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It has been the most unpredictable of the seasons, with match congestion, mounting injuries and the impact of COVID-19 creating unprecedented challenges for all 20 Premier League clubs.
Heading into the tough month of December, Tottenham is the surprise leader, Manchester City are stuck in the middle of the table, while Arsenal languishes at 14th after having their worst start to a Premier League season. Meanwhile, Sheffield United, last season’s surprise team, are winless after 10 games and are rooted at the bottom of the table.
So far it has been a Premier League season backwards, so with 10 games played, we look at the stories that are a surprise and those that are not.
Surprise
Tottenham are title contenders
Having infiltrated the Europa League last weekend of last season, Spurs did not end the 2019-20 campaign as a team that would have such an impressive start this time. But José Mourinho is back at the top of the table and shows signs that he could become the first manager to win the Premier League with two different clubs.
Time will tell if Spurs can keep up, but they have the best defensive record yet and only Liverpool and Chelsea have scored more goals, so Mourinho is certainly on the right track.
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Jota is more than a backup
When Liverpool sealed a £ 45m deal for Wolves forward Diogo Jota in September, it seemed that the Premier League champions had bet dearly on a forward who would likely be the first substitute behind Mohamed Salah. , Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
But the Portuguese has proven to be anything but a substitute striker, with nine goals in all competitions and one goal in each of his four league games at Anfield so far.
Everton can reach the Champions League
Carlo Ancelotti’s team was the early Premier League leader and while the Toffees have slowed down in recent games, they are still a contender for a top four finish.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 10 Premier League goals have been a crucial factor, but so have the performances of summer signings James Rodríguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Bamford has stepped up
Leeds United have been an exciting addition to the Premier League with Marcelo Bielsa, but no player has shined as much as striker Patrick Bamford.
The 27-year-old had previously scored just one Premier League goal during spells with Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Norwich, Burnley and Middlesbrough and seemed destined to fail at the top tier. But Bamford now has seven goals in 10 Premier League games for Leeds and is proving his skeptics wrong.
Kane can create and score
One of the biggest surprises this season has been Tottenham forward Harry Kane’s reinvention as No.10 in playmaking.
The England captain is once again proving to be Mr. Consistent for Spurs with seven goals in the league so far, but he’s also sitting at the top of the assist chart with nine out of 10 games this season.
Man city are midtable
Pep Guardiola’s City have been unconvincing thus far, but it is unusual to see them in the middle table after nearly a quarter of their matches.
Perhaps a reduced summer break, the lack of signing of Lionel Messi, the summer exit of David Silva and Sergio Agüero’s injury problems have had an effect, but one thing is certain is that no one should rule out City for the moment .
Aubameyang has stopped marking
The Arsenal forward was the scoring inspiration for the club’s success in the FA Cup last season and his decision to commit to a new three-year deal in September was a huge boost for the Gunners.
But Aubameyang’s goals have since dried up, he has only two goals in the league, and Arsenal’s progress with Mikel Arteta has been halted as a result. Stop Aubameyang and you’ll stop Arsenal.
Grealish is the real deal
The Aston Villa midfielder missed a big money move in the summer and signed a new contract at Villa Park instead, but instead of sulking about not sealing a trade to a Champions League team, Grealish has started to become one of the featured artists for the club and the country this season.
The 25-year-old has been Villa’s talisman, but he also seized his chance with England and became a strong contender for a starting role in Gareth Southgate’s XI for Euro 2020.
2:04
Craig Burley and Frank Leboeuf share their thoughts on Jurgen Klopp’s ongoing complaints about overworked players.
No surprise
Man United going round in circles again
Inconsistency has been the only constant thread of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign as Man United manager, who will hit the two-year mark in mid-December.
United have won all four away games in the Premier League, and even Sir Alex Ferguson’s great teams never managed to win their first four away games in a season, yet Solskjaer’s team has won just one of all five home games.
Whenever United seems ready to go, they fall again. New season, same old story.
More games = more injuries
Managers and players expressed concern earlier this season about the increased risk of injury due to the absence of a regular preseason break and match congestion caused by the campaign that started a month later than usual due to the pandemic.
And those fears have been confirmed, with Brighton, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle missing eight players due to injury. Arsenal and Aston Villa have also been hit hard, and those clubs have seven players on the bench.
VAR is not better
Last season’s initial problems with VAR were just that – the inevitable setbacks of a new system that everyone had to adapt to. There can be no such excuses this season, but instead of correcting its flaws, one could say that VAR has gotten worse, with so many decisions infuriating players, coaches and fans alike.
Liverpool complained to the Premier League after the worst day of the VAR season at Everton, but the club did not get satisfactory answers to their questions.
Handball is still confusing
Attempting to bring clarity to handball decisions has only added further confusion. There have been some inexplicable penalty decisions due to the Premier League adopting the stricter interpretation that was already in effect in most other leagues last season.
Handball is now awarded if the hand / arm is clearly away from the body and outside the “body line”. It sounds simple, but it has been the opposite. The Premier League took a more relaxed interpretation after three rounds of games, but that hasn’t stopped the controversy.
