Premier League interesting rankings: Swansea suddenly scintillating
By Ty Finch
Swansea have spent most of the season in last place, but are on a five-match unbeaten run. Here’s the newest Premier League interesting rankings.
20. Bournemouth
The Cherries have had an up and down season thus far. They’ll go for long stretches without a win, then rattle off 10 points in five matches to keep them above the bottom three. That doesn’t mean they’re any fun to watch. They didn’t make a splash in the January window either, so there’s no real excitement in this side.
19. West Brom
Alan Pardew is determined to suck the fun out of the race to the very bottom of the Premier League table. The Baggies remain in last place after losing to Chelsea 3-0 on Monday, and are now five points behind 19th-place Stoke. No one on their squad has over five goals. Things are dire, and relegation seems inevitable at this point.
18. West Ham
The Hammers sit right in the middle of the crowded middle of the table in 12th place on 30 points. While David Moyes has proven to be a better hire than initially thought, West Ham aren’t exciting in any way. That’s good news for supporters this season, but not for this column. The club will be crushed by this news, surely.
17. Everton
Everton are like the last few seasons in your favorite TV show. It’s not nearly as good as it was in its heyday, but you watch because, well, you’ve made it this far and want to see it through. You know deep down that they’ll disappoint you every other week, though. Moments of magic remain, but they can’t recapture what made them fun in the beginning. Cenk Tosun has proven to be the baby brought in halfway through when the writers run out of ideas.
16. Brighton
If you’ve seen one Brighton match this season, you’ve seen them all. They play a similar style in every match because they’re not flushed with talent and would be overrun if they attempted to be more expansive. Most matches either end with two or fewer goals scored or in a blowout in favor of their opponent.
15. Burnley
Sean Dyche has Burnley under his spell, and he’s done everything he can with the talent on the roster and the money he can spend. They currently sit in seventh place in the table, a point above Leicester. The Clarets have scored 21 times this season, the second worst mark in the league. That would be a bigger problem if their defense was any less compact, but teams can’t figure out how to score against them.
14. Southampton
The only aspect making this club intriguing on any level is that they’re unimaginably consistent. The difference this season is the fact they’re now in the relegation zone, an unfamiliar place for Southampton recently. They’ve stuck with Mauricio Pellegrino during this uneasy period, and continued to bring through youth while profiting off their big names. With their minus-12 goal differential, they’re the club that doesn’t really belong in the drop zone, so they’ll probably end up finishing in the mid-table, per usual.
13. Manchester United
Jose Mourinho’s shtick gets old fast. He’s done the same thing at every side he’s managed since Real Madrid. They are times in the season when they look unbeatable, the defense is impossible to break down and they’ll take advantage of every scoring opportunity they get. Then, something goes wrong. Mourinho places blame elsewhere — Paul Pogba’s taking the fall this time — and everyone forgets that his team is mind-numbingly dull. He gets results, but at what cost?
12. Newcastle
To their supporters, the back-and-forth of Mike Ashley selling/not selling the club is far past breaking point. To outsiders, it’s grotesquely fascinating. Their play on the pitch may not be anything to celebrate — although Rafa Benitez is making the most of the little he’s given — but the ramifications of relegation at this point are too interesting to ignore.
11. Stoke
The Potters may be in 19th place right now, but that doesn’t make them boring to watch. On the contrary; Stoke concede the most goals in the league by a margin of six. If there’s someone in your life who refuses to watch soccer because of the low scoring affairs, maybe turn on the Stoke game. What a strange sentence.
Stoke are in real danger of relegation as well. The last year they weren’t in the Premier League was 2007-08, and if they can’t figure out how to stop gifting goals to everyone they face, they’re likely to go down.
10. Watford
Watford were the story of the season in the first half. Marco Silva had his team playing far beyond their means, and they were actually fun to watch. It began to crumble faster than burnt toast in the hands of the Hulk, and suddenly Silva, whom Everton repeatedly courted during their managerial search, was out. Now, under Javi Garcia, Watford are teetering with the majority of the mid-table. They may be a clichéd roller coaster, but even those are a fun ride.
