Unlike the conventional “Big 6”, there does appear to be a “Top 10”. Last season’s top 10 should likely end as this season’s top 10 as well. So this includes Wolves, Everton, Leicester, and West Ham. The difference is that these 4 clubs should put some serious pressure on the others as for the order of the top 10. Look no further than this past weekend, where Leicester came from behind to beat Tottenham or how West Ham not only looked like they were always in the game against Manchester United, but how they in fact were the better team Sunday at the London Stadium. And while much work is needed to be done both at Goodison and Molineux, don’t expect the stumble out of the gate by either club to define their seasons. Expect there to be spirit from all these clubs to finish top 6 and possibly even take a champions league place.
Wolves are a top 10 side and what’s holding them back is that they have Europa League commitments. Unlike Manchester United and Arsenal who are also in the Europa League, they can’t change the majority of the starting XI from one game to the next without massive consequences. This is catching up to them. These players aren’t used to this. Don’t be surprised in the slightest if they get knocked out in the group stage. They’re already on their way there with their loss at home last week to Braga. Like Burnley last season, they probably will come good in the second half after a Europa League campaign. Only they had to go through the group stage. Burnley got knocked out in qualifying last summer. That said, they likely still finish in 10th but are the most likely club to be beaten by someone in the final table. Nuno Espirito Santo doesn’t have to worry about anything as long as they clearly look like they are an established team. They need additions to this squad if they really want to be able to compete in Europe without it costing them points in the domestic table. That’s the next hurdle for this team. One that Tottenham was able to overcome after a few seasons but once they did, they were consistently finishing higher up the table.
Everton finished last season just behind Wolves and really looked like a top side, especially at Goodison Park. Their start to this season is already causing some jitters among the faithful and people questioning Marco Silva but it is way too soon for that. His ability should only be questioned if nothing changes between now and the halfway mark of the season. There are still 13 games left before we hit the half season mark. At that point, judging Silva if nothing has improved is completely fair. But with their finish to last season combined with the obvious talent on hand in Richarlison, Digne, and the promising Moise Kean, patience is absolutely necessary. Alex Iwobi was also a very astute signing on their part. Moshiri is sending this team in the right direction even if it’s taking longer than the fans had hoped for. In terms of squad depth, they probably have the deepest squad of the four teams challenging the top 6. Where they are lacking is the overall quality of the first choice XI. Leicester and West Ham have better first choice XI’s than Everton but Everton do have solid players on their bench each week. This becomes critical in a long season where injuries and rotation become necessary. Everton should be able to cope with injuries better than those two.
Leicester City is the most likely club to get into the top 6 of these 4. They already sit 3rd in the table on 11 points along with Arsenal and West Ham who we get to next. They finished 9th last season but after Vardy, James Maddison is their superstar. He showed it this weekend with a stunning winner late in the game. The fact it was Leicester and not Tottenham who scored to win the game late shows this team is completely for real. Despite having a pretty poor weekend last week at Old Trafford, they still managed to only allow one goal virtue of a penalty. It shows that they can have an off week and still potentially be capable of stealing a result against other teams. Bournemouth is one of the best sides outside the top 10 and they beat them nicely in game week 4. Don’t forget they also managed a draw at Chelsea. They are right there with these teams. Sure, winning the league in 2016 was a fluke, but the results they’re getting this season are no fluke at all. Brendan Rodgers is also a pretty respectable coach. He almost won the premier league with Liverpool. He has more of a record than Lampard or Solskjaer do. And he may get the club even more than the Maguire total if United come calling for Maddison next summer. Taking advantage of United’s desperation only to get a player he can develop next. Leicester have a better midfield with Maddison, Tielemans, and Ndidi than Arsenal or United do.
Last but not necessarily least we have West Ham United who finished last season 10th. They are also on 11 points and are therefore tied for third. They have 3 consecutive clean sheets as well. Only Manchester City have scored multiple goals against them this season. Issa Diop is turning into a top defender. Declan Rice is still getting better as one of the more sound defensive midfielders. Sebastien Haller was a very good signing who, despite being contained by United, opens up space for players like Yarmolenko who scored Sunday. They got the better of United in almost every area of the game. And they didn’t even have Lanzini who is quietly doing quite well so far this season. Manuel Pellegrini is the best coach of all these four sides. He has won the Premier League and has a great track record before his City days as well. He coached River Plate, Villarreal, Real Madrid, Malaga, and of Course City. He’s a better coach than Lampard and Solskjaer, on par if not better than Emery, and even Mauricio Pochettino needs to extend his resume to match him because he already did with Villarreal and Malaga what Pochettino is doing with Tottenham. Pochettino would have to win with Tottenham to prove he’s better than the Chilean. Granted, Pochettino would likely win the league with Manchester City also so I’m not using that so much as a reference. Villarreal and Malaga are better comparisons. His weak point is that he is 66 now. But the fact he has already done it with both Villarreal and Malaga shows that West Ham finishing in the top 4, let alone top 6 is not out of the question.
Like any season, major surprises will present themselves. The single biggest surprise could be that Leicester finish the season in the top 4 and West Ham United finish the season in the top 6. Manchester United don’t even qualify for Europe at all as they finish 8th. All these possibilities don’t seem completely far-fetched.
