Two weeks into the new Premier League season, and it’s all about the snap verdicts. Chelsea are real title contenders. Chelsea are going to be struggling to qualify for the Champions League. Cole Palmer is the best player in the league. Chelsea can’t win the league if Cole Palmer doesn’t defend. And that was just an afternoon at Stamford Bridge.
Right now these rankings cannot really tell us who is the fifth-best team in the Premier League and who’s the sixth. So we won’t really try to reflect that. Instead, consider these a reflection on the most interesting and impressive sides with a little over five percent of the season in the bag. A vibe check of sorts. Not much to be going off, but it’s what we’ve got:
1. Arsenal (–)
At the time of writing, it remains unclear whether Arsenal will be able to use the proceeds of the Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira sales to fund the superstar attacker they so covet. Really, though, that is more a question for the Champions League. In England, they have the depth and quality to see off all but the weirdest crises.
2. Manchester City (+3)
There might have been something rather insubstantial about the opening weekend win over Bournemouth, but the 4-1 crushing of Crystal Palace was more in the mold of the Manchester City we knew pre-Enzo Maresca. Erling Haaland did Erling Haaland things while the trio behind him looked vastly improved for having Rayan Cherki as its center point.
3. Chelsea (+1)
Any team that gives up five goals to Fulham and Brighton probably cannot be placed among the title contenders but why is it fair to hold Xabi Alonso to those standards three games into the job? For now, his team is a bit vulnerable at the back, light on midfield passing, and incredibly fun in the final third. That’s not the worst place to be.
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4. Brentford (-1)
Though they were held to a draw at Elland Road, this is a team that looks to have come on leaps and bounds even from the quite high floor Thomas Frank left them at. Building a stronger possession identity than just direct countering, they might also have the league’s next star wide man in their ranks. Kevin Schade’s brilliant goal was the latest sign of a player on the rise.
5. Newcastle United (+4)
Rumors of Newcastle’s demise might have been greatly exaggerated. Four points from games against Liverpool and Tottenham is impressive enough; had it not been for that late penalty in their opener, they would have a fully merited six. Matthias Jaissle’s counter-attacking side seem well suited to the Premier League’s new low possession meta, aided by the swift return to form of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga. Giving up 22 shots a game, though, is probably not sustainable.
6. Liverpool (–)
You would expect that Andoni Iraola’s early days may deliver a few experiences like Saturday’s draw at Nottingham Forest, where the aggressive positioning of his fullbacks and an up-and-down style of football leaves Virgil van Dijk on something of an island. This might have to be a season where Liverpool outscore the other, fortunate for them that Florian Wirtz seems to be finding form.
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 7. Manchester United (+9)
They got there eventually against Ipswich and by the final whistle Michael Carrick’s side had by far the league’s most expected goals, shots and penalty box touches. To which the answer was, you better. You’ve just played two of the worst teams in the league. Even accounting for the fact that such opponents raise their game against the team they grew up viewing as England’s finest, the difficult moments against both Hull and Ipswich almost require over-indexing. There is a lot to be done to prove that this team is not vulnerable to meandering possession that leads to little until a counter or set piece punctures their bubble.
8. Leeds United (+6)
Daniel Farke’s side seem to have swiftly settled into a spot as one of those comfortably mid-table sides. A strong outfit who don’t worry too much about possession and aesthetics, they showed great composure to weather a Brentford storm and turn the screw late on at Elland Road.
9. Bournemouth (+3)
One point on the board so far, but one would not have expected a fast start from a team that lost a key defender when Marcos Senesi was sold, is without star striker Junior Kroupi for the foreseeable future, and has to adapt to new coach Marco Rose. For the second week in a row, points were lost late on, but it speaks highly of this team that they were carrying the greater threat even when a goal up.
10. Brighton and Hove Albion (-8)
Only Hull City have more injuries than Brighton, who particularly suffered from the blows to their attack at Stamford Bridge. Even without the likes of Jack Hinshelwood, Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma, Fabian Hurzeler’s side still posed a fair few problems to Chelsea. Having reoriented their side in a more youthful direction, the Brighton hierarchy should be pleased that three goals down this team never looked like folding but instead went down swinging at the Bridge.
