The good, the bad and the indifferent. How have the Premier League teams got on so far this season?

The  Good: Arsenal, Liverpool, Stoke, Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham, Cardiff

Arsenal: Before the season began question marks were once again being asked as to what exactly it is that goes on inside Arsene Wenger's head these days. The non reactionary element of their fan base have appreciated that he has had to work within financial constraints whilst the cost of The Emirates has been paid off, however recent Arsenal teams have looked unbalanced. Too many skill players, with a weak defence and goalkeeper. Since Robin Van Persie's departure you could also add to that a lack of goal threat.

Giroud has gone off like a train this year.

As the season has got going though Arsenal started brightly with Giroud leading the way for them before the club stunned everyone by bringing in Ozil. This is probably the closest they have looked to a decent side in the past three seasons or so and their fans will be hoping they can continue this through the Christmas period and beyond their traditional spring time collapse.

Sturridge is finally living up to his potential in a
Liverpool shirt.

Liverpool: Brendan Rodgers strikes me as the real deal as a manager. He seems to have good man management skills, an eye for a good player and be able to get a good mix together in his teams, which play slick passing football. This is the most dangerous Liverpool have looked as an attacking force since their golden period of a few years back when Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso were lighting up the Premier League.

All the signings they have brought in this summer look to have improved them and Daniel Sturridge has continued his goal scoring run that he began late last season. Add to that Suarez will soon be available again and Liverpool are definitely going to be up there this season. They still look a bit light on numbers though to maintain a title charge through the winter so they may buy again in January.

Stoke: The Stoke fans don't like him but Mark Hughes seems to have got them going again after a dreadful run of results last season almost saw them relegated. There is no doubting Hughes' record as a manager though. He has been a success everywhere he has been apart from perhaps Manchester City and even then given more time he may have succeeded.

Steven N'Zonzi is Stoke's stand out footballer.

Stoke look to have recovered the tough, physical element of their game that made the Britannia a place all teams dreaded going to, but added some good football to their side as well. Jermaine Pennant can still turn it on every now and again, plus they also have Steven N'zonzi, Charlie Adam, Jonathan Walters and Matthew Etherington who are all good footballers so getting the ball down and playing should never have been an issue for them.

Ben Arfa in action for Newcastle.

Newcastle: They had a bad run of injuries last year that affected their form but when everyone is fit and playing well they are a good side. The problem is that when people are missing or out of form they look like relegation fodder and have never really replaced the goals that the Ba/Cisse combination was delivering at one point a few years back. It remains to be seen whether they can maintain this good run therefore.


Everton: Despite losing Fellani to Manchester United, Everton came out of the summer transfer window pretty well all things considered. They managed to get Gareth Barry in on loan from Manchester City who has made an instant impact and they also managed to keep hold of the much sought after Leighton Baines. Despite losing Victor Anichebe to West Brom they have gained Romelu Lukaku on loan for the season.

Martinez has finally got his chance with a bigger club.

He has the potential to get twenty plus league goals this season, particularly if he starts getting on the end of some Leighton Baines crosses. Roberto Martinez looks to be the right man for the job so far, maintaining the defensive excellence of the David Moyes era and adding to that his own brand of attacking football.

Christian Eriksen had a great debut for Spurs.

Tottenham: After losing Modric and Bale in successive seasons and with a squad that was already small and patchy compared to their top four rivals, there was a real danger Spurs might lose all the momentum they had gained over the previous few seasons and slip back down into mediocrity.

Between them though AVB and chairman Daniel Levy have been magnificent this transfer window, bringing in a clutch of players in record time and not getting fleeced whilst doing so. Christian Eriksen already looks like being the steal of the season and all their other signings have had a good start too. I'm not sure Soldado will justify his price tag from what I have seen so far but goalscorers usually come at a premium price no matter how good they are.

Cardiff: The Welshmen are safely tucked away in mid table with a solid five points gained so far and its fair to say Cardiff have thus far outstripped expectations. They have played some free flowing attacking football and managed a famous victory against the mighty Manchester City and their team of megastars.

Cardiff fans can be satisfied with their team's start.

