Premier League club power rankings

2021-22 Premier League Club Power Rankings, Vol. I

By Nicholas MendolaSep 1, 2021, 10:01 PM EDT

Our Premier League Club Power Rankings are here just in time for the international break.

[ USMNT: CCV to Celtic | Richards, Hoppe transfer ]

That’s the best time to assess who’s looking right and who’s putting on airs.

In a certain sense, power rankings are set-up by a heavy dose of, “What if any two teams met 10 times on a neutral ground?”

Premier League Club Power Rankings: 2020-21 Methodology

As a reminder, ProSoccerTalk is using a different method to ranking teams this season, at least until everyone’s played each other once.

Here are our considerations:

Form — Winning and losing in three recent matches plus notable injuries
Sense and strength matter — If the champs lost two-straight hard luck matches and a relegation candidate got 2 weird VAR breaks to win, we note the big picture over the little.
The table — Of course it matters.
Head-to-head — The results better be notable if a head-to-head loser goes above a team that beat it recently.
Numbers > Luck— Did a wicked deflection or bad bounce make a dominant side fall to a poor one? Let’s look at xG, shots, chances, possession, and other indicators.

Premier League Club Power Rankings: Vol. I

20. Norwich City

A brutal run of fixtures to start the season (Liverpool, Man City, Leicester) so it feels like we haven’t gotten a real feel for the Canaries.

19. Watford

The defense was good versus Spurs, but still no goals since banging in three against Villa in the opener.

18. Burnley

Love the Maxwell Cornet signing, but how will Sean Dyche use this electric and versatile player?

17. Newcastle United

One point from West Ham, Villa, and Saints is not good. Manchester United and Leeds are next, and match-up problems for the Magpies. Is 0-1-4 enough for Steve Bruce to be gone by a late September trip to Vicarage Road? Cause the record seems likely.

16. Southampton

Seem destined to be streaky in attack as Adam Armstrong and Che Adams come to terms with leading a PL attack as the focal points.

15. Crystal Palace

Honestly might’ve deserved a win at West Ham. Patrick Vieira is getting the ingredients to win and his team has looked stubborn while shorthanded.

14. Arsenal

It’s been really bad and Norwich City and Burnley on the schedule means Mikel Arteta is likely to create a hopeful vibe heading into the North London derby. But will it be a false dawn?

13. Leeds United

Has allowed more than 1.52 expected goals in all three of their matches and alarmingly are being outscored (xG and real goals) in open play.

12. Aston Villa

Four points when they would’ve expected nine.

Next up? Chelsea, Everton, Man United, Spurs, Wolves, Arsenal, West Ham.

Godspeed, Dean (and Leon Bailey).

11. Wolves

0-3 with no goals scored but too many talented attackers not to start turning their chances into goals. With Adama Traore staying and Raul Jimenez still finding his footing after a terrible injury last season, it will turn around.

10. Leicester City

Decidedly poor in wins against Wolves and Norwich City (wins nonetheless). West Ham loss a 10-man wash.

But what’s going on here? We know Wes Fofana is out, but 39 minutes of Kelechi Iheanacho? James Maddison off a cliff in key passes, xG, and xA per 90 minutes. A weird one here.

9. Brentford

Undefeated Bees. Who would’ve thought?!?

8. Brighton and Hove Albion

They might just have turned the corner on that whole “not getting bounces” thing. Second in possession, third in pass accuracy, joint-second in tackles per game. Imagine if Neal Maupay’s two goals in three matches to start the season is his “getting it.” We still would’ve liked a center forward in the window, but okay, let’s see about Maupay or January.

7. Manchester United

Raphael Varane was terrific against Wolves, fiery, physical, and loud: the very real deal.

6. West Ham United

Six sounds crazy but as good as the Irons have looked, but the teams above it have looked better.

5. Everton

Taking the fifth-most shots with the second-worst possession? Ladies and gentlemen, the majesty and discipline of Rafa Benitez winning without his favored ingredients.

4. Liverpool

No one’s taking more shots than the Reds (23.3 per game). It’s going to be fine. But do we see Ibrahima Konate soon? And how long before Thiago Alcantara gets his due?

3. Manchester City

Lead the league in goals, possession, expected goals, expected goal against, and passing. That passing figure is at almost 91% accuracy. And Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden have barely played.

2. Tottenham Hotspur

Not really comfortable including Spurs above Man City but Week 1 happened, so here we are.

1. Chelsea

Are they 3-0 if Reece James isn’t sent off? Like Andreas Christensen’s pre-half red card last season, it’s a shame we didn’t get the true tale of Liverpool vs Chelsea.

Follow @NicholasMendola

Premier League Club Power Rankings, Vol. II

By Nicholas MendolaNov 10, 2020, 7:37 PM EST

As we embark upon a second Premier League Club Power Rankings of the 2020-21 season, let us also note the power of a single player to drive the fortunes of a club.

This can be challenging at some big clubs but there is rarely a big debate about the identity of the top performer at a club. Liverpool knows that nine times out of 10 it’s Virgil van Dijk. For Man City, it’s Kevin De Bruyne.

[ MORE: Club power rankings archive ]

Yet in a shorter sample size — say, 7-8 matches — players can take the wheel from the biggest names on the club. While no one at City or Liverpool wants to lose KDB or VVD, a rich vein of form can put a Raheem Sterling or Sadio Mane front and center.

