Arsenal officially overtake Manchester City at the top of the table after City’s slip up at Newcastle. Rodri injury really hurts City’s chances
Title Contenders:
? Arsenal survive after statistically dominating Leicester and are 61% favorites to win the Premier League, first time they have been favored this season. Things are looking very good in North London
? Manchester City drop points their first game without Rodri in a very uninspiring performance. Pep will figure it out soon but the side looks very different without him.
UCL:
? Liverpool have cemented themselves in third the past few weeks. They are a great team and Slot has them rolling but just not at the level of Arsenal and City yet.
?Chelsea with a very strong September and are looking towards UCL football next season. Attack looks like its finally coming together.
UEL/UECL:
? Aston Villa had a chance to go top of the league on Sunday and blew it. With a complicated schedule with UCL nights, 5th place and Europa League looks the most likely for them.
?? Spurs dismantled Manchester United this weekend and are continuing their recovery from their shaky start to the season.
?? Newcastle executed a near perfect game vs City and the Magpies showed their ability to shut down top teams (City had <1 xG). Should be a good sign for the rest of the season.
?Brighton’s cooled off after a very strong start, but I wouldn’t be too worried. Not many teams would’ve been able to stop Cole Palmer on Saturday.
Mid-Table:
? Manchester United is going to finish 9th or worse with or without Erik Ten Hag. Do you stick it out until the summer or does he go in the next week?
? West Ham and Julen Lopetegui are still learning each other. But, this needs to start happening quickly because their xG differential is bottom 5 in the league
? Bournemouth are flying under the radar and getting the job done. Great start to the season and the underlying numbers are looking strong.
?? Fulham and Marco Silva are in the top 6 and the Arsenal Academy boys are balling. Very strong start and hopefully they can keep it up.
? Nottingham Forest are quietly one of the best defensive teams in the Premier League. 3rd best xGA and taking care of business every weekend.
Below Mid-Table but not going to get relegated:
? Brentford would be first if the matches only lasted 5 minutes. Need to be able to sustain this pressure and hold onto leads to jump up.
? Crystal Palace are off to a very weak start due to the lack of goal scoring after losing their key man. They will adjust and the results will start going the other way soon.
Relegation Candidates:
? Wolves. Dead last, most goals conceded. Here’s the positive, they have played the one of the hardest schedules so far which is why they haven’t been dinged more in the simulations. Need to start getting points quickly.
? Everton and Dyche ball are struggling big time this season. The direct approach isn’t working when they have the lead because they are soaking up too much pressure. Need to change their gameplan in different game states.
? Ipswich Town started showing signs of fight against Villa and got a well deserved point against them. One could argue they should’ve walked away with the 3 points. Need to see more of that performance.
? Leicester City are only here and not with Southampton because of what they did against Arsenal on Saturday. Almost stole a point from the Emirates which is what they should be trying to do at almost every away ground.
Relegation:
? Southampton, it’s not looking good. 3 goals scored in 6 matches is not enough to remain in the Premier League. Need to turn that large amount of possession into scoring chances.