Like fierce rivals Swansea they play a fearless brand of football that often works because they throw caution to the wind and go for the throat of rivals where other teams may not out of respect for their reputation. South Wales was already a tough place to visit with just one Welsh team in the Premier League, but with Cardiff's arrival it has got even worse.

The Bad: Sunderland, West Brom, Swansea, Fulham, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace

Sunderland: The team from the north east have brought in a lot of players this summer (perhaps too many in too short a time period) and have allowed one of their brightest lights in Stephane Sessegnon to join West Brom. At this early stage of the season they are exhibiting all the signs of a team that are facing a long season looking over their shoulder.

The jury is still out on Di Canio at Sunderland.

Sunderland's problem stems from the fact that a few seasons ago they were able to boast a strike trio of Danny Welbeck, Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan and have never replaced their goals. They also weren't helped by the fact that they all left at roughly the same time leaving the club with little time to get replacements in. They have continued to play well at times and have had some good players, but if you can't put the ball in the back of the net that won't do you any good.

West Brom: Another team that is right down the bottom of the table because of an inability to score goals, although their issues in this department are not as long standing as Sunderland's. Last season the goals of Romelu Lukaku and Shane Long had the Baggies as high as third place at one point, but this season the goals have not been as forthcoming. Loanee Lukaku has moved on and new boys Anelka, Anichebe and Sessegnon have not yet delivered for varying reasons.

Lukaku's goals will be in an Everton shirt this season.

They will probably have enough about them to escape relegation once they get a bit of momentum going but at present it doesn't look as though they have enough in the tank to replicate the highs of last season.

Swansea: Perhaps it is a little harsh to say Swansea have been awful this season. They have had a difficult start playing Manchester United and Tottenham in their first three games with Liverpool their opponents for the fourth, however they are still in the relegation zone with just three points. Manchester United were dreadful against them for large periods of their season opener yet were still able to soundly beat them at home.

Michu is still looking to recapture last season's form.

With Michu always looking unlikely to repeat his heroics of last season it is difficult looking at Swansea this syear to see enough goals in the team for them to have as comfortable time of it as they did last year. They should be good enough to easily avoid relegation but mid table obscurity will feel like a climb down after the cup silverware and league heights of last year.

Fulham: Mohamed Al Fayed finally ended his long association with the club over the summer and sold them to Pakistani-American Shahid Khan who ratcheted up expectations by stating he wanted to take the club forward. They have brought in big names Scott Parker and Darren Bent but have not yet really set the league on fire.

Darren Bent is a man desperately in need of a good season.

They aren't getting the goals they should be doing right now from Berbatov, Rodallega and Ruiz and they are a team without a great deal of pace in the side. They try to go through the middle a lot and if it isn't really happening on the day for them they don't look like they have a plan B.

Aston Villa: After their opening day win against Arsenal it looked like Villa were all set for a decent season after the relegation nightmare of last time out. Paul Lambert continues to rely on youth and more importantly the goals of Benteke, but if he gets injured or the goals dry up for any reason then I would fancy Villa as being relegation candidates by the new year.

Benteke has started this season as he finished the last one.

They have reverted to a similar counter attacking style under the Scot that Martin O'Neill was so fond of. When it works it serves them really well as they are able to quickly get the ball to the feet of the mobile Benteke, but it is hard to play at that kind of tempo every week, particularly against the stronger teams in the league. They don't look like they have brought in enough quality to make the step up to being a mid table team and there is the very real question of what they will do when their Belgian main man inevitably moves on next season.

Ian Holloway will be hoping Palace last longer in
the Premier League than Blackpool did.

Crystal Palace: They have played reasonably well so far in all their games this season, but they look like a typical Holloway side. They are too open at times and not tight enough at the back to survive into a second season in the Premier League.

Added to this that they have never lasted more than one season in any of their previous stays in the current incarnation of the top flight of English football and you have to wonder whether they have enough in the locker this time around to break that pattern.




The Indifferent: West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Hull, Norwich, Southampton

West Ham: They have Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing out injured at the minute which is most definitely contributing to their goal drought, but despite that they are still clear of the relegation zone and looking as solid and tough to beat as you would expect from any Sam Allardyce side.

Despite not scoring many goals, West Ham under
Big Sam have looked dogged and determined.

