Five takeaways from the Premier League season so far | OneFootball

As we pause for the first international break of the campaign, it’s time to take stock and reflect on what we’ve learned from the Premier League season so far.

Five takeaways from the Premier League season so far

Manchester City remain the team to beat

Arsenal might have been heavily backed to win the title this season but there’s no question Manchester City remain the team to beat. While the Gunners blinked first with a draw against Brighton, Pep Guardiola’s team are the early pacesetters with maximum points and Erling Haaland in menacing form.

Haaland has seven goals from his first three games including back-to-back hat-tricks, overhauling ex-Manchester City forward Edin Dzeko (2011/12) for the most goals scored after three Premier League games.

City have made light work of tough trips to face Chelsea and West Ham, easing to the top of the Premier League table in the process. With a crunch clash with Arsenal looming later this month, the Citizens have a real chance to put daylight between themselves and their closest challengers of the last two seasons. An ominous warning for rivals is that Rodri has still not played a single minute.

Liverpool must sort contract situations

Liverpool might be regarded as one of the best-ran clubs in the Premier League but the situation surrounding their star names is cause for concern. Arguably the club’s three biggest assets, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, have entered the final seasons of their contracts with no public progress on renewals.

Each will be free to negotiate with foreign sides in four months and Real Madrid are sniffing around Alexander-Arnold. The 25-year-old has won it all with Liverpool and the Spanish challenge could prove tempting, though the Reds would be absurd to allow the unique talent of their academy product to leave for nothing.

The situations of Van Dijk, who turns 34 next summer, and 32-year-old Salah are more complex. Each remain elite options, though there is hesitancy to hand lucrative long-term deals to assets that sooner or later will be expected to decline.

Salah has shown no such signs, however, starting the season with direct involvement in six of Liverpool’s seven goals scored. A phenomenal athlete, the Egyptian believes he has more years in the tank and has piled the pressure on Liverpool to negotiate new terms.

“I just want to enjoy it and I don’t want to think about it. I feel like I’m free to play football and then we’ll see what happens next year,” Salah said at the weekend.

“I was coming to the game today thinking it could be the last time (to play at Manchester United). Nobody at the club has spoken to me yet about a new contract so I just play this last season and then see at the end of the season. It’s not up to me but nobody talk to me about a contract with the club. We’ll see.”

Liverpool will not want the contract situations of the trio to disrupt what has been an encouraging start under Arne Slot.

Promoted teams await first win

The growing gap between the Premier League and Championship was evident last season, as all three promoted teams suffered an instant return to the second tier. It was just the second time in Premier League history that all three new boys have gone straight back down, with the challenge to stay up tougher than ever.

Three games into the new campaign and each of the promoted teams are still awaiting their first wins. Leicester held Tottenham to a point in their season-opener but have since suffered back-to-back defeats, while Ipswich bounced back from a tough start to earn a point against Fulham last time out. Southampton, meanwhile, are pointless and their style of football has been punished across the season’s opening weeks. The challenge to compete is clear.

Palmer performances no one-off

Cole Palmer was the breakout star of the 2023/24 campaign as the forward lit up the league at Chelsea.

A shock signing from the fringes of the Manchester City first-team, his debut campaign in West London ended with a league-leading 33 goal involvements and the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

Palmer has picked up where he left off to prove his superb season was no one-off. A brilliant start to the new campaign has seen the 22-year-old score a wonderful effort at Wolves and register four assists – the most in the Premier League.

In fact, only four players in Premier League history – Ruel Fox (94/95), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (17/18), Harry Kane (20/21), and Paul Pogba (21/22) – have ever provided more assists in their side’s opening three games of a new season.

Spurs must sharpen up on the road

Tottenham’s bid for the top four fell away during the run-in last season and Spurs already have ground to make up in 2024/25. Four points from three games is an unsatisfactory return for the North Londoners and their away form has contributed to a slow start.

Spurs have now lost five of their last eight Premier League away games, with their only victory in that time coming against already-relegated Sheffield United on the final day of last season.

Ange Postecoglou’s side lost at top-four rivals Newcastle last weekend, despite dominating the game.

It continues a poor recent record against the top teams on the road, with Spurs having won just one away game in nine against the sides that finished in the top nine of the table last season.

Read – Five Premier League youngsters taking their chance this season

See more – 60 free agents Premier League and Championship clubs can still sign

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