Commentary Editor Chris Lierly gives a complete analysis of the top teams in the world’s most competitive national soccer league.
Liverpool FC: 70 pts
Current For:WWWWW
What’s left to say? They’ve been unbeaten since January 2019. They’ve only dropped points this season in a draw with Manchester United in October. And as of Thursday, Jan. 29, they have now topped every other Premier League side in the course of the 2019/20 season. The Reds are 19 points clear of second place Manchester City, but have yet to slip up the way many Liverpool sides before them have. Virgil van Dijk’s second year as the squad’s defensive anchor looks to have resulted in the kind of year Liverpool have been posed to make for the past few seasons and the kind that Kopites have waited on for 30 years.
Manchester City FC: 51 pts
Current Form:WWDWL
Manchester City are back-to-back Premier League Champions and sit comfortably within the top four in a constant back and forth with Leicester for second place. They have been plagued by injuries to both Sergio Aguero and Keven de Bruyne, and rumors of Pep Guardiola leaving in the summer have cast a less than magical air over what could have been the capstone to a dynasty. Their title hopes are certainly alive but they will have to make it to their April 4 showdown with Liverpool in Manchester if they are to have any hope of a third straight trophy lifting ceremony.
Leicester City FC: 48 pts
Current Form:WLLWD
Like Sheffield and Wolves, who both sit just outside the top six, Leicester City have performed spectacularly this season. Their 4-0 loss to Liverpool on Boxing Day seems to have sent them into a small slump allowing Manchester City to overtake them, but the Foxes have fought back from deficits all season and remain 8 points above Chelsea at fourth. Though most Leicester seasons fail to compare to the Cinderella 2015-16 season, their current run is nothing to forget quickly. If Leicester finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League, manager Brendan Rodgers will have put the Foxes back on track to being competitors again.
Chelsea FC: 40 pts
Current Form: DWLDD
Chelsea’s season has been nothing less than a perfect mix of thrilling successes and dismal capitulations. Wins against London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal highlight some of the best that manager and former legend Frank Lampard’s squad have to offer. When Chelsea’s forward and midfield are in a rhythm they can prove terrifying to other Premier League defenses. However, the lack of defensive experience and leadership in the back have resulted to point total crippling losses including a 2-0 embarrassment against Southampton. If the Blues are unable to conjure up a more strict defensive structure and mentality before the end of the season, it is unlikely that they will maintain the 6-point lead they hold over the three teams tied for fifth.
Tottenham Hotspur: 37 pts
Current Form: LLDWW
José Mourinho began his return to the Premier League as manager of Tottenham with strong start, but that streak has now tapered off into a series of conservatively achieved wins and draws characteristic of the Portueguese manager. Due to Christen Eriksen’s signing with Italian club Inter Milan, it is unlikely that Spurs will make into the top four by season’s end, but the North London’s sides inspiring 2-0 win over Manchester City could help them in their pursuit of fourth place Chelsea.
Manchester United: 34pts
Current Form: LWLLD
In Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s first full year as manager, Manchester United have continued to look a lot like they did at the end of last season, full of potential but inconsistent at all levels of the game. With the long awaited signing of Bruno Fernandes, they may have purchased the kind of healthy goalscorer that their midfield has needed, but one can not help but think that Chief Executive Ed Woodward’s time in charge is nearing an end.
Wolverhampton Wanderers: 34 pts
Current Form:LDWLD
Wolves’ moniker as the giant killers of the 2019/20 Premier League season is primarily a result of their two wins against defending champions Manchester City. However, the main reason they have made themselves a threat to break into the top five by the end of the season is their ability to consistently put away small teams that would generally be considered as comparable to the recently promoted squad.
Premier League Table
Liverpool 73pts
Manchester City 51pts
Leicester City 49pts
Chelsea 41pts
Tottenham Hotspur 37pts
Sheffield United 36pts
Manchester United 35pts
Wolverhampton Wanderers 35pts
Everton 33pts
Arsenal 31pts
Burnley 31pts
Newcastle United 31pts
Southampton 31pts
Crystal Palace 30pts
Brighton and Hove Albion 26pts
Bournemouth 26pts
Aston Villa 25pts
West Ham United 24pts
Watford 23pts
Norwich City 18pts