It is unlikely that there will be much more transfer activity after the club's big outlay on recent signings
so if they are going to have a decent season it will have to be with what they currently have available. The West Ham owners, whilst not universally popular are not like Blackburn's owners. They brought Big Sam in to steady the ship and keep West Ham in the Premier League and barring an unlikely collapse in form he will be at West Ham for a fair while yet.

Manchester United: Without Fergie's magic wand getting United twenty points a season and after their disastrous summer transfer activity, many (including a lot of their own fans) were questioning whether the Red Devils had enough about them still to retain their title.

Van Persie has struggled for service at times this season.

So far this season they have looked excellent at the back, with David De Gea shaping up for another good campaign and Michael Carrick sat in front of the back four offering his usual calm protection. However the midfield has once again looked weak and as a consequence Robin Van Persie has been feeding on scraps a lot of the time. Wayne Rooney's absence due to injury and the merry-go-round of his doomed transfer to Chelsea robbed the team of further creativity. However since his gradual reintroduction into the side and the arrival of Fellani from Everton they have shown flashes of getting back to their best but are still lacking at least one creative midfielder to make them into the finished article.

When Silva plays well, City play well.

Manchester City: Another summer, another new manager and another load of money spent on attacking players. When they are on form they are flying but when they aren't it looks as though Pellegrini doesn't know his best side yet.

Also, Vincent Kompany and Zabaleta aside they don't look strong enough or even particularly well organised at the back. The other issue they have is if you throw enough money at it anyone can get a good first team together, the skill in management comes in succeeding at putting together a strong squad with the right balance of big name players and hungry youngsters who can still get the job done. Failing to do just that was in part what undid Roberto Mancini during his time at the Ethiad and it will be how his Chilean replacement succeeds in this task that will decide whether he survives as the latest person in the managerial hot seat at City.

Chelsea: Like rivals Arsenal, City and United, Mourinho's men so far this season look like they are missing an ingredient to be considered run away favourites for the title. Whilst looking strong at the back and having an abundance of great midfield players they don't look like they have enough goals in them at the minute.

"The Happy One" won't be that happy with his strikers so far this season.

They got a lot from midfield last year but Lampard isn't getting any younger and Hazard and Mata are yet to really get going this season. With Lukaku and Moses out on loan and Torres and Ba misfiring the bringing in of Samuel Eto'o looked like a slightly desperate move, something we aren't used to seeing from The Special One. The Cameroon striker at 32 looks like his best years are already behind him and fans of the blues will be watching on hoping he still manages to weigh in with a few important goals.

Hull: Since their promotion to the Premier League Hull City have spent a lot of money in an attempt to beat the drop at the end of the season. Danny Graham will get goals for them but he won't be able to keep them up single handedly.

Danny Graham brings a proven Premier League goal threat.

So far they have given a reasonable account of themselves but whether they make into a second season of Premier League football is largely going to depend on how they are affected by injuries and how the teams around them get on this season.

Norwich: The Norfolk men have brought in some good players this summer. Johan Elmander was a skilful if not exactly prolific striker during his time with Bolton and Ricky Van Wolfswinkle was being touted not so long ago as one of the hottest prospects in Europe. Javier Garrido's loan move from Lazio being made permanent is also a boost as is the arrival of Martin Olsson from Blackburn.

New comer Ricky Van Wolfswinkle will be hoping to maintain his
goalscoring form.

With those players now on the books expectations have perhaps been raised around Carrow Road and as a result four points from twelve may be considered a disappointment. After their close call with relegation last season though, The Canaries currently sitting in 14th place in the league can be considered a fair return for their efforts.

Southampton: Their form thus far this season has been a little patchy, however for a side that were only promoted last season they look well on the road to becoming an established Premier League outfit. The big question mark for sides fighting to stay in the league is always around whether they will score enough goals.

After a career in the lower leagues, Ricky Lambert is currently Southampton
and England's main man.

Now that Osvaldo and Wanyama have arrived to help shoulder the goalscoring burden with Ricky Lambert they have been creating enough chances so far this season to indicate that they will. Some Saints fans though have questioned whether Osvaldo and Lambert will form a good partnership together from the evidence of what they have seen on the pitch so far. If they do Southampton should easily avoid the drop.