Spurs and Leicester impress, United and Arsenal disappoint: The winners and losers of the Premier League so far
As the Premier League makes way for the 2020 UEFA Nations League, the clubs get some much-needed time to plan their strategies. For some teams, maintaining the winning momentum would be key, while the struggling outfits will have a chance to re-think strategies when the league gets back to action on November 21. With 16 teams having played eight games and four teams completing seven games, there have been some surprises and shocks in store.
With a fair amount of games done, safe to say there's enough to determine the winners and losers in the campaign so far. Ahead of the restart, here's a quick look at some of the better performers and the worst:
Winner: Leicester City
Leicester City has shown shades of their 201-16 campaign and has taken first place on the points table with six wins from eight games. They have been consistent and have played to their strengths pipping Arsenal and Manchester City in their big games so far. They have scored 18 goals so far with Jamie Vardy leading the side with eight strikes, while Timothy Castagne leads with two assists. The team currently boasts of an 81 pass accuracy and 51% shooting accuracy.
The shooting accuracy has seen a sharp rise when compared to 35% in the previous season. Leicester have stuck to their strengths— pace and explosive off the blocks. This has augured well for the Foxes with an in-form Vardy serving as a major match-winner.
Loser: Everton
For a team that occupied the top slot for a major portion of the league so far, the Toffees have slipped a few rungs and find themselves in the seventh position with four wins from eight games. Carlo Ancelotti's men have seen some exceptional highs this season with 16 goals and eight of them coming from Dominic-Calvert Lewin. In James Rodriguez, they have a complete player who's chipped in with three goals and leads the club with three assists.
However, post their draw against Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby, Everton seems to have gone off the boil. They lost three in a row to Southampton, Newcastle, and Manchester United. Injury concerns have plagued the side and they will be looking to getting back on track when they take on Fulham on Saturday, November 21, 2020.
Winner: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
And to be the winner, he will owe a lot of it to Bruno Fernandes. The gaffer found himself making the headlines each time United walked away with a loss and with every defeat, calls to sack him only grew louder. That former Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino was ready to make a comeback just made things a lot harder for Solskjaer. With the side being inconsistent, their 3-1 win, courtesy Fernandes' brace, and Edinson Cavani's first goal for the Red Devils, the Norwegian has earned himself some breathing space.
Loser: Manchester United
While Solskajer has won, United have been the clear losers. With three wins in seven games, the Red Devils look a pale shadow of what they were the previous year. They're languishing at 14th place on the points table and barring Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes who have been consistent, the rest of the side looks jaded. With the Spurs condemning the side to a 1-6 defeat, United have also lost to Arsenal and Crystal Palace. Despite a spirited performance against Chelsea, the game ended in a draw thanks to Blues' new goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy.
Winner: Tottenham Hotspur
The Spurs will most definitely fancy their chances to clinch the title this year. Backing the argument are a few factors and the first of it is having Jose Mourinho at the helm as the manager. Just about everything has gone right for Tottenham thus far this season. To start with, their transfer window saw them make some smart buys and welcoming their prodigal son, Gareth Bale into the fold. This new Spurs unit is disciplined and has what we can rightly call the "Mourinho mindset". Their style of play is more aggressive, and they're not the quintessential good boys anymore.
Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son have been in the form of their lives and lead the goal charts with seven and eight goals respectively. Kane also leads the pack with eight assists and the team as a whole has 19 goals in their eight games so far. The Spurs currently second on the points table and will look to continue their winning streak when they face Manchester City when League action resumes.
Loser: Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's men haven't set the league on fire yet. Their stalemate against Liverpool on Saturday meant just one point and the lack of explosive strikers is hurting the citizens pretty badly. They are over-reliant on star Kevin De Bruyne and that makes them a predictable side. They have wins against Wolves, Arsenal and Sheffield United, but lost to Leicester City. West Ham and Leeds United forced a stalemate and the team will be looking to play a more aggressive brand of football when the season starts.
Winner: Liverpool
Despite a stuttering start and a string of injuries, Jurgen Klopp's men have bounced back admirably in the campaign winning their last two games against Sheffield United and West Ham. They won three in a row at the start of the season before going down 7-2 to Aston Villa. They earned a hard-fought draw to Everton and in the meantime, notched up impressive wins in their Champions League campaign. They have registered wins in all three games so far and look like the Liverpool of the old.
Loser: Arsenal
Arsenal under Mikel Arteta was on their way back to glory days. Except, a slew of inconsistent performances has seen them have a mixed season. Their loss to Aston Villa completely overshadowed the clinical win they secured against Manchester United. It's back to the drawing board for the Gunners as they now sit at 11th place winning just four games in eight matches. After giving away points to Liverpool, Manchester City, and Leicester — games that they could have won, Arteta will most likely ring in the changes when they face Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United next.
The Premier League resumes November 21, 2020.