Just seven games into the season, Arsenal and Liverpool sit atop the English Premier League with 16 points respectively. While Manchester City and Chelsea fight for contention, Manchester United is sliding down in the rankings.
After falling to Aston Villa in their season opener, Arsenal has responded well by going undefeated in Champions and Premier League play. Arsenal currently stands at 5-1-1, but they will face tough competition in their upcoming matches verse Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool.
The Gunners have seen the majority of their offensive contribution come from Forwards Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey. Jack Wilshere has been a bit of a disappointment production wise, however we can expect the young English talent to strengthen his play and return to usual form for the upcoming competition.
The recent addition of Real Madrid midfielder, Mesut Ozil, has quickly made an impact for Arsenal. Leading the league with three assists, Ozil will attempt to find the back of the net for the first time this season in their upcoming match against Norwich City.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has been extremely impressed by attackers Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. After acquiring Sturridge from PL rival Chelsea, Rodger said that “the boys upfront are as good as anyone.”
Sturridge leads the PL with six goals in seven games. Liverpool proved themselves as a top contender when they downed Man Utd 1-0, with the lone goal coming from whom else, but Daniel Sturridge.
Liverpool’s leadership lies within their midfield. Steven Gerrard is one of the most respected players in the game, and accompanied by Brazilian native Lucas Leiva.
From their standards, Manchester United has been underperforming. Valued at $3.165 Billion, Man Utd is the second- most valuable international football club in the world. However, their well-paid stars have not been producing as much as manager David Moyes would have hoped.
Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney have only managed three goals apiece, barely ranking them in the PL top ten scorers. United’s defense proved susceptible to the speed of Man City’s attackers who were able to get four goals past keeper David de Gea.
After falling to Liverpool, Man Utd suffered another tough loss versus West Bromwich Albion. Although Man Utd’s record of 3-1-3 barely seats them in the top ten, Chelsea and Man City stand well within striking distance of the top two clubs. Chelsea is a mere two points behind the gridlocked teams.
With plenty of firepower on both offenses, the Man City and Chelsea face off will be a battle of which defense can contain the opponent’s strikers.
Southampton has only dropped one game, and sits comfortably behind Chelsea in fourth position.
We will have to wait and see how the Saints will fair later in the season, but so far, Southampton has emerged as a surprising force in the PL.
Newcastle United sits in the middle of the pack with a record of 3-1-3. Loic Remy has scored five goals so far this season, and has risen as a dominant forward at Newcastle United. Remy is the second leading scorer in the PL.
As we have seen, playing in one of the most competition league in the world can produce an unexpected winner in any given match.
With over two thirds of the season left, and some of the most highly anticipated matches still to be played, it will be a surprise to see which teams will be at the top of the PL ranks and qualify for the Champions league.
