Tapping into our first Premier League power ranking of the season, where does your current team stand and where will they fall in the table.
- Newcastle
Where do I even begin with this joke of a club? There is honestly not much to say other than Newcastle is in trouble, and they need to figure it out FAST. Newcastle will desperately look for solutions after coming off an embarrassing loss to Cambridge (a team in England’s third professional division) in the English FA Cup, where they started a strong starting 11. Now I am not qualified to be a soccer manager or even in any position to be making financial decisions. Still, I would advise the new owner to pull out their checkbooks and hand blank checks to quality players looking to leave their club (as an Arsenal fan, I would gladly take a clean 80 million for Aubameyang). In all seriousness, though, I do not believe Newcastle will be turning this season around due to a lack of squad identity, poor coaching, and a lack of talent. This club has the same number of wins over a Premier League team as Cambridge, so they will find themselves in the Championship next season. They have Watford this upcoming weekend, who have a few players out due to the African Cup of Nations so, Eddie Howe and players, I beg you for the sake of your incredible fans, figure it out.
- Norwich
I will keep this short and straightforward. Norwich is a club you will find in the Premier League every other season. My heart goes out to the fans that are along on this roller coaster of a journey. They find themselves at 19th in the Premier League rankings simply because of Newcastle’s embarrassment. As a USA fan, I hope Joshua Sargent can find some form in the future, but the chances of that are slim. They have a game against a rugged West Ham team this upcoming week; let’s all have a moment of silence before moving onto the following ranking.
- Burnley
Burnley has not won a game since October of 2021, frightening? I would think so. To add to their misery, Burnley just got bounced by Huddersfield in the FA Cup, where Burnley did not put up much of a fight, losing 2-1 at home. Despite my negative opening, Sean Dyche’s men find themselves two points away from safety with a game in hand. If they sure up that defense and get creative on the offensive front, they may find themselves in the Premier League next season. The main takeaway for Burnley is to remember who they are. They need to make the teams they play work for each point, and when the Burnley defense bends but doesn’t break, they hit them on a set piece or counter. I believe in Sean Dyche, but when the ownership doesn’t back you by providing you funds, it is a grim outlook on the rest of the season unless a player takes it upon themselves to shine bright in a dark situation. Burnley plays a high-flying Leicester team this upcoming weekend; I want to say Burnley has a chance, but until they show me some evidence of heart, sadly, I will consistently pencil them in for a loss.
- Watford
Watford is in a dire situation; they have won one game in 10 games, losing the rest. Claudio Ranieri has been dealt an intricate hand, but if we look to the past, it would be fair to say if there is someone suitable to keep this team up, it would be him. The team’s defense would be described as nothing short of shambolic; in that ten-game span, they let in 23 goals which frankly is far from good enough in this league when you are not producing goals. Granted, they have had injuries in the back but still in this league, you need squad depth, and with Troost-Ekong and Masina away for the African Cup of Nations, Watford’s defensive troubles will get a lot worse before turning a new leaf. Despite their defensive hardships, Watford’s fixture list over the next three games could be described as a blessing because they face Newcastle, Burnley, and Norwich (all occupying the relegation spots currently). If they can win come out of this stretch with twos, possibly three, they will be able to breathe for at least a little bit.
- Leeds United
It will be a brutal campaign for the team when your central striker has only played six games all season, and other key players have nagging injuries. Marcelo Bielsa has been without his leading man Patrick Bamford for most of the season, along with Kalvin Phillips and Rodrigo, who has been in and out of the team. So the future looks bleak for Leeds United, but one could hold out hope for not getting relegated if the key players come back from injury and hit their stride. The squad is pretty much the same from last season when they finished 9th, and with the addition of Daniel James (2 goals and one assist in 17 games), Leeds could find themselves above positions 18 through 20 when the season ends, but it will not be easy. After falling to West Ham in the English FA Cup, they have them again on Sunday in hopes of a better showing.
- Southampton
It seems that Southampton has received a 100-million-pound cash injection. Sport Republic completed their club takeover earlier this month and will look to dip into the transfer market due to Southampton’s injury list extending by the week. Although Southampton are 10 points clear of relegation right now, they should not rest and keep their foot on the gas in growing their win total because they will be looking at a complete squad overhaul this Summer. They face one of the newcomers in Brentford this Tuesday.
- Everton
Everton ranks 4th in net spend over the last five seasons in the Premier League. Who’s in front of them, you may ask, Manchester City (of course), Manchester United, and Chelsea (who else). Stick with me here; Manchester City is 1st, Manchester United 7th, and Chelsea 2nd in the league. Where is Everton? They sit comfortably at 15th in the league. Everton is terrible with their money management. They cannot scout the correct players to bring in to fit the mold of their squad and enhance it, and the players they do bring in they overpay. They have an average squad rating of 6.9 and rank in the bottom half for most significant stats. Where did it go wrong? They have the backing of the owner, but Rafael Benitez has just got it all wrong. Despite my rant about their management, they still look good to stay up this season; with games against Leicester, Norwich, and Aston Villa coming up, though, they should be worried. Everton fans should be happy with four points out of nine.
