Top shockers
The new English Premier League season has commenced on the 11th of August. It has been more than a month since the new season started. Many teams are showing high-quality football in the first seven games, while some of them are clearly underperforming. Let’s take a look at the best looking teams first.
Tottenham Hotspur
The first one would be Tottenham Hotspur. They have been on a tear recently, beating some tough oppositions like Manchester United and Liverpool. Their last victory against Liverpool was one for the history books, not only mentioning the game as a whole but also the mistakes the referees made throughout the game. With a little bit of luck and character, the Spurs outplayed the Liverpudlians. We cannot forget that Spurs drew the game against Arsenal away from home in the North London derby, and both teams are the only ones who still have not lost a single match in this English Premier League season. These are just seven games played, and we logically should not be raising high expectations for them just now because the season is long.
When Angelos Postecoglou joined the club as a new manager, the players started to play more comfortable under his wing. The improvement that differs the most from previous Spurs seasons is probably that never-say-die mentality. After Harry Kane left the team, it seemed that it might be over, but they flipped the script. The most meaningful thing to say in this situation is that A. Postecoglou does not give the impression that he is doing the organization a favor by being here – in this position. With this psyche, Tottenham Hotspurs can accomplish a lot this season. It is not as if they are contenders now, but other squads will take them more seriously – and it is not controvertible. While they are not playing in the European competitions, Spurs is a genuinely tough team on any given night.
New signings
With the signings of James Maddison from Leicester City, Pedro Porro from Sporting, Dejan Kulusevski from Juventus, Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli, and Manor Solomon from Shakhtar Donetsk, the team has improved massively. P. Porro and D. Kulusevski played on loan last year in London. This summer, their main goal was to complete permanent moves for Pedro and Dejan. They spent almost 117 million pounds (116.9) on these five players. We should not forget that Manor Solomon joined the club for free. The age average of the new transfers is only 24.6, so they are clearly looking to build for the future. Spurs made solid signings in 2023, not only mentioning the age factor but also the quality of the players.
Tottenham’s first seven English Premier League games:
Brentford (A), Man. United (H), Bournemouth (A), Burnley (A), Sheffield United (H), Arsenal (A), and Liverpool (H).
West Ham United
The Conference League winners of the previous European campaign are demonstrating great form this season. They are currently sitting in that seventh position in the Premier League. The position would be much better if they did not lose to Man. City and Liverpool two weeks in a row. The Hammers would be one of the three teams in the Premier League who have not lost a single match, and only one point would separate them from TOP 4. If West Ham had won those two games – they would have nineteen points right now, and it would put the team from London in the first place in the English Premier League. They are only one win away from reaching TOP 4. The way they played against the top-tier teams was promising. Hammers proved that the team is strong enough to fight against anyone. They started their season with a tough match against Bournemouth. It ended in a 1-1 draw. Then West Ham secured two impressive victories against Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion and collected six points against smaller sides such as Luton Town and Sheffield United.
David Moyes has been doing an incredible job as the main face of this team. The biggest concern is that they must play in more competitions. They are in the Europa League with SC Freiburg (Germany) and Olympiakos (Greece) in the same group. This additional attention on the tournament of the Old Continent is going to require much depth. They can keep up this great form because they have the tools to do so, even though they lost their superstar – Declan Rice. West Ham earned 105 million pounds from his transfer to the Gunners.
New additions?
Two top midfield additions this offseason were James Ward Prowse and Edson Álvarez. The team from London spent 63 million pounds on these two players, who made a huge impact. Mexican adds everything a successful team needs. Tenacity, good passing, outstanding defensive skills, good cutting of passing lines. In Ajax, he covered every blade of grass and dominated without any competition. On the other side, J.W. Prowse adds some other capabilities. He is a super-talented passer and free-kick taker. His vision is out of this world and with fast-tempo gameplay – he is a good fit for the club. He played 12 years in Southampton, and we finally have a possibility to see him on the team that fights for something.
TOP 6 is their goal, but with needed cards given – they can attempt to go for the TOP 4 place. Especially with Manchester United and Chelsea playing the way they play. Their most significant triumph came on August 20 when they defeated that same Chelsea 3-1. Their main rivals for TOP 6 will be Aston Villa, Brighton, Manchester United, and there might be some more. The Hammer’s situation is favorable because if their hopes of winning the Europa League are low, they can focus on the Premier League and pursue a better position in England. On the other hand, if they do not stand a chance in England, Hammers always have the option to qualify for the Champions League through a victory in the European tournament – Europa League.
West Ham’s first seven Premier League games:
Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Brighton Hove Albion (A), Luton Town (A), Man. City (H), Liverpool (A), and Sheffield United (H).
Top disappointments
The same story continues for MU and Chelsea. Both teams cannot find their stability, needed to win games against any opponent. The Red Devils are in 10th place, and Chelsea is one position away from them – 11th. Something has to change, but it has to alter as fast as possible because it might be too little too late. Erik Ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino are big names on the market, but as we saw what occurred with Tottenham – sometimes we have to look for a coach, not a personality.
Manchester’s next two games are against beatable oppositions – Sheffield United (A) and Manchester City (H). The team must earn all six points to stay in contention for TOP 4. Last year, the Red Devils came in the third position. Chelsea’s next two games are against Arsenal (H) and Brentford (H). If we would compare the schedule with MU’s – it is more challenging. They have to figure out something because everything is slipping out of their hands now, and they cannot be in a lower position than last year’s 12th rank. Chelsea spent more than 600 million pounds in the last two transfer windows. Signed M. Pochettino as the new coach, and with all the investments and the history of Chelsea – there is no excuse for having such a horrific season.
Dates of the most anticipated matches:
- Manchester United vs. Manchester City – on October 29;
- Man. City vs. Liverpool – on November 25;
- Man. City vs. Tottenham – on December 2;
- Liverpool vs. Arsenal – on December 23;
- Newcastle vs. Manchester City – on January 13;
- Arsenal vs. Liverpool – on February 3;
- Man. City vs. Manchester United – on March 2;
- Liverpool vs. Manchester City – on March 9;
- Man. City vs. Arsenal – on March 30;
- Tottenham vs. Manchester City – on April 20;
- Tottenham vs. Arsenal – on April 27;
- Liverpool vs. Tottenham – on May 4;
Top goal scorers and assisting players
It is not a surprise that Erling Haaland (Man. City) is number one talking about the striker’s category. He does not have the biggest competition but with eight goals throughout this campaign so far – he is the leader, and the rest of the league is battling for that second spot. Son Heung-Min (Spurs) is in second position with six goals, and Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) is in third with five goals. The battle for the fourth spot is legitimately insane – eight players scored four goals. Noting the best ball distributors, we can mention Pedro Neto (Wolves), James Maddison (Spurs), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), and Kieran Trippier (Newcastle). They all have assisted four times. Nine players have three assists, so the race is on.
English Premier League predictions
The teams that have the highest probability of getting relegated are Sheffield United, Bournemouth, Luton Town, Everton, and Burnley. All the teams upfront are of higher quality with more experience, so realistically, the clubs mentioned above will fight for their place in the Premier English division. Safe choice would be to assume that Man. City is presumably going to win it all. Yes, losses like the one against Wolverhampton can ensue, but it does not mean other teams will collect points efficiently. Considering Manchester City’s depth – they will most likely win another championship. The more important question is the TOP 4 prediction. Instead of Manchester United and Newcastle – Liverpool and Tottenham should secure UEFA Champions League spots. If you are interested in European competitions – check out our latest articles about UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League.