How the Big Six of the Premier League are faring this season

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As the Premier League gears up for an extended break due to the 2022 Fifa World Cup, here’s looking at how the Big Six have been faring this season:

1) Arsenal: Arsenals’s fortunes have turned after they failed to finish in the top 4 last season after a loss to Tottenham Hotspur. A subsequent spending spree worth 120 million pounds helped them acquire players such as Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. The team are currently in top form and leading the Premier League table, with only one loss so far against Manchester United. Players performing well include William Saliba, Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli. While the break due to the World Cup could slow down the current momentum, Arsenal is hoping to stay strong in the title race.

2) Manchester City: With a string of new signings such as the prized ErlingHaaland, and others including Kalvin Phillips, Julian Alvarez, and Manuel Akanji, City have effectively compensated for the loss of Sterling, Jesus, Zinchenko and Fernandinho. In top form, and with no losses so far, City are second in the table only due to Arsenal’s superlative performances. However, with the emergence of Haaland and the depth of the squad, the gap could soon be bridged. City has many players who will be busy in the World Cup and might lose form when the League resumes.

3) Tottenham Hotspur: After a last-minute top 4 finish in the previous season, Tottenham have been at action at the Champions League and using the international exposure to their advantage. With a 150-million-pound worth of new deals signed to acquire players like Richarlison and Cristian Romero, Tottenham have had an impressive run and are at third place on the table, only 4 points behind the leaders. However, the Spurs’ continued dependence on Harry Kane could prove to be a disadvantage as the England Captain is expected to have a demanding schedule at the World Cup.

4) Chelsea: Chelsea have had a tumultuous season following a change of ownership, the ouster of manager Thomas Tuchel, and the exit of several players including Timo Werner, Romelo Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, and Marcos Alonso. The team have spared no expenses and invested 250 million pounds on acquiring players like Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and KalidouKoulibaly. The club started the season in shaky form but have improved under new manager Graham Potter, which has also boosted their performances in the Champions League. However, a lack of a consistent goal scorer and a team identity are challenges they must deal with.

5) Manchester United: United started the season in disastrous form which involved a 4-0 loss at Brentford. Manager Erik ten Hag has since taken some strong calls such as changing the captain Harry Maguire and not starting with Christiano Ronaldo, with better performances following. The team is still working on building a squad and is currently in need of a centre-forward, midfielder and goalkeeper. With some key wins against Arsenal and Liverpool, a reinvigorated United under ten Hag could still finish in the top 4.

6) Liverpool: Liverpool have underperformed so far and are currently placed 10^th on the league table, with only 2 wins in 8 games. While they successfully acquired Darwin Nunez to replace Sadio Mane, and Arthur Melo who has been unavailable due to injury, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, Nunez has experienced a slump in form along with Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah. Liverpool is currently almost certainly out of title contention and must improve to finish in the top 4.