- Aston Villa
Two words, Philippe. Coutinho. What a signing he will be for Aston Villa; he brings goal-scoring and much-needed creativity in the middle of the park. Aston Villa rank 17th in chances created, so with Coutinho slotting into the middle, expect this number to increase over the next few months. Also, if you have Danny Ings on your fantasy team (I am speaking for myself mostly), expect him to bang in a few more goals from a Coutinho cross or through ball. Steven Gerrard’s time at Villa has been up and down so far, but with time he can get his men to play his style and perform well, especially with the talent they have. With Manchester United this weekend, they can potentially capitalize on their locker room drama spewing onto the field.
- Brentford
In their first season back in the Premier League, Brentford has solidified themselves as Premier League talent. They have won 6, drawn 5, and lost 8. This record has placed them in 12th place, and I would expect them to land somewhere between 10th and 14th by the end of the season with no worries about relegation. Ivan Toney has been disappointing this season, having only scored four goals in 17 games. He will look to turn that around as they face a Southampton side with an average of 1.5 goals conceded per match.
- Brighton
This might infuriate many Brighton fans, but I feel like this team is content with being mediocre and just being in and around midtable at the end of every season. Granted, they are doing well this season as they sit in 9th place, 7 points off of 5th, but as we know time and time again, they will most likely stay here or slide down a few spots. They rank 10th in shots on target per match and 12th in big chances created on offense. They rank 7th in clean sheets and 13th in saves per match on defense. Pretty much what I am trying to say is their bang average. Nevertheless, consistently performing in the Premier League is not easy, so Brighton fans feel proud. I expect their game against Crystal Palace this Friday to be great.
- Crystal Palace
I have nothing but praise for Patrick Viera and his players. Over the summer, many touted this team to go down in a relegation battle. Still, with a few essential purchases/loans (Conor Gallagher, Marc Guehi, Michael Olise, Odsonne Edouard, and Will Hughes) and their youth rising to the challenge, Patrick Viera has his team sitting comfortably at 11th in the league. As long as this team doesn’t implode, I feel like we will be witnessing something special in the coming years. With a few more transfer windows and the developing talent, I believe they can fight for a European competition sooner rather than later. They have a midtable battle against Brighton this Friday; it will be entertaining.
- Leicester City
Leicester City has had a weird season. To be honest, they have underperformed and find themselves sitting at 10th right now, but with a defense that is plagued by injuries, to find themselves sitting at 10th is quite the feat. In addition, like everyone else in the league, Leicester will be missing players (Iheanacho, Ndidi, Mendy, and Amartey) due to the African Cup of Nations, so January will be tough for them regarding rotating their squad due to fixture congestion. With that said, though, a bounce-back win against Liverpool after their 6-3 defeat to Manchester City along with a 4-1 win over Watford, Leicester can continue to ride high into midweek when they face an Everton side that finds themselves sitting at 15th in the league.
- Manchester United
There is a lot to unpack with this team, but I will hit the main points because, honestly, this article would never be released if I were to do a deep dive into the drama surrounding this club. To start, the quality this team has in the midfield and defense is quite laughable. When your club captain is Harry Maguire, and the fans criticize him because he is always suitable for making a mistake in every game, you have done something wrong. This club needs to get rid of the players who aren’t good enough and who bluntly would not die for this club. I believe the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo has shone a bright light on the lack of talent, heart, and leadership in this club. Their last Premier League game against Wolverhampton is a prime example; they were second best the whole game and never took their chances. And, their first sign of adversity in the game (that beautiful finish by Moutinho), all heads proceeded to drop and accept defeat. Ralf Rangnick has a lot to figure out, but if there is one man for the job, it is him. Manchester United has the talent up front to move into the top 4 by the end of the season, but for right now, they need to make some significant moves in January by getting rid of the deadwood. With Aston Villa this upcoming weekend, I believe they could step in the right direction with nothing less than a clean sheet win. Also, I won’t even talk about the mishandling of World Cup winner Paul Pogba.
- Tottenham
While under the reigns of Antonio Conte, the Spurs have improved immensely after the midseason appointment of the Italian manager. They now sit two points back of a top-four finish with two games in hand. The Spur’s fans should be optimistic, but I have a different view. Tottenham, to me, has the quality to beat most teams in the Premier League handily, but a glaring stat is they have not won a Big Six club this entire season thus far. In the Premier League alone, Tottenham has a rough stretch of games against Arsenal, Leicester, and Chelsea. Conte will need to put on an extraordinary technical display to manage favorable results from any of those games. My guess is they walk away with 2 points out of 9.
