After an eight-game sprint to start the new Premier League season, the English top flight finally takes a weekend off after roaring on at breakneck speed. All 20 clubs will be dismantled for the following 10 days or so while their star players represent their countries, many of them hoping to lead their nations to the European Championships in Germany next summer.
The break provides us with the perfect opportunity to take stock of the current state of the league and as of right now, the overriding feeling is one of shock.
The table looks nothing like we would have anticipated it would barely two months ago. Heavyweight contenders are languishing in the bottom half while former laughing stocks are at the division’s summit.
Let’s take a look at some of the most shocking aspects of the early weeks of the new Premier League season.
Tottenham Stun Everyone to Top the Pile
Heading into the new season, if there was something that every football fan could agree on, it was that Tottenham Hotspur were in for a disastrous campaign.
Last season under Antonio Conte was a calamity, with the iconic Italian manager turning on the club, its owner, its fans and its players en route to being relieved of his duties. To make matters worse, star striker and all-time record goal scorer Harry Kane jumped ship to Bayern Munich.
If that wasn’t bad enough, owner Daniel Levy replaced the outgoing Conte with unheralded former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, an appointment which underwhelmed to say the least. However, the Australian boss has proven to be a revelation and he has completely revitalised the North London club from top to bottom.
Even two wins and a draw from the club’s opening three games didn’t have the bookies convinced, with some Premier League week four previews tipping them to struggle away at newly promoted Burnley.
How wrong those predictions were. Spurs romped to a 5-2 victory in Lancashire and weekly three-point additions have continued to pile up. Further wins against Sheffield United, Liverpool and Luton Town have seen them rise to the top of the Premier League standings.
They are level on points with North London rivals Arsenal and the two look set to go head-to-head in the hopes of taking the challenge to third-place Manchester City, who remain the 1/2 favourites for glory despite being two points off the summit.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United are in Turmoil
When we spoke of heavyweights languishing in the lower half of the table, of course, we were speaking about Chelsea and Manchester United. The pair have 26 Premier Leagues and five Champions Leagues between them. In the last transfer window, the duo forked out a combined £530 million on new signings. However, The Blues are way down in 11th with the Red Devils a point ahead of them in tenth place.
The London outfit has spent over £1bn on new players during American business mogul Todd Boehly’s three transfer windows in charge of the club. The likes of Enzo Fernández, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Moisés Caicedo have all arrived for eye-watering fees however, they have been unable to gel and provide results for new manager Mauricio Pochettino. But at least the Stamford Bridge outfit looks like it’s turning a corner, winning three on the bounce heading into the international break.
The same cannot be said for Manchester United. The Old Trafford are currently in disarray and – prior to their controversial come-from-behind victory against Brentford – were struggling at the ground they once called a fortress. The Red Devils have already lost to Brighton and Crystal Palace on home turf in the league this season. Add to that a shocking defeat at the hands of Turkish champions Galatasaray in the Champions League, and the pressure has been amped up on manager Erik Ten Hag.
Both teams have a number of testing fixtures on the horizon. Chelsea face London derbies with Arsenal and Spurs while both teams will have to test their mettle against treble winners Manchester City and Newcastle United over the course of the next few weeks. With both sides needing to secure good results, don’t be surprised to see one or both managers fired should the results not pick up.
Worst Newly Promoted Sides of All Time?
Newly promoted teams are always expected to struggle when they reach the promised land that is the Premier League. However, no one could have anticipated just how poor all three newly promoted sides would look. Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town were the teams promoted from the Championship last season, with the Clarets winning the title in record-breaking fashion. However, both they and the Blades are trapped in the relegation zone, while The Hatters are only above the drop zone on goal difference.
There have been some thumping defeats handed out to all three sides so far. Sheffield United were battered 8-0 by Newcastle and they have conceded two goals in all but one game so far this term. Burnley have shipped four goals to Chelsea, five goals to Spurs and three goals to both Manchester City and Aston Villa, while Luton were thumped 4-1 by Brighton on the opening weekend of the season. All three teams will need to improve fast if they wish to maintain their top-flight status next season.
