After the mourning of Queen Elizabeth II and the international break, football in England can soon be rolling again. Which Premier League teams have exceeded expectations so far – and which have disappointed across the board?
Similar to the Bundesliga, the balance of power on the island was shaken up at the beginning of the season. Right in the middle is an ex-Ingolstadt resident in the service of Brighton & Hove Albion. Also in focus: Former BVB star Erling Haaland, who also inspires the Premier League with his goals.
The team of the hour: Arsenal are back
Just looking at the top of the Premier League table is amazing. In first place is not champion Manchester City or Champions League finalist Liverpool FC, but Arsenal FC – and that since the third matchday.
Coach Mikel Arteta’s team, which has not played a role in the Premier League’s top flight for the past four years with two fifth and two eighth places, impressed with fast, attacking football in the first few weeks of the new season.
It is questionable whether the Gunners can build on the successes of Arsène Wegner’s long era this season. There is no question that the Londoners have made a step forward in their fourth season under their ex-player Arteta.
Arsenal’s top transfer this summer has played a large part in the current upswing. Striker Gabriel Jesus joined from Manchester City for €50m and the 25-year-old Brazilian has hit the ground running with four goals and three assists in seven games.
In general, Arteta attaches great importance to the collective. Since taking office at the end of 2019, the 40-year-old Spaniard has not shown any shyness in weeding out big names like Mesut Özil or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – especially when he got the feeling that they were causing unrest in the team.
The fact that Arteta thinks long-term is also reflected in the age structure of the squad. With an average of 24.3 years, Arsenal are the youngest team in the Premier League. Only three players are or will be 30 this year. Captain Martin Ödegaard is 23 years old, Gabriel Jesus’ strike partner Gabriel Martinelli is only 21 – both are top performers with three league goals.
What the Gunners are missing this season is a win against a top team. Two opportunities will present themselves in the near future. Tottenham Hotspur are coming on October 1st. A week later, Liverpool visits the Emirates Stadium.
The surprise: Pascal Groß and Brighton & Hove Albion
Pascal Groß has been loyal to the Seagulls since Brighton & Hove Albion were promoted in the summer of 2017. The ex-Ingolstadt is already in his sixth year in the Premier League – and things are going really well at the moment. With 13 points from six points, the southern English find themselves in fourth place.
The highlight of the season so far was the first matchday when Brighton beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Traffold. The 31-year-old Groß scored twice for a 2-0 lead at break. In this round, the Mannheim native has already scored three goals and two assists.
In Germany, the game designer still flies under the radar. In any case, Gross is no longer hoping for a DFB nomination. “Of course that would be a lifelong dream,” said the midfielder to Sky TV in August, “but I have no hope and I see it realistically.”
An away win at Liverpool FC on October 1st would certainly not go unnoticed by national coach Hansi Flick. For now, however, the Seagulls need to prove they can handle the departure of team manager Graham Potter.
The 47-year-old switched to league competitor FC Chelsea at the beginning of September – for a transfer fee of around 17 million euros.
The trouble spots: what’s going on at Liverpool FC and Leicester City?
At the latest since the 0: 4 at SSC Napoli at the start of the Champions League group phase it is clear: At Liverpool FC things are anything but smooth.
The move from Sadio Mané to FC Bayern, the newcomers Darwin Núnez and Artur, who are not (yet) sparking, the weaknesses in form of top stars such as Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk or Fabinho: reasons why the team of ex-BVB coaches Jürgen Klopp finds himself in eighth place after six games with only nine points, there are many.
With Brighton, Arsenal and Manchester City joining the Champions League finalists in October, the program will not be any easier.
Leicester City is even worse off. The sensational champion of 2016, who finished the last round in eighth place, is in last place with 10:22 goals and only one point from seven games.
Team manager Brendan Rogers, in office since 2019, wobbles. “I totally understand the frustration of the fans. I can’t hide from it, it’s my responsibility,” Rodgers recently told The Guardian. The forthcoming games against newly promoted Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace must sit.
The top star: How Erling Haaland dominates the Premier League
Goals, goals and more goals: The 22-year-old Manchester City signing has struck eleven times in his first seven league games.
In the 4-2 win against Crystal Palace, Haaland even scored three times. Four days later he also scored a hat-trick in the 6-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
This makes Haaland, who switched from BVB to Citizens for 60 million euros in the summer, the first Premier League player to already have two hat-tricks after five appearances. The Norwegian beat previous record holder Demba Ba, who scored his second hat-trick in England in his 21st league game, by far.
It almost goes without saying that Haaland is the undisputed number one in the English top scorers list. To put this into context: Harry Kane and Aleksandar Mitrovic share second place with six goals.
The big Haaland show could continue on October 8 in the home game against FC Southampton. On October 16, Manchester City will then be guests at Liverpool FC.
Claudio Palmieri
