This season’s edition of the English Premier League is turning out to be one of the most hotly contested in the last decade.
Not only have two of the traditional ‘big four’ re-emerged as genuine title contenders, we are now seeing a surge of smaller teams challenging for success at the top.
11 rounds in, we analyse proceedings and establish the good, the bad and the ugly of the season so far.
The good
Southampton
This time last season, Southampton were languishing in 19th place, with just one win from 11 matches.
Fast-forward 12 months and we are witnessing a team just three points off the summit of the table and drenched in confidence.
Mauricio Pochettino must be commended for the free-flowing, confident football he has instilled within his team since taking over in January.
A central component to Southampton’s success is, without doubt, the youthful exuberance that Pochettino has introduced into his rapidly growing side.
Young British talents such as captain Adam Lallana and striker Jay Rodriguez are excelling this season and have both been rewarded for their displays with call-ups to Roy Hodgson’s England squad to face Chile and Germany this weekend.
Time will tell whether Southampton’s form will last. However, this is a team that seems to be growing in confidence with every game.
If Pochettino’s men are still among the summit of the table come Christmas, European football could be in the future for the Saints.
The return of Arsenal and Liverpool
A top four containing Arsenal and Liverpool was an all-too-familiar sight five years ago, but with the financial rises of Manchester City and Chelsea and the recent improvement of Tottenham Hotspur, the traditional British giants have fallen off the pace.
2013 has seen the return of the two as genuine title contenders. Occupying first and second spot on the table, the Gunners and the boys from Merseyside look to be sitting pretty.
Credit must go to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, who looks to be finally living up to his managerial credentials.
Some smart signings in Philippe Coutinho, Iago Aspas and goalkeeper Simon Mignolet have added depth to his squad and the continued inspirational leadership of captain Steven Gerrard have made Liverpool a serious force to be reckoned with.
However it’s the development of the striking duo of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge that has caught most pundits’ eye.
Suarez once again looks settled in a Liverpool jersey and his recent performances indicate the Uruguay international is back to his very best form.
Rodgers looks to have pulled off one of the keeps of the season in Suarez, who described his stay at Anfield as similar to a new signing.
Credit must also go out to Daniel Sturridge, whose performances have improved immensely alongside Suarez.
With ten goals in 13 games, Sturridge is in the kind of form that could secure him a place alongside Wayne Rooney in England’s strike force leading into the World Cup in Brazil.
Arsenal look equally impressive. Manger Arsene Wenger has pulled off the signing of the summer in Mesut Ozil. The German’s impact on the Gunner’s performances this season have been instant and have been a major factor in the team’s table topping performances.
Nevertheless, it is the performances of Welshman Aaron Ramsey that have been most impressive.
The 22-year-old looks to have improved leaps and bounds in the past few months and much of this must be credited to his injection alongside established stars such as Santi Cazorla and Ozil.
With 13 goals already to his name this season, Ramsey will be a vital cog in the Gunners’ machine if they are to claim their first piece of silverware in over eight years.
The bad
Trouble in Manchester?
For the first time in years, it seems Premier League magic has not been sprinkled on Manchester.
Both sides are punching slightly below their weight in 2013, with neither side occupying a spot in the top four.
Both sides are, admittedly, experiencing periods of transition. Manchester City have recently appointed another foreign manager in Manuel Pellegrini and Manchester United are still getting used to life after Sir Alex Ferguson.
A common point of weakness for both sides is their leaky defences. In the Premier League alone, both sides have conceded an average of over a goal a game so far, form that will not be tolerated come crunch time.
The two Manchester clubs’ success among the transfer window must also be addressed.
David Moyes struggled this summer to bring in any notable names, only adding Belgian playmaker Marouane Fellaini to his roster.
Fellaini has so far struggled to make an impact at Old Trafford, and the fans will be expecting a much better return for the £27.5 million the Red Devils splashed out on him in the coming weeks.
Unlike their cross-town rivals, City were yet again successful in the summer transfer window.
Manuel Pellegrini brought in an abundance of big names, including Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, Argentine defender Martin Demichellis and Spanish duo Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas.
In total, City spent over £100 million on additions to their squad, an astronomical amount that warrants a better return than eighth place a third of the way through the season.
With respect to Pellegrini’s signings, they have looked good. Negredo has looked dangerous up front alongside Sergio Aguero and Jesus Navas has looked electric when he has been injected into games; a role Pellegrini has looked to utilize him in.
However, it is City’s defence that has let them down.
The two centre backs in Demichellis and Matija Nastasic or Joleon Lescott have looked shaky at times and look to be missing the experience and leadership of captain Vincent Kompany, who is out with injury.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart has been the subject of much criticism recently, and rightly so. The Englishman has made a number of important errors in recent matches that have ultimately cost City points.
Pellegrini has now turned to second choice goalkeeper Costel Pantillimon, setting Joe Hart a huge challenge to regain the City number one jersey and limit the risk of losing his England one as well.
The chances of a Manchester side lifting the trophy in August look to be much smaller than in recent seasons and we are certainly not going to see a two-horse Manchester race for the title that has become so common in the past three years.
The ugly
Crystal Palace
Every season there seems to be one promoted team that looks destined for instant relegation from the word go. This season that team is Crystal Palace.
With just four pints from 11 games, the Eagles’ season already looks over.
It seems as though former manager Ian Holloway agrees with me. The Englishman stepped down from his tenure as manager late in October and was replaced by caretaker Keith Millen, whose job already looks destined for a focus on damage limitation.
Palace possesses little attacking threat up-front, scoring just six goals all season.
This is an issue Millen seriously needs to address in the January transfer window because if there is one secret to survival in the Premier League, it’s goals, something the Eagles are seriously lacking so far this season.
This year’s Premier League looks to be the most competitive in years at both ends of the table. From a neutral perspective, it’s so exciting to see some smaller clubs making an impact and old giants returning to the fore.
Whose hands the Premier League trophy will be in come August is anybody’s guess, but one things is for sure, this year’s edition is set to be one hell of a rollercoaster.
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