How is your side faring? Premier League Progress Report
We’re now four games into the Premier League season and the table is starting to take shape.
How is your side faring? We’ve assessed each team’s performance so far as the international break gives every manager some much-needed thinking time…
Arsenal
Reasons to be cheerful Coming back from 1-0 down against West Ham and overcoming a potential banana skin at Neil Warnock’s Cardiff City suggests Emery has restored some character to the dressing room missing under his predecessor.
Reasons to be fearful Defeats to Man City and Chelsea suggest they still have plenty of catching up to do to reclaim their place in the Champions League.
Bournemouth
Reasons to be cheerful Eddie Howe’s side can score goals – a habit that other Premier League minnows find surprisingly difficult.
Reasons to be fearful They have a winnable run of games where they can’t afford to drop points before a difficult-looking winter fixture list kicks in.
Brighton
Reasons to be cheerful It’s been a mixed bag so far for the Seagulls, but good goalscoring form at home and a disciplined display away to Liverpool will give Chris Hughton encouragement his side can continue to be upwardly mobile this year.
Reasons to be fearful Relying on a 35-year-old striker as your main source of goals is a risky tactic for any team. Hughton will be hoping some of his summer signings will adapt to the demands of Premier League football quickly.
Burnley
Reasons to be cheerful It was short and sweet, but with their Europa League campaign done and dusted, Burnley now have a chance to regroup after a challenging opening few weeks of the season.
Reasons to be fearful You can never stand still in the Premier League, and a lack of notable transfer activity in the summer may come back to bite.
Cardiff City
Reasons to be cheerful Two points at this stage of the season is more than many of Cardiff’s doubters might have expected – and they have shown fight in every game so far to suggest they may have been written off a little prematurely.
Reasons to be fearful Neil Warnock’s side ideally needed to bag a few surprise early points as a horrendous run of fixtures lies ahead of them after the international break.
Chelsea
Reasons to be cheerful The feelgood factor is back at Stamford Bridge. Maurizio Sarri seems to have galvanised his players after a tricky end to Antonio Conte’s reign in West London.
Reasons to be fearful Chelsea’s most recent title victory came in a season without any European football to worry them. How will they fare when tricky Thursday trips in the Europa League limit training time?
Crystal Palace
Reasons to be cheerful The opening day win at Fulham shows that Palace can be clinical on their day. Roy Hodgson is also a safe, if unspectacular, pair of hands in the top flight even if the Eagles have an occasional off-day.
Reasons to be fearful Wilfred Zaha. Or – to be more precise – his absence. Without him, they look devoid of any real attacking threat and genuine relegation candidates.
Everton
Reasons to be cheerful The football has undoubtedly improved on last season – one major box ticked for Toffees fans unsure about the appointment of Marco Silva.
Reasons to be fearful It still looks as if time is needed for things to really click at Goodison Park after three draws against what, in theory, look to be inferior opponents. Discipline also needs to be kept in check with red cards flying around in their fixtures so far.
Fulham
Reasons to be cheerful It’s a cliché – but Fulham play some lovely football. In terms of technical ability alone, they can put teams to the sword when everything comes together. Schürrle and Seri already look like gamechangers in their bid for survival.
Reasons to be fearful The Premier League is a punishing experience for newly promoted sides – particularly when it comes to defensive lapses. Fulham need to tighten up to avoid a relegation battle.
Huddersfield Town
Reasons to be cheerful A gutsy 1-1 draw with Everton suggests there is still life left in the Terriers yet. Whilst attacking play was a hallmark of their first few months of Premier League football last season, it’s defensive discipline that might yield them some unexpected points this campaign.
Reasons to be fearful Who will score the goals to keep Huddersfield’s head above water? They scored only 28 goals last year and there’s little so far to suggest that figure will rise significantly in 2018/19.
