Our latest Premier League Power Rankings based on Matchweek 6 saw plenty of teams moving up and down in the top 10.
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There is now a real group being cut adrift at the bottom of the actual table and towards the bottom of our rankings. And the usual suspects are switching spots in the upper echelons of our rankings as squad depth is already having a big impact.
Below are our latest rankings.
The strugglers
20. Southampton - Down 2
19. Wolves – Down 1
18. Leicester City - Down 1
17. Everton – Up 3
16. Crystal Palace – Down 2
Going into the season Saints had a very clear identity about how they play and had a settled starting lineup. But they’ve fallen into the trap of buying lots of new players and not really knowing how to use them. Their first half display at Bournemouth was woeful and Russell Martin is scrambling to find solutions with confidence levels so low. Wolves are in a slightly different situation but are still waiting for their first win too. They are hanging in games, like they did against Liverpool, but are just coming up short and they’re struggling with confidence levels. Like Saints and Wolves, Leicester are also still awaiting their first win of the season and they roared back against Arsenal from 2-0 down and almost grabbed a huge point. But Steve Cooper’s side need to keep the ball better otherwise they will run out of steam most weeks given the amount of defending they have to do. Everton got their first win of the season, a huge victory at home against Crystal Palace to calm things down. After positive news regarding the impending takeover by the Friedkin Group, there is optimism in the air and they have enough quality to finish in midtable if injuries are kind to them. As for Palace, the Eagles are yet to win this season through six games and that was not expected. Oliver Glasner’s side have been involved in very tight games so far but they’re missing Michael Olise who left this summer and there is now extra pressure on Eze and Mateta to deliver. Palace have struggled defensively so far, which is also a surprise. Concerning times for the Eagles.
The middling bunch
15. West Ham – Up 1
14. Manchester United – Down 3
13. Ipswich Town – Up 2
12. Brentford – Down 1
11. Bournemouth – Up 2
The Hammers put in a solid display against Brentford to grab a point and that was welcome relief for Julen Lopetegui given a rough few weeks. West Ham have to get back to basics to put themselves in a position to take a step forward and that draw at Brentford will help. Manchester United are in freefall down our rankings and Erik ten Hag is in serious danger of losing his job given the nature of recent defeats. Bruno Fernandes was sent off early in their defeat against Tottenham but there’s a general lack of cohesiveness and solidity which is showing Ten Hag up. United simply shouldn’t be in this position given their squad. Ipswich are extremely tough to beat with four draws in a row and the spirit and belief they have is quite something. The Tractor Boys are still waiting for their first win of the season but with Liam Delap’s goals and driving runs, they won’t have to wait much longer. Brentford scored in the first minute, again, but they once again didn’t pick up a win. The Bees are so difficult to play against but aren’t as solid defensively as they were in past seasons. They have to improve in that area, and getting key players back from injury will help, if they want to push for the top 10. Bournemouth got a big win against Southampton as they pressed high and were finally clinical when chances arrived. Andoni Iraola’s side will be just fine this season and Evanilson getting his first goal is a big moment.
The contenders
10. Nottingham Forest – Down 2
9. Brighton and Hove Albion - Down 2
8. Newcastle United - Up 1
7. Fulham – Up 3
6. Aston Villa – Even
Forest finally lost their first game in a narrow defeat to Fulham, but they have had a solid start to the season and defensively they’re in a really good place and that will hold them in good stead this season. They missed the suspended Gibbs-White badly. Brighton gave Chelsea some big problems early on but they were overwhelmed at Stamford Bridge as Cole Palmer tore them apart and there were huge gaps on the counter. The Seagulls are slumping a little after their positive start. Newcastle were solid and tenacious in their draw against Manchester City as Eddie Howe got his tactics spot on with Anthony Gordon causing chaos through the middle, and the Magpies had chances to win it and they needed this kind of defensive display to move forward. Fulham continued their fine start to the campaign as they won at Forest and have picked up 11 points so far and are just three points off the top. Raul Jimenez is in superb form, which is lovely to see, and the Cottagers finally have their Mitrovic replacement. As for Aston Villa, they are juggling Premier League and Champions League action masterfully even though they drew at Ipswich. Unai Emery’s side will be disappointed they couldn’t hold on for the win but it’s understandable given how many games their relatively small squad has had recently, and with Bayern Munich to come at Villa Park this week. Watkins and Rogers are a huge threat and will have Villa pushing for the top four.
The top dogs
5. Chelsea – Even
4. Tottenham Hotspur – Up 2
3. Manchester City – Down 1
2. Liverpool – Up 1
1. Arsenal – Even
Cole Palmer was at it again as he scored four times in the first half to drive Chelsea to victory against Brighton, and the Blues were relentless. They look like scoring so many goals in each and every game, but they also look like conceding a bunch too. Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea have Pep Guardiola’s first season at Man City vibes. They’ll be entertaining to watch and four wins from six and 13 points has them just off the league leaders. Maybe Chelsea are in the title race? Tottenham move up into the top section of our rankings as they made the most of Man United’s implosion. Postecoglou’s boys got a statement and morale-boosting win as Solanke was on the scoresheet again and Spurs smelt their opportunity and grabbed it. The next step for them is to be more clinical consistently and Ange’s confidence in himself is rubbing off on his team. Manchester City look short in confidence as they were rattled without Rodri and drew at Newcastle. Not having Kevin de Bruyne is hurting too and City are snatching at chances and look shaky at the back. But their squad depth is immense and they’ll find a way to limit the loss of Rodri, either with current players or signing somebody else in January. Liverpool move up to second in our rankings and were resilient against Wolves as they won to go top of the table. Arne Slot is playing down talk of a title push but Mohamed Salah looks hungry and Liverpool seem less likely to run out of steam this season. Arsenal also showed resilience against Leicester as they coughed up a 2-0 lead in dramatic fashion but scored twice in stoppage time to win 4-2. Mikel Arteta’s side have that wonderful knack of getting results when they’re up against it and their squad has been stretched so much in recent weeks. They’ve clearly made the next step in their development.
