest crises.
2. Manchester City (+3)
There may have been something rather insubstantial about the opening weekend’s victory over Bournemouth, but the 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace was more in the mold of the Manchester City we knew before Enzo Maresca. Erling Haaland did Erling Haaland things while the trio behind him looked vastly improved by having Rayan Cherki as their focal point.
3.Chelsea (+1)
Any team that allows five goals against Fulham and Brighton probably can’t be ranked among the title contenders, but why is it fair to keep Xabi Alonso meeting those standards after three games in the job? For now, his team is a little vulnerable at the back, has few passes in the center of the field and incredibly fun in the last third. That’s not the worst place to be.
4. Brentford (-1)
Although they drew at Elland Road, this is a team that seems to have come on leaps and bounds even from the fairly high floor Thomas Frank left them on. By building a stronger possession identity than simply direct counterattacking, they could also have the league’s next star in their ranks. Kevin Schade’s brilliant goal was the latest sign of a player on the rise.
5. Newcastle United (+4)
Rumors of Newcastle’s demise may have been greatly exaggerated. Four points from games against Liverpool and Tottenham is quite impressive; If it hadn’t been for that late penalty in their first game, they would have deserved six. Matthias Jaissle’s counter-attacking side appear well adapted to the Premier League’s new low-possession goal, helped by the quick return to form of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga. However, allowing 22 shots per game is probably not sustainable.
6. Liverpool (–)
One would hope that Andoni Iraola’s early days could offer some experiences such as Saturday’s draw at Nottingham Forest, where the aggressive positioning of his full-backs and an up-and-down style of football leaves Virgil van Dijk on something of an island. This could have to be a season where Liverpool outdo each other, lucky for them Florian Wirtz seems to be finding form.
7. Manchester United (+9)
They finally got there against Ipswich and when the final whistle blew, Michael Carrick’s team had by far the most anticipated goals, shots and penalty touches in the league. To which the response was, you better. You just played against two of the worst teams in the league. Even taking into account the fact that such opponents improve their game against the team they grew up watching as England’s best, the tough times against Hull and Ipswich almost require over-indexing. There is a lot to be done to prove that this team is not vulnerable to meandering possession that leads to little until a counterattack or set piece pierces their bubble.
8.Leeds United (+6)
Daniel Farke’s side appear to have quickly settled into a place as one of those teams that sit comfortably in mid-table. A strong team not overly concerned with possession and aesthetics, they showed great composure to weather a Brentford storm and tighten the screw late at Elland Road.
9. Bournemouth (+3)
One point on the scoreboard so far, but one would not have expected a fast start from a team that lost a key defender when Marcos Senesi was sold, is without star striker Junior Kroupi for the foreseeable future and has to adapt to new coach Marco Rose. For the second week in a row, points were lost at the end, but it speaks highly of this team that they carried the biggest threat even with a one goal lead.
10. Brighton and Hove Albion (-8)
Only Hull City has more injuries than Brighton, who especially suffered from the blows received in their attack at Stamford Bridge. Even without players like Jack Hinshelwood, Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma, Fabian Hurzeler’s team still posed some problems for Chelsea. Having reoriented their team in a more youthful direction, the Brighton hierarchy should be pleased that three goals down this team never looked like folding, but instead fell at the Bridge.
11. Nottingham Forest (+4)
Oliver Glasner already looks like a shrewd appointment by Forest. His team’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool had the hallmarks of a manager who already knew his opponent and how to best exploit them, although you don’t have to watch much of Jeremie Frimpong to know that he could be vulnerable under the high ball. The imminent arrival of Daniel Muñoz from Glasner’s former club Crystal Palace could have a similar immediate impact.
12. Everton (-4)
This serves both to check Everton’s vibe and to evaluate two fairly decent results at the start of the season. That hasn’t stopped the fanbase from complaining about Harrison Armstrong’s proposed sale to such an extent that a move to Nottingham Forest has been cancelled. Cashing in on Iliman Ndiaye makes sense given the bids for the 26-year-old, but if much of those profits go towards bringing in Richarlison and Jack Grealish, is it achieving much beyond raising the team’s age profile and injury risk?
13. Sunderland (+6)
It would be an exaggeration to describe Sunderland vs. Fulham as a six-point game. It was different to that, but still hugely important, a chance for two teams who should feel quite threatened by the drop to shine a light on each other. Sunderland did quite encouragingly, although they could still do with turning to the market to deepen Regis Le Bris’ squad.
14. Casco City (-1)
Sergej Jakirovic’s team will surely not be so high in May. That’s not the goal. All Hull needs is for three teams to accumulate fewer points than them. With 36 games left to play, they have given themselves a good lead. It is not that they have been as bad as feared in their first two games, giving up half a goal more than the rivals who had to run in those games.
15. Tottenham Hotspur (+2)
Well, yes, it looks very bad, doesn’t it? When you’ve revamped your team as radically as Tottenham has, patience is surely the watchword, but around $500 million brings with it the expectation that scrolling down and down the table to find Spurs must end. Their lack of ideas to break the Newcastle block could simply be a reflection of a team still coming together, but the emotionally draining circumstances of the last two years have turned the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into an unsettling place. It may not forgive growing pains.
chuck cabin
16. Crystal Palace (-9)
The constant departure of defensive talent appears to have been keenly felt at Selhurst Park. Hosting Manchester City is usually a no-brainer, but this team might not have been as broken with Marc Guehi or Maxence Lacroix on it. Is USMNT’s Chris Richards ready to be the anchor center back in a Premier League defense? For now, Palace has no choice but to find out.
17. Aston Villa (+3)
The week since Villa’s beating of Brighton has been curious. In principle, it is a good idea to get as much money as possible for Emiliano Martínez and Ollie Watkins in the twilight of their careers. Replacing the latter with Nicolas Jackson could prove to be a masterstroke; The Senegalese striker is very good at finishing. This might just be a year ago for a team flush with cash for the Champions League, but the worry is that it goes further: if they lose to Arsenal and former defender Ezri Konsa on Monday, they could spiral towards the bottom half of the table.
18. Ipswich (-8)
In the end, things became quite brutal for Ipswich, but that shouldn’t take away from the fact that for a while they really had Manchester United on the ropes. If the VAR intervention had not gone against you in the Red Devils’ second goal, would the match have been different? Not really, no, but these are not the games that will decide the fate of Ipswich.
19. Fulham (-8)
Gonzalo García looks better than skeptics might have expected, Josh King seems to be making a big leap and Alvaro Arbeloa says help is coming. Still, this gives the feel of a team that is trying to do a Villa-style revamp with a much lower floor. Losing at Sunderland seems an indicator of a worrying situation.
20. Coventry City (-2)
Hard? Maybe, but Coventry may have already lost the biggest game of their season. When the margins are as tight as they are in a relegation battle, you can’t afford to lose the home game against the only team, Hull City, that you could really hope to be better than.
