Date: 3rd October 2021 at 11:05am
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The race is on, as always, for who will win the Premier League and this season it does look like the same old teams will be scrapping for the top spot.

It is early days, but no surprise to see Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United in the fight.  With a few hoping to spoil the party for those, including Everton and West Ham.  No disrespect to Brighton & Hove Albion, but despite a fabulous start, I wouldn’t be backing them at the Bookmakers to stay in the top six.

Aston Villa are looking to knock on the door, with some great results, beating Everton and Manchester United for example, but still seem to struggle to raise their game against opponents they ‘should’ beat.  The opening day loss to Watford didn’t exactly set their stall out for an improvement on their mid-table finish of last season.  However, they do appear to now be gelling and getting over the loss of Jack Grealish, who one could argue they overly relied on before.

But the race, as we all know, isn’t just about the top, it is the fight for the right to stay in the promised land, the Premier League, where the massive money is so key to clubs.  And this is where it might be just as interesting.  Leeds United have only just managed to get their first win of the season, having had such a confident season last time around.  Surely they aren’t going to be sucked back into their wilderness years in the Championship?  Their 1-0 win on Saturday, against Watford, will at least have got the monkey off their back with regard to not having a win so far, but Watford are a struggling side themselves, so Leeds have plenty to build on if they are going to move away from the worry of the trap door.

Newcastle United have circled the drain for a good few years, with much unhappiness amongst the Toon faithful, both over their owner Mike Ashley, and their manager Steve Bruce.  Steve told the press yesterday, following their loss to Wolves:

“It is a reflection of the story so far – we had a big chance in the second half and didn’t take it,” said Bruce.

“Unfortunately at this level, you don’t get many opportunities like that. I don’t remember my goalkeeper making a save, yet he is picking the ball out of the back of the net twice.”

The excuses are wearing thin with the Newcastle fans though.  Surely he is one of the managers under the most pressure to hold on to their jobs, as the owners never blame themselves for the short fallings do they?

And of course, we have Watford, who in my humble opinion, don’t have enough to be able to stay in the Premier League.  There there is Norwich City, who have sold top players and yet still want to compete in this league.  The two don’t usually end well do they?  The pressure is on, as well as at Burnley.  The 0-0 between both teams yesterday didn’t do much to relieve the pressure for their managers either.

As always, a fascinating league, and only time will tell.

Image from: unsplash.com