- Wolverhampton
The Wolves have had a unique season thus far, scoring 14 goals and letting in 14 goals coming to a record of 8 wins, four draws, and seven losses. They sit exactly where you would expect them to at 8th in the table with those stats. The glaring problem is that they can’t score goals despite their formidable defense. The return of Raul Jimenez this season has been lackluster after a traumatic head injury he sustained last season, so Bruno Lage may be in the market for another striker that can bang in some goals and spark healthy competition upfront. Wolverhampton is a very hot and cold team. Still, with the significant victory over Manchester United last week, I believe they can go on a nice bit of a run with upcoming games against Southampton, Brentford, and Arsenal.
- Liverpool
The Liverpool squad managed by Jurgen Klopp has been ravaged by injuries, COVID, and international tournaments. Liverpool is expected to have seven first-team players out due to COVID, and with Mane and Salah out for an extended period this month due to the African Cup of Nations, Liverpool’s squad depth will truly be tested. Liverpool is coming off a tie against Chelsea where they were up 2-0 and a tough loss to Leicester away. Their following string of games against Arsenal twice (in the Carabao Cup) and Brentford and Crystal Palace (in the Premier League) will prove a formidable showing. There is no question Klopp will rally his men, but the question is can they keep the ship afloat?
- West Ham
This season, West Ham has been the darlings by exceeding expectations and sitting in 5th right behind Arsenal for a top-four finish. They have won ten games out of 20, drawn four, and lost six along the way. This has been spearheaded by Declan Rice’s leadership in the middle of the park and Michail Antonio’s eight goals this season. They have proven under good tactics and management, if you play hard every game despite the skill level not equating to the likes of the Big Six, you can overcome the odds and hold your own near the top of the table. IT has been a slow progression, but David Moyes has consistently improved his squad and position at the table each season. In January, West Ham has already provided a significant result against Crystal Palace and can continue this run of form against a weak Norwich, a struggling Leeds, and a Manchester United team that lacks an identity.
- Arsenal
The Gunners have been flying high, and you don’t need to look any further than the first half of when they played Manchester City. They were bossing around the league leaders all over the pitch. The youth of Arsenal (Saka and Martinelli) and the man of the match Partey who was commanding the midfield, looked like they were going to bang in two or three goals in the first half alone. Now Arsenal fans do not get too ahead of themselves as the match was still lost 2-1 with a clumsy penalty given and a red card to their all vital center back Gabriel. Despite these shortcomings, Arsenal put out a top performance, and Arteta should rally his men to fight for each other and raise their heads high. With such a great showing in tactics and passion, the Gunners have an upcoming North London Derby that will play a pivotal role in the race for a top-four finish. With their midfield depleted due to COVID and the African Cup of Nations, the Gunners have a tough match ahead of them, but with the youth shining brightly, I believe they can secure at least a draw but hopefully a win.
- Chelsea
It truly pains me to have Chelsea at number two in the power rankings, but it is hard to ignore that despite injuries and COVID-19, Thomas Tuchel’s men have held their own and produced excellent results. In a world where no Manchester City exists, they would sit confidently at the top of the Premier League, but as we all know, life is not that fair. Frankly, Roman Abramovich’s money does not compare to the oil bags of money being invested into the City Squad. Nevertheless, Chelsea has been getting the results they need with most notably a comeback 2-2 draw with Liverpool. with injuries to their starting fullbacks, Reece James and Ben Chilwell, the Tuchel style of play has had to change personnel to players that one wouldn’t usually find in that position. Still, when the manager calls your number, you produce. Looking at their schedule, Chelsea has had a congested fixture list due to games not being postponed or cup games coming into play. This will test the fitness of Tuchel’s men, but I do believe they can get through it. They have a tough week ahead against Tottenham (where they won 2-0 in the first leg of their Carabao Cup tie) and Manchester City over the weekend. If I were a Chelsea fan, I would be overjoyed with one win and one loss and a few Lukaku goals sprinkled in to boost confidence.
- Manchester City
Manchester City continues to show they are a class above everyone else. Pep Guardiola’s men are on a seven-game winning streak, having scored 25 goals and conceding five goals in that time frame. It is more than fair to say that the champions are firing on all levels, and there are no signs of slowing down. Coming off a big win against Swindon in the English FA Cup, Manchester City can enjoy a 6-day game layoff before a monumental match against Chelsea. Some would say that Chelsea has had Manchester Cit’s number in as of late, most notably beating them in the Champions League Final in May of 2021. Still, honestly, with the way Pep has his men playing, I don’t see any other outcome than a Manchester City win. Expect this game to be cagey in the beginning, but as the game progresses, expect the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva to expose Chelsea’s backline to find either Gabriel Jesus or Phil Foden for an opening goal. Manchester City sits firmly at the top of the Premier League and will most likely finish there by the end of the season.