Three Thoughts from the Premier League’s Unbalanced First Week
Week 1 of the new Premier League marathon felt more like week 39 of last year’s campaign — the top seeming more elite than ever, the bottom finding new depths of ineptitude, and the middle appearing as aggressively average as ever.
The Premier League is virtually untainted by a summer of collective big-spending, and I have absolutely zero complaints about the sameness of it all. Simply seeing English football on my tv on a Saturday morning was the breeze I’ve waited for all summer.
That said, if last week’s Community Shield was the purest example of the beautiful game, then this past weekend’s action was much closer to Jose Mourinho parking the bus. While these first 10 matches gave us very little narrative to dissect, there’s still some insight buried in the results.
The top 6 may have a newcomer (… by process of elimination, only)
The long assumed “top 6” has been begging for fresh blood for years, and we may finally see it this season. Though Chelsea started out fast and are already more entertaining than last season’s 3rd place squad, they burned out just as quickly as they were routed by the (apparently) galaxy destroying Red Devils.
Many will say United is just that good, but it is much more logical to say Chelsea are just that much more of a mess. The young Red Devils have almost an entire season and a full summer of training under Solskjaer. Pogba and Alexis drama has yet to unfold further (and trust me, it will unfold further), but United at least look stable off the blocks, and that’s more than could be said for them in recent seasons.
For Chelsea, it’s just going to take time. This is what College Football fans would call a rebuilding season — before they put in a pinch of Copenhagen. Lampard’s a Blue’s (not NYCFC, contrary to popular belief) Legend, but he’s also just one man with as much Premier League management experience as Ronald McDonald. He’s choosing the smart, er, only route the London side should, er, can take — the youth movement.
Preaching youth is smart, but it’s also all they can do with a transfer ban coinciding with Eden Hazard’s departure. This team will be fun, but they may fall just outside of the top six while trying to endure a Champion’s League schedule while being all but void of experienced, world class talent.
By the end of the year, they’ll look like a team on the rise, but until then, they’ll be what they are: an inexperienced manager leading an inexperienced and thin squad through a treacherous English and European schedule.
Enter Leicester City. (Wolves are also in contention for Chelsea’s spot after they — appropriately — drew with Leicester on Sunday.) Leicester have maybe the most fun, young team in the Premier League, and they have the advantage exactly opposite of Chelsea’s weakness: Continuity.
Brendon Rodgers has brought back nearly his entire side, including loanee-to-signee, Youri Tielemans. They have the makings of a team who can push for a Europa League spot in the Premier League this season, keeping Chelsea outside what has been their rightful place in the top 6.
After one weekend of games:
- Liverpool
- Manchester City
- Manchester United
- Tottenham
- Arsenal
- Leicester City
Relegation Overreaction — Week 1 Edition
My gut said to throw Chelsea in the Relegation zone after week 1 (which according to points total, is the case anyways), but my gut also tells me to eat Taco Bell at 1 AM, so I can’t be trusted.
What’s real, however, is that there were some surprises this past weekend, including a surprisingly strong performance from Brighton’s presumed Relegation-bound squad. Then there was Burnley’s thrashing of Southampton, and Newcastle’s proud showing against Arsenal — maybe those protests will prove to rally the troops?
Most previews for this season had all three of those squads solidly in the Relegation chase, and that very well may prove to be the case as the season pushes on, but let’s assume what those three showed this weekend stays true. We’ll also assume that Bournemouth and Sheffield United’s draw means both sides will stay up this season. Who takes their places in the last three, then?
West Ham is a good place to start. Pellegrini will point to “tactical fouls” as the reason for his teams bludgeoning at the hands of his former club, but the reality is that the Hammers’ showed all the fitness of a hyperglycemic to start the season. They barely put up a fight for large portions of the game, essentially making this match look like nothing more than an exhibition for City. Fortunes could have changed had Ederson not completed a double save midway through the second half, but regardless, West Ham should take a look in the mirror after that loss. (Something to watch for: This may be the beginning of the end for Pellegrini in London.)
Watford displayed perhaps the most alarming and impotent performance of the weekend, losing to the preseason Relegation darlings themselves. Brighton’s new manager should be pleased, but Watford should not relish being pantsed by the kid who eats nothing but mayonnaise on saltines.
Southampton find themselves in a similarly precarious position, as the entire team seemed to float in and out of the game Saturday against a team with no real attacking talent. For teams fighting to stay out of Relegation, a lack of focus is a major red flag, and the Saints have nothing but a lack of focus to hold onto right now. Have some pride, boys.
After one weekend of games:
18. West Ham
19. Southampton
20. Watford
The class gap is wider than ever
We’re one-thirty-eighth of the way through the season, and it is already abundantly clear that the gap between top teams and average teams is as large as ever. Last season ended with a gap of 25 points between 2nd and 3rd place, and a gap of 64 points between 1st place and the relegation zone. This year may be no different, with Liverpool and Manchester City showing consistent, relentless attacking power that no other teams matched. Their runs are sharper, their attacks are more clinical, and their players are more focused. No opportunity goes un-taken for those two teams, because they hard-wired to know there are so few chances to take.
Tottenham and United have the talent to close the gap at the top, but Spurs will take time to gel, and the Red Devils have Bachelor in Paradise levels of drama stored in that dressing room. If Tottenham can speed up their continuity, and Manchester United can avoid catastrophe, then the top four could be a finish for the ages… But I don’t see that happening. The reality is that both sides are at least a year away from closing that 20+ point gap.
What’s more alarming is when you scroll further down the table. Yes, Arsenal can build on a solid season with new signings and better chemistry, and Leicester have the continuity and youth to flash moments of brilliance against top sides, but who else will put forth a real challenge? Wolves have a solid squad, and Everton are hoping to return to relevance, but West Ham’s rough start should make everyone question what sort of competition can really be had against the top 2–4 teams. We’ve already covered the hurdles facing Chelsea, and when you move beyond them, there’s not much left in the form of true competitors.
The Premier League title race is a sprint to 95+ points, while those beyond that group will barely be able to crack 50 points, and if this past weekend is any indication, then will we see the largest gap between the top 4 and the next group than ever before? It’s not out of the question.
The reality is, the Premier League is still deeper than any other league in the world from top to bottom, but what Klopp and Pep are doing for their respective clubs is virtually unprecedented in the Premier League. They are ascending to the levels of Real Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga, only they are doing so among a stronger group of competitors. If no one can match their ascension (or at least become their Atletico Madrid) then this division of classes will only continue to grow.
Regardless of the chaos and obvious parity questions facing the Premier League, we should all breathe easier just knowing our clubs are kicking the ball around again. It’s back, and it feels eerily similar to last season, but why would I deny myself a drink of water after months of wandering in the desert?
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