Here’s a brief look at the performances and prospects of the teams in the Premier League after matchday 7.
20. Norwich City (1 point)
Norwich City have been off to a terrible start to the new season, suffering six consecutive defeats before picking up a draw against Burnley on the weekend. Daniel Farke, who led the Canaries to the Championship title last season, is now struggling to get off the mark in the Premier League.
19. Newcastle United (3 points)
Steve Bruce’s side are yet to open their account, with their recent defeat coming against Wolves. The odds are stacked up against Newcastle as they will face Tottenham and Chelsea in their upcoming games.
18. Burnley ( 3 points)
Burnley have managed only 3 draws in 7 games so far with no victories. The daunting thing is they will be up against Manchester City in their next Premier League game.
17. Southampton ( 4 points)
Southampton could be happy with the hard-fought draws against West Ham and Manchester City but the worrying thing is they are yet to register their first win in the Premier League this season. Their recent outing against Chelsea also ended in a 3-1 defeat.
16. Leeds United ( 6 points)
Things have gone south for Marcelo Bielsa’s men this season. For a side like Leeds, who were expected to push for the top four race with their brand of football, it hasn’t been quite the start they would have wanted – 1 win, 3 defeats and 3 draws. They will play Southampton in their next game. A victory would definitely get them a breathing space.
15. Watford ( 7 points)
Watford had their manager Xisco Munoz sacked on Sunday due to their disappointing to the season. They have roped in Claudio Ranieri – the man who led Leicester City to a surprise Premier League title in 2015 – as the new manager in charge. It will be interesting to see whether the Italian manager can work wonders on his return to the Premier League.
14. Crystal Palace ( 7 points)
Patrick Vieira has gotten off to a rocky start in his first season in charge at Crystal Palace. The victory against Tottenham was impressive but the Eagles regressed sooner after the defeat against Liverpool. Having managed to pick up a draw in their last two games, they will face Arsenal in their next fixture.
13. Leicester City ( 8 points)
Leicester City, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, couldn’t have thought of such a slow start to the new season. They are without a win in their last four games and will face Manchester United after the international break. The Foxes looks a completely different side than the one that lifted the FA Cup earlier this year.
12. Wolves ( 9 points)
Wolves are slowly finding their groove under new manager Bruno Lage, as they have picked up three victories in the last four games. They got the better of Newcastle United last week, with new singing Hwang Hee-Chan netting a double. They will be up against Aston Villa in their next game.
11. Arsenal ( 10 points)
The Gunners found themselves at the bottom of the table after getting off to the worst possible start – three consecutive defeats. However, they have bounced back pretty well after beating Norwich, Burnley and Tottenham consecutively. Mikel Arteta’s will look to jump into the top half of the table when they face Crystal Palace after the international break.
10. Aston Villa (10 points)
Aston Villa got off to fluctuating start but the victories against Everton and Manchester United boosted their confidence level. However, they failed to capitalise on the momentum after losing to Tottenham 2-1 last week.
9. West Ham (11 points)
West Ham’s form has also been topsy turvy this season, winning 3 games with 1 defeat and 3 draws. They had a great chance to hold Man Utd to a draw weeks ago but they failed to do so after Jesse Lingard netted a late winner and Hammers also missed a penalty in added time. They will play Everton at Goodison Park after the international break.
8. Tottenham (12 points)
Tottenham had a dream start to the new season after winning their first three games. However, it proved to be flattering to deceive as Nuno’ Santo’s side followed up with three consecutive defeats. The positive thing is they managed to get back to the winning ways after defeating Aston Villa at home on Sunday.
7. Brentford (12 points)
Brentford are turning out to be the surprise package this season as they have hit the ground running in their first-ever season in the Premier League. The newcomers have already beaten Arsenal, West Ham and Wolves while losing only one game so far. Furthermore, they are only trailing by two points from the fourth-placed Manchester United.
6. Brighton (14 points)
Brighton’s excellent start to the season has shown that they can be the dark horses this season. Graham Potter’s side are currently sixth in the table with 14 points and have suffered only one defeat.
5. Everton (14 points)
Rafa Benitez looks to have bedded well at Everton after experiencing a great start to the new season. They have racked up 14 points in 7 games with 2 draws and a defeat. The Toffees also held Man Utd a draw last week.
4. Manchester United (14 points)
Manchester United started the season on a promising note after picking up three wins in their first four games. However, they have experienced a dip since then, as they have managed only one win in their last three league games. The things will get even tougher as they await Leicester, Atalanta, Liverpool and Tottenham in the coming weeks.
3. Manchester City (14 points)
Manchester City were welcomed with a defeat in their first game of the Premier League this season. But the defending champions recovered well and now they are slowly pushing to claim the top spot. The victory against Chelsea and the weekend’s entertaining draw against Liverpool are some of their best results yet.
2. Liverpool (15 points)
Liverpool are looking on a mission to reclaim the Premier League title they lost to City last season. The Reds are brimming with confidence and their form has been impeccable across all competitions. Jurgen Klopp’s side, who are second behind Chelsea by a point, could have taken the top spot if they had picked up three against City at the weekend.
1. Chelsea (16 points)
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea looked like a team to beat after their excellent start to the season. But they suffered their first loss against Guardiola’s side, whom they defeated in the Champions League final last season. However, they are back on track after the impressive victory over Southampton. The Blues are currently leading the table with 16 points. They have relatively easy fixtures against Brentford, Norwich and Newcastle in the coming weeks.
