Premier League table: 5 biggest surprises so far
So far in the Premier League this season, we have seen Liverpool take a surprise lead in the title race. Not many would have expected Nottingham Forest to be contending for European soccer. Chelsea - with their upheaval off the pitch - are doing very well on it.
By contrast, it is surprising how bad Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton Wanderers have been — especially as they impressed in the last campaign. The standings in the Premier League table are unforeseen, but it is still relatively early days.
Premier League table
TEAM | RECORD (last five games) | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
Liverpool | W-D-W-W-W | 31 |
Man City | W-W-L-L-L | 23 |
Chelsea | L-W-D-D-W | 22 |
Arsenal | L-D-L-D-W | 22 |
Brighton | W-D-L-W-W | 22 |
Tottenham | W-L-W-L-W | 19 |
Nottingham Forest | W-W-W-L-L | 19 |
Aston Villa | W-D-L-L-D | 19 |
Newcastle | D-L-L-W-W | 18 |
Fulham | L-D-W-W-L | 18 |
Brentford | L-W-L-W-D | 17 |
Man United | W-L-D-W-D | 16 |
Bournemouth | W-D-W-L-L | 15 |
West Ham | W-L-W-L-D | 12 |
Everton | W-D-L-D-D | 11 |
Leicester | W-L-D-L-L | 10 |
Wolves | L-D-D-W-W | 9 |
Ipswich | L-L-D-W-D | 9 |
Crystal Palace | L-W-D-L-D | 8 |
Southampton | L-L-W-L-L | 4 |
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest may have lost their last two games. However, even the most optimistic fan at the City Ground would not have expected them to be seventh at this stage in the Premier League season.
Credit must go to Nuno Espirito Santo, who kept them in the division in the last campaign — Forest finished 17th thanks to a win over Burnley on the final day of the season. The Portuguese manager now has them challenging for a European place.
The form of Chris Wood has also been surprising — he has scored eight goals in the league so far. This is just four behind Erling Haaland and the New Zealander is a surprise contender for the Golden Boot.
Liverpool
It was expected that Liverpool would be in a transition period this season with Arne Slot taking over from Jurgen Klopp. However, the Dutchman has settled in quickly, and the Reds already have an eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Slot has taken Klopp's team and arguably made it better. Slotting in very well in the German's big boots. This season could be one final hurrah for this great Liverpool team as many of the top stars, including Mohamed Salah, could depart at the end of the campaign.
Manchester City must also get a mention for losing their last three games in the division. You would not have expected this from a Pep Guardiola side. However, come the end of the season, we may just look back on this as a blip in the road for City.
Chelsea
Chelsea are a club whose transfer policy is comparable to that of a kid playing Football Manager. This is how ridiculous their mass recruitment has been. However, the regime under Todd Boehly could be starting to pay off.
The Blues took a chance on Enzo Maresca as their manager for this season. Maresca had worked as Guardiola's assistant at City and had just got Leicester City promoted from the Championship. The Italian has done very well to guide Chelsea's oversized squad to third in the table. They may even be able to challenge for the Premier League title.
Crystal Palace
It was expected that Crystal Palace would push on this season after Oliver Glasner did so well for them in the last campaign. However, the Eagles have had a disastrous start in the Premier League.
They are currently 19th in the division and are in a relegation battle. The loss of Michael Olise to Bayern Munich has been too hard to take for Palace. Results recently have improved, which included a shock win over Tottenham Hotspur. The 2-2 draw with Aston Villa last Saturday was also a credible result.
It has been reported that Glasner is not in danger of being sacked despite the poor start. The Austrian manager will need backing in January if they are to stick with him.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Just like Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers were expected to build on what they did last season. Gary O'Neil took over at short notice before the last campaign after Julen Lopetegui quit and guided Wolves to a 14th-placed finish.
This season has been a different story, and there were calls for O'Neil to be replaced. He might have just turned their season around with two draws and two victories in their last four games. This included a 4-1 thrashing of Fulham last weekend, which has lifted Wolves just out of the relegation zone.
Wolves are missing Max Kilman and Pedro Neto, who left for West Ham United and Leicester City, respectively. However, if O'Neil can keep them in their current form, then the young manager could earn even more plaudits.
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