Power Rankings
1 Arsenal
7 Fulham
11 Southampton
12 Chelsea
13 Aston Villa
15 Bournemouth
16 Liverpool
17 Everton
Quick Thoughts
Leeds looks legit. I would not expect them to finish top 4 or anything like that, but Jesse Marsch has taken them from a team that was spiraling and on its way out of the premier league to a team that will be competitive in every match and capable of knocking off a few big teams. Hopefully, their form continues and kills off the Ted Lasso jokes.
I will not go as far as to call it a crisis, but there are major issues at Liverpool. Liverpool has gone behind first in seven straight premier league games but had managed to get a result in the previous six. That was clearly unsustainable, and Liverpool was finally punished for their poor starts in Monday's loss to Manchester United. At their peak, Liverpool was crushing teams with their unrelenting pressure, and non-stop running from whistle to whistle to whistle, but this team looks much slower and lethargic. James Milner yelling at Virgil Van Dijk and getting no response was also troubling. Its still very early in the season, and Liverpool certainly has the quality to rebound, but it is hard to see them mounting a title challenge. I say that as someone regretfully holing a Liverpool Premier League champions futures bet (more on betting shortly...)
Whatever Erik Ten Hag did in training this week worked. Manchester United looked like a completely different team than what they showed in the first two matches of the season. The changes to the lineup certainly made an impact, but the tempo and intensity they played with were what truly made the difference in the victory over Liverpool. The squad still needs strengthening if they want to truly push to get back towards the top of the league, but the early season crisis seems to have been averted.
Uncle Madd's Gambling Corner
As unpredictable as the Premier League season has been so far I think there is some value to be found in a few future bets based on what we have seen so far. These will be more flyer bets based on value rather than actual predictions, but here is what I am looking at:
With Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United all struggling out of the gates there could be an opening for a surprise team to sneak into the hunt for the top 4/6. Which team might do it? Based on their strong performance against Manchester City I am backing Newcastle. I also like the fact that their new owners will likely be willing to spend in the winter transfer window if they are knocking on the door of qualifying for European football. You can get Newcastle's top 4 at +600 or top 6 at +125.
Moving down the table a bit I love Leeds to finish top 10 at +175. As I mentioned above they look like they will be competitive in every match, and pull off a few big wins. That's the recipe to finish in the top half of the Premier League. If Liverpool, United, and Chelsea continue to struggle they could even knock on the door of the top 6. You can throw a few bucks on that +1000
Lastly, let's look at the relegation zone. There are two teams I think are dead in the water, and I am going to throw some money on both of them to go down because I think at least one definitely will. Everton definitely seems to have picked up right where they left off last season, and nothing I have seen makes me think it's getting better. In fact, it could get worse if Chelsea is successful in their bid to sign Everton's talented young attacker Anthony Gordon. At +200 I am locking this one in, but I am also adding West Ham to get relegated at +800. No team has looked more lifeless to start the season, and honestly, they should go down for Moyes rocking short shorts alone. I also would not be shocked to see one of the top teams make a late run at Declan Rice before the transfer window closes. With Liverpool and Chelsea both dealing with injuries in the midfield he would be worth every penny to them.
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