The Premier League has begun with a lot of excitement, with usual suspects Manchester City and Liverpool already claiming the top two spots in the league table. Arsenal is not far behind either, as Brighton & Hove Albion is in the third position.
These are still very early days, but we have started to get a feel of the kind of form most teams are in at the moment. The race for a top four finish will heat up as the season progresses, but three teams – Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal – are almost assured of ensuring it at the end of the season.
Who Other Club is Favourite for Fourth?
However, it is by no means a foregone conclusion that the three aforementioned teams are going to feature in the top four, as anything can happen in a marathon season in football. Still, it will take upsets of epic proportions to dislodge any of those three teams from finishing inside the top-four.
The Cityzens are probably the best club-team in the world at the moment, Liverpool has a fantastic team and Arsenal got pipped at the end in each of the last two seasons. Hence, their chances of finishing outside the top-four are very remote.
Therefore, the race to finish as the fourth team inside the top-four is primarily between Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Manchester United, in no particular order. Villa finished fourth last season and is playing UEFA Champions League football this season. They have a formidable team at the moment and Unai Emery’s tutelage makes them one of the contenders for finishing yet another season among the elites.
The same goes for Tottenham, who started in a brilliant fashion last season, but lost their way somewhat to finish fifth in the table. Chelsea, meanwhile, finished sixth after a late rally to consolidate their position.
However, the fact that Tottenham and Chelsea finished with 25 and 28 fewer points than champions Manchester City did, goes on to show the chasm between them. The gap seems to have remained almost the same, with both the London teams having points to prove in the current season.
Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham has won some fans over with their enterprising style of play, but their tendency to be over-adventurous at times could be a negative trait. Chelsea has been profligate in their spending, but the potential is very much there in the squad and in the newly appointed manager, Enzo Maresca.
When one shifts one’s focus to Manchester United, one is disappointed though. The only club to have been crowned the English champions 20 times finds themselves in disarray after having lost two out of their first three matches.
United looked a distant second-best in their 3-0 mauling by Liverpool and will find it difficult to finish inside the top six, let alone the top four, should its current form continue. Newcastle is in a better position at the moment, but should find it considerably tough to finish inside the top-four. Overall, it should be an enjoyable race for a spot in the top-four that should keep the spectators thrilled.