Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Summary Arsenal lead early with a rock-solid defence; favoured, but reliant on set-pieces and Gyokeres form. Liverpool have the easiest run of the three, but new signings have underperformed amid a worrying dip. Manchester City face the toughest schedule yet remain title threats if Haaland, Foden and depth click. The Premier League season is still in its infancy after just eight games, but with gaps already beginning to appear between the three best teams in the country, every point matters. This is especially true as the busy winter schedule ramps up, with last season’s champions Liverpool - along with Arsenal and Manchester City - all juggling League Cup and Champions League commitments on top of their league duties. Arsenal currently look like the favourites for glory come May, having lost only once all season and won six of their eight games. Meanwhile, while both Liverpool and Man City have had their share of stumbles, Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot boast the star power necessary to claw their way back to the top of the table. See the current league standings below: Between now and the end of 2025, anything can happen, and viewers will have a much clearer picture of each team’s prospects after the next 11 games. But who has the easiest path - and who faces an enviable task of staying in the title race? We’ve crunched the numbers to find out. Liverpool Have Easiest Run Average league position of next 11 opponents: 13.9 After winning seven games in a row to start the season - starting as they meant to go on in their bid to defend their 20th title with relative ease - Liverpool then suffered four consecutive defeats across all competitions for the first time since November 2014, back when Brendan Rodgers was in the dugout. What initially looked like teething issues is becoming more worrying, as neither of their £100 million-plus signings - Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak - have more than one goal contribution between them, while the old guard, namely Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, are struggling to keep their best years from slipping through the hour glass after a summer spending spree that promised so much more. Thankfully for Arne Slot and co., they have the easiest run between now and the turn of the year. Their two biggest tests are undoubtedly trips to Manchester City and Tottenham, but two fixtures against Leeds, as well as home games against cellar dwellers Wolves and a disarrayed Nottingham Forest, could provide a much-needed tonic after their first eight games saw them go toe-to-toe with five teams currently residing in the top 10. Arsenal are in the Middle Average league position of next 11 opponents: 12.3 The Gunners have conceded only once from open play so far this season, with Mikel Arteta staying true to his belief that it’s defence that wins you titles. Boasting the best defence in the league and the third-best attack, Arsenal have every reason to believe this is their year - especially after a run of three straight wins has put them in the driving seat, three points above Manchester City and four ahead of last season’s champions. One area they may look to address in the coming weeks is the profligacy of Viktor Gyokeres, who has yet to silence critics worried that his experience against lower-quality opposition in Portugal might not translate to England’s topflight. A little more than 67 per cent of Arsenal’s goals have come from set-pieces, and this overreliance could come back to bite them in tight encounters, with this weekend’s clash with Fulham needing inspiration from a deadball situation to help them get by. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: since the start of the 2023/24 season, the Gunners have scored 37 goals from corners - 16 more than anyone else. That said, based on current form, there is very little for those of an Emirates Stadium persuasion to lose sleep over in the next couple of months. Trips to Sunderland, Chelsea, or Everton could prove tricky, but with only two away games against sides currently in the top 10, this looks like a golden opportunity to strengthen their grip on the title. Man City Face Toughest Fixture List Average league position of next 10 opponents: 11.9 At the peak of their powers, there’s almost nothing anyone can do to stop the runaway freight train that is Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. With so much quality across the pitch, the Cityzens - who won all four of the previous Premier League titles on offer prior to the 2024/25 campaign - have the ability to embarrass anyone and everyone with just a click of the fingers. Arsenal will be all too familiar with this, and after going unbeaten in their last eight games, Man City could once again become the team to beat this term - especially following their latest 2-0 victory over Everton, which saw the return to undroppable form of Phil Foden. But to truly prove they are back in business, they must navigate the most challenging fixture list of their title rivals between now and the end of the year. Away games against Aston Villa, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and early dark horses for a European spot, Sunderland, are already no picnic. Throw in visits from Liverpool and third-placed Bournemouth, and it’s clear Guardiola has his work cut out for him - albeit a gauntlet that City has historically cruised through with frightening ease.