9. Crystal Palace
Similar to the club above them, Palace continue to twist and turn their way through the league. They famously began without a win or even a goal in their first seven matches before beating Chelsea in their eighth. A few patches of good form saw them climb the table, but they’ve cooled off measurably since. Now, after a four match winless streak, Palace sit in an uncomfortable 15th place, just a point off relegation.
8. Arsenal
It’s hard to figure out what to make of Arsenal in any given season. What’s easy to glean is that the Gunners are entirely bland. Arsene Wenger has outstayed his welcome like a drunk friend-of-a-friend in the aftermath of a party. His ideas are stale, his tactics worn and his wavering on unhappy players allowed direct rivals Manchester United to steal Alexis Sanchez for Jose Mourinho’s bench-riddled whipping boy. The Gunners are decidedly the sixth best team in the league. So that’s something?
7. Tottenham
Spurs are in a strange spot this season. If you’re a supporter, they’re probably maddeningly inconsistent, beating the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United in the same month and a half they drew to Southampton and West Ham. On the other hand, outsiders likely see a club punching above their weight more often than not. They went unbeaten in two matches against Real Madrid in the Champions League, Harry Kane is still scoring goals for fun and they can put clamps defensively on just about every side.
6. Huddersfield
Huddersfield have the second worst goal differential in the league next to Stoke. They don’t score many goals, and give up far too many for comfort. However, they have instances where they overwhelm their opponent. Before winning 4-1 over Bournemouth, Huddersfield had scored just once in their previous six. The viewer is almost always in for a surprise when tuning in.
One would forgive them for changing their style and opting to buckle down defensively to try and see out the last few weeks, but that’s not their style. That’s commendable, at least.
5. Leicester
It’s going to be interesting to see what Leicester can do with a full season under Claude Puel. After a rocky start to the year, Leicester brought in Puel to replace Craig Shakespeare, and he has the Foxes looking like a solid challenger for the Europa League spot. The Riyad Mahrez saga is likely to come to an end this summer, and will give Leicester more money to spend on areas of need. They won’t be discouraged by the 5-1 thrashing to Manchester City; it’s happened to just about everyone this season.
4. Liverpool
One week, Liverpool have it all figured out. They’re the only team to beat Manchester City this season. Their front three of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino are lethal and telepathically linked. Their defense begins to sync up better. Then they lose to Swansea, who they beat 5-0 just weeks earlier. It’s never dull with this side, not even for a half.
3. Swansea
All but written off just a few months ago — not only for relegation, but to finish dead last — Swansea have ridden a staggering wave of form to 16th place. The Swans have only lost once, to Tottenham, since the end of December. They’re on a five-match unbeaten run with consecutive wins over Liverpool and Arsenal and another against Burnley. They’re not simply picking on the minnows, but going toe-to-toe with the giants and coming out on top. They play Brighton, West Ham, Huddersfield and Southampton in their next four, and who wouldn’t bet on them at this point? Swansea are riding high.
2. Chelsea
Chelsea seem to be in crisis mode every other week, which makes them as interesting off the pitch as on it. Somehow, it’s all pinned on Antonio Conte. Their January transfer window shenanigans alone would allow them to be this high in the rankings.
To be fair, consecutive thrashings to Bournemouth and Watford in the league would create uproar among most supporters. A comprehensive 3-0 win over a dismal West Brom won’t ease all fears, but at least keeps Chelsea in the top four race for now. They get Barcelona in the Champions League next, which is sure to spark outrage in one direction or another. It will probably be Conte’s fault.
Next: Champions League: Ranking the round of 16 ties
1. Manchester City
The internal debate whether to rank City number one or 20th was a struggle. On one hand, they’ve run rampant through the league so easily that the title race was over in mid-December. That’s boring for everyone not a fan of City.
On the other, more practical hand, it’s impossible to watch their matches and not be thrilled. Pep Guardiola has them playing exceptional soccer, and Kevin De Bruyne’s passing alone would make this ranking justified. They’re the best team in the league and the most interesting, both by a fair margin.