Leicester City
Reasons to be cheerful The Foxes look like a side gliding comfortably above the relegation fray as shown by their victories against Southampton and Wolves. Jamie Vardy’s international retirement can also only benefit Claude Puel’s side.
Reasons to be fearful Boredom. Could it in turn lead to complacency? Enthusiasm levels among both the players and fanbase might just be the Foxes’ biggest problem this season if the Big Six looks beyond them and relegation an afterthought – which could in turn be dangerous for Puel.
Liverpool
Reasons to be cheerful Jürgen Klopp has stolen a march on several of his nearest title contenders with a clean bill of health after four games – despite Alisson’s best efforts to make things interesting against Leicester City. They could well go much, much closer this year.
Reasons to be fearful Lapses in concentration still never look too far away from the surface – as shown by their new goalkeeper and Brighton’s golden opportunity to equalise in the dying minutes at Anfield. If Liverpool fall short yet again, it could be self-inflicted.
Man City
Reasons to be cheerful City have already shown this season that when they scale their heights – such as in the 6-1 win over Huddersfield – they really will take some stopping.
Reasons to be fearful In sport, defending any title is hard no matter how impressive your record is. The 1-1 draw at Wolves was a healthy reminder that there are no guarantees in a division as gruelling as the Premier League when faced with 38 games.
Man Utd
Reasons to be cheerful The media circus surrounding Mourinho has cooled somewhat after a routine 2-0 away win against Burnley. The international break could have come at the right time for the Portuguese manager as he takes stock of his defensive options.
Reasons to be fearful Can the Portuguese manager plug the gaps in the defence all the way through to the January transfer window? The Burnley game was a good building block to work from.
Newcastle Utd
Reasons to be cheerful Two words: Rafa Benitez. The Spaniard might not always set up his side to be pretty, but you can guarantee they will be competitive – as they showed in their narrow 2-1 defeat away to the reigning Premier League champions.
Reasons to be fearful With only a solitary point to their name, they need to pick up a win soon before the natives get even more restless. Does this squad have the depth to come anywhere close to matching last year’s surprise Top 10 finish?
Southampton
Reasons to be cheerful The 2-0 away win against Palace suggests Hughes has at least helped his side develop a ruthless streak this summer and take advantage when opponents have an off-day.
Reasons to be fearful The front line still looks fragile. Ings and Austin will grab crucial goals when fit, but can they go through the season without any extended lay-offs?
Tottenham Hotspur
Reasons to be cheerful A disappointing display against Watford aside, Spurs’ players are so far showing no major signs of post-World Cup 2018 fatigue. The imminent of return of Heung-Min Son – free from the threat of national service – is also a major boost.
Reasons to be fearful Could the lack of summer signings come back to bite a squad that is likely to hit the wall at some stage after a challenging non-stop schedule? The ongoing stadium saga – whilst not a problem for the players – is an unhelpful distraction.
Watford
Reasons to be cheerful Where to start? 12 points from 12 games, a reborn Troy Deeney, and a strange sense of calm and stability around Vicarage Road. Everything seems to be clicking into place.
Reasons to be fearful Haven’t we all seen this story before? There’s three guarantees in life – death, taxes and a post-Christmas Watford collapse. Javi Gracia will be hoping for his own sake the script changes this year.
West Ham Utd
Reasons to be cheerful Things can only get better, surely? The Hammers will have to play catch-up from here on in but must have enough sprinkling of quality throughout the side to drag themselves clear from any danger.
Reasons to be fearful The main problems look to be in defence – the one area that wasn’t a major focus of spending this summer. If Pellegrini doesn’t fix the issues, it could be a tougher season than many anticipated pre-season.
Wolves
Reasons to be cheerful As predicted, they already look like a team more than comfortable at Premier League level with the stardust required to mount a push for a top half finish.
Reasons to be fearful Nuno’s side need to keep grounded and guard against believing the hype that has been building up around Molineux– and it will be interesting to see how the side reacts if a few results don’t go their way.