Around the Premier League: Oct. 12
With nine matches under most clubs’ belts, the English Premier League has seen some incredible action in the last week.
As of October 11, the top four clubs in The Prem are Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea.
For the top squad in the table, Arsenal’s acquisition of Gabriel Jesus has been arguably the top move by a team this summer. Sitting at 8-0-1 with 24 points, Jesus’ five goals are leading Arsenal to their hot start. Last week, backed by Saka’s two goals and Martinelli’s 1st minute score, Arsenal snagged a 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
If Jesus was argued as the best transfer in the Premier League, Erling Haaland could quickly put that debate to rest. The Norwegian striker who came over from Borussia Dortmund has already amassed 20 goals in 13 games for Manchester City, breaking multiple records in the short-span.
For City, only Arsenal’s hot start has kept them out of the top spot in the league’s table, but at 7-2-0, they trail Arsenal by only one point. Facing off against Southampton last week, a 4-0 victory that included Haaland and three others putting the ball in-net might just be what Pep Guardiola’s club has been missing to win that highly-coveted Champions League trophy.
While Harry Kane prepares to suit-up for England in the World Cup, he’s representing a different club for the time being. At third place in the standings, Tottenham Hotspur has shown why they are a serious threat in the Prem. For manager Antonio Conte, his push for offseason spending that was upwards of £150 million has been crucial to the team’s success.
After Kane’s 22nd minute score was the lone goal of the match against Brighton last week, the team has been heavily relying on the forward to score. If Tottenham can get more players involved, such as star-forward Son Heung-Min, they could pose a legitimate threat to other clubs.
Rounding out the top-four teams in England, Chelsea has had an interesting offseason.
After the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner among some of their losses, the acquisitions of Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been beneficial. Although only scoring 13 goals in league games so far, Chelsea has been beating opponents by good margins.
Sterling’s three goals in seven matches has provided the much-needed offensive spark for the club. American wonderboy Christian Pulisic hasn’t played the role he was expecting this year, but has still contributed to the squad.
Outside of the top four clubs, there have also been squads who have struggles to start the season: Liverpool is currently in 10th place with a 2-4-2 record, while Manchester United’s issues with Cristiano Ronaldo have shown to take no effect on the club’s play, as they sit in 5th with a 5-0-3 record.
Carlos Garcia is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cag6082@psu.edu.