11. Nottingham Forest (+4)
Oliver Glasner is already looking like a shrewd appointment by Forest. His side’s 2-2 draw against Liverpool had the hallmarks of a coach who already knew his opposition and how best to exploit them, albeit you don’t need to see much Jeremie Frimpong to know he might be vulnerable under the high ball. The impending arrival of Daniel Munoz from Glasner’s former club Crystal Palace could have a similar immediate impact.
12. Everton (-4)
This serves as a vibe check for Everton as much as an assessment of two pretty decent results to start the season. That has not stopped the fanbase grumbling over the proposed sale of Harrison Armstrong to such an extent that the plug was pulled on a move to Nottingham Forest. Cashing out on Iliman Ndiaye makes sense given the offers for the 26-year-old, but if much of those earnings go to bringing in Richarlison and Jack Grealish, then is much being achieved beyond upping the age profile and injury risk of the squad?
13. Sunderland (+6)
It would be an exaggeration to describe Sunderland vs. Fulham as a six-pointer. It was different to that but still of outsized significance, a chance for two teams who should feel rather threatened by the drop to put some daylight on each other. Sunderland did that quite encouragingly, though they could still do with dipping into the market to deepen Regis Le Bris’ squad.
14. Hull City (-1)
Sergej Jakirovic’s side surely will not be this high in May. That’s not the aim. All that is needed for Hull is that three teams accrue fewer points than them. With 36 games to play, they have given themselves a handy head start. It’s not like they have been as bad as feared in their first two games either, giving up half an expected goal more than opponents who had to make the running in those games.
15. Tottenham Hotspur (+2)
Well yeah, it’s looking pretty bad, isn’t it? When you’ve overhauled your squad as radically as Tottenham have, patience is surely the watchword, but near enough half a billion dollars brings with it an expectation that scrolling down and down the table to find Spurs needs to end. Their lack of ideas in breaking down the Newcastle block might just be a reflection of a team still coalescing, but the emotionally draining circumstances of the last two years have made the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium into a twitchy place. It may not be forgiving of growing pains.
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16. Crystal Palace (-9)
The steady departure of defensive talent seems to have been profoundly felt at Selhurst Park. Hosting Manchester City is often a hiding to nothing, but this team might not have been so ragged with one of Marc Guehi or Maxence Lacroix in it. Is the USMNT’s Chris Richards ready to be the anchoring center back in a Premier League defense? At the moment, Palace have no choice but to find out.
17. Aston Villa (+3)
The week since Villa’s hammering at Brighton’s hands has been a curious one. In principle it is a good idea to get what cash you can for Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins at the twilight of their careers. Replacing the latter with Nicolas Jackson could prove to be a masterstroke; the Senegal forward is very good at getting shots. This might just be a step back year for a team flush with Champions League cash, but the worry is it goes further, that if they lose to Arsenal and former defender Ezri Konsa on Monday they might spiral towards lower midtable.
18. Ipswich Town (-8)
It got really rather brutal for Ipswich by the end, but that should not take away from the fact that for a time they really did have Manchester United on the ropes. Had that VAR intervention not gone against them for the Red Devils’ second, then would the game have been different? Not really, no, but these are not the matches that will decide Ipswich’s fate.
19. Fulham (-8)
Gonzalo Garcia looks better than skeptics might have expected, Josh King looks to be taking something of a leap and Alvaro Arbeloa says help is coming. Still, this has the feel of a team who are trying to do a Villa-esque refresh with a much lower floor. Losing at Sunderland looks a worrying status indicator.
20. Coventry City (-2)
Harsh? Perhaps, but Coventry might already have lost the most important match of their season. When the margins are as tight as they are in a relegation battle, you cannot afford to be losing the home game against the one team, Hull City, you could realistically hope to be better than.
