The Lay of the Land

The Premier League is a third of the way through and we’re starting to get a better sense of how this campaign might play out. Granted, there’s still a lot of football to be played. It would normally be around Christmas time where it becomes clearer where teams will end up. However, with the World Cup halting league football around the world in two weeks’ time, I think it’s the right time to assess the season so far. So, this week, I’m going to talk what I’ve made of first 12/13 games thus far.

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Are Arsenal the Real Deal?

In my way too early predictions, I had Arsenal finishing fifth in the league, just short of the top 4. But right now, they’re sitting at the top of the tree. Aside from City, they’ve been the best team up to this point. Arteta has got them playing an attractive brand of football whilst having a defensive steel to them which hasn’t been present in recent times. The question remains, can they keep this up? I’m still intrigued to see how this team copes with setbacks. In the immediate aftermath of the games where they dropped (the loss at Old Trafford and the draw against Southampton), they proved it was merely a blip (spanking Brentford and Forest 3-0 and 5-0 respectively). It’s when they experience more severe setbacks is where we’ll see what this team is made of. Can they win the league? Anything’s possible. They’ve put themselves in a good position. We just have to see if they can maintain their lofty levels.

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Erling Haaland: A Man on a Mission

THIS MAN IS NOT HUMAN. I don’t know what factory this guy was built in, but the engineers sure knew what they were doing. Nah but in all seriousness, Haaland is just on another level. We’re barely into November and he’s already got 17 goals. He doesn’t even touch the ball that much, but that’s the beauty of it all. He is consistently in the right place at the right time. His appetite for scoring is second to none, and you can see the fear he strikes in opposing defenders. Normally it’s hard for strikers, especially from the Bundesliga, to hit the ground running when they move to England. But Haaland ain’t any old striker, is he? It helps he’s in a team that creates chances galore, but he’s still got to put them away. He might not say it openly, but he’ll be desperate to beat Salah’s record of 32 goals in a single campaign. Provided he stays fit and Pep doesn’t rotate him too much, I think he’s got the record in the bag.

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Hope for United, But Caution is Required

After the first two games, I was about done with United. Props to Ten Haag for putting his stamp on the team and turning this around. Since that embarrassment against Brentford, we’ve beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs and have won 7 of the last 10 games. The players are really taking to his coaching and are responding in a big way. Martinez and Dalot are two examples of players who have epitomised what the manager is all about playing with intent and aggression. Eriksen has been that calming presence in the midfield. After a slow start, Casemiro has kept the centre of the park ticking over nicely, and Rashford is starting to look like the player he was a couple of years ago. Despite all the good thus far, I’m remaining cautious. I’ve seen this happen before. We’ve gone on good runs before but as soon as things go pear-shaped, the players have downed tools. I’m hopeful that with this manager, it will be different. But I think it’s wise for all United fans to be wary at this stage.

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The New Kid on the Block

The race to be in Europe’s elite competition next year is as open as I can remember, and right now it’s super close to call. City and Arsenal look like the teams to catch, which leaves 5 teams fighting for those other two spots. I’ve been shocked by what I’ve seen from Liverpool and Chelsea in the early stages of this season. Teams have been able to cut through Liverpool at will, with the midfield getting bypassed time and time again. The lack of change within the squad over the last few years coupled with how much football they played as a group has really caught up with them. Chelsea have just been a bit of all over the place. Potter doesn’t quite know his best XI, and there seems to be a lack of chemistry between the players. I was quite high on Spurs, but watching them up to now, they just aren’t a good watch. They play such negative football and Conte looks like he’s reaching his breaking point. This has left the door open for a potential outsider to come into the mix. Enter Newcastle. They’ve looked good when I’ve watched them, and their squad has a nice balance. It’s going to be close, but this could finally be the year where one of the traditional top 6 don’t make it.

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It's Tough at the Bottom

Life’s always tough for the teams at the foot of the table, with this year being no different. There are at least 7 teams that are fighting to stay in this league. All those have shown that whilst they can win the odd game or two, they lack consistency and it’s going to be a struggle for them all the way to May. It’s normally the case where there are one or two teams who are cast adrift early on and then that last spot can come down to several teams. I don’t think that’s the case this time around. I really fear for times like Forest, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Their inability to score goals is going to cost them dearly. As always, nothing’s decided in November, but it’s going to be a fight to the finish.

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This Week’s Hot Take

This could be the last season we see Guardiola and Klopp manage in the Premier League. City will most likely win the league, and if they finally win the Champions League, I think he’ll leave and ride into the sunset. He would have won everything possible, and he might think it’s time to try something new. Liverpool are in real danger of missing out on the top 4. If that happens, Klopp could call it a day. He’s been at the club for over 7 years now, and he’s possibly taken this side as far as he can.