So in this PLCPR, we’ll acknowledge the best performer of the first two months of the season. As always, we’re happy to debate our choices.

Premier League Club Power Rankings: 2020-21 Methodology

As a reminder, ProSoccerTalk is using a different method to ranking teams this season, at least until everyone’s played each other once.

Here are our considerations:

Form — Winning and losing in three recent matches plus notable injuries
Sense and strength matter — If the champs lost two-straight hard luck matches and a relegation candidate got 2 weird VAR breaks to win, we note the big picture over the little.
The table — Of course it matters.
Head-to-head — The results better be notable if a head-to-head loser goes above a team that beat it recently.
Numbers > Luck— Did a wicked deflection or bad bounce make a dominant side fall to a poor one? Let’s look at xG, shots, chances, possession, and other indicators.

Premier League Club Power Rankings: Vol. II

20. Sheffield United

Last ranking: 17

Why? It’s difficult to find anything redeeming about the Blades season, which has admittedly featured a tough early schedule. Two of their four goals came from the spot. Last in possession, second-last in shots per game, fourth-worst in completing passes, and second-worst in shots allowed per game.

Top performer: Sander Berge has been their best hope to do much of anything, though Chris Basham has also been decent at the back.

19. Burnley

Last ranking: 19

Why? Have scored one goal in its last six games and are on a 390-minute scoreless run. The Clarets have produced less than 1 expected goal per game in five of their eight matches.

Top performer: James Tarkowski.

18. West Bromwich Albion

Last ranking: 18

Why? Still winless. Faced Burnley, Brighton, and Fulham in three-straight outings and came away with one goal and two points. Good news: After Man United on Nov. 21, will meet Sheffield United, Palace, and Newcastle in consecutive matches.

Top performer: Matheus Pereira. The only player averaging better than one shot, key pass, and completed dribble per game on a team that scored half of its season goals in one match. Keep an eye on Conor Gallagher. The 20-year-old midfielder is averaging five tackles a game through four appearances and his .8 key passes trails only Matheus Pereira.

17. Fulham

Last ranking: 20

Why? The Cottagers are showing gumption and deserved a point or more against West Ham, but four points from 24 won’t allow for moral victories and Everton, Leicester City, Man City, and Liverpool are next.

Top performer: Tom Cairney (Alphonse Areola) — Leads the Premier League in accurate opposition half passes (312) by 16 over Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

16. Newcastle United

Last ranking: 16

Why? For every impressive point or three, and there’s a nice win over Everton this month, there’s a big question or four. The biggest being whether Steve Bruce can orchestrate a midfielder without Jonjo Shelvey. Credit to the defenders, though, and special recognition to Federico Fernandez and the Newcastle treatment team, as the Argentine’s 14 blocked shots are five more than anyone in the league.

Top performer: Allan Saint-Maximin — There’s no question the Frenchman is Newcastle’s game-by-game hope of goals.

15. Leeds United

Last ranking: 5

Why? Marcelo Bielsa’s men allowed seven goals in their first two games then limited Blades, Man City, Wolves, and Villa to a total of two… only to lose back-to-back 4-1 matches to Leicester and Palace.

Top performer: Luke Ayling.

14. Brighton and Hove Albion

Last ranking: 13

Why? Insanely unlucky, still, the Seagulls are ninth in expected goals for, fifth in expected goals conceded, and somehow 1W-3D-4L on the season.

Top performer: Leandro Trossard — As the Seagulls continue to be the most snakebit team in the league, Trossard leads the team in plenty of categories in addition to leading the league in hitting the frame of the goal (four).

13. Manchester United

Last ranking: 12

Why? Maybe the 3-1 win over Everton was the start of United’s attack and defending finding form at the same time. Harry Maguire’s been much better and the Red Devils have three good chances to collect points before its next Manchester Derby.

Top performer: Bruno Fernandes.

12. West Ham United

Last ranking: 7

Why? The 1-0 win over Fulham wasn’t the emphatic release we wanted to see following draws against Spurs and Man City and a close loss to Liverpool. Still, much improved.

Top performer: Pick a center midfielder, as Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice have both been outstanding. We’ll take Soucek, just to be a little different.

11. Crystal Palace

Last ranking: 11

Why? Wilfried Zaha has five goals this season and he’s been joined by six other Eagles on the score sheet. Palace is still overperforming but wins are wins and Roy Hodgson’s men have four.

Top performer: Zaha.

10. Arsenal

Last ranking: 9

Why? Maybe it’s time to try Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at center forward and give Nicolas Pepe a chance to shine, because the Gunners have lost three of four while scoring one total goal (in the 1-0 win at Manchester United).

Top performer: Dani Ceballos. This will soon be Thomas Partey, but Ceballos has controlled games and his performance against West Ham United was elite.

9. Aston Villa

Last ranking: 2

Why? The 3-0 defeat of Arsenal was a solid response to consecutive losses to Southampton and Leeds. Watch out for a forthcoming schedule that could see Villa take a point or more until their last fixture of 2020 versus Chelsea.

Top performer: Jack Grealish

8. Manchester City

Last ranking: 10

Why? Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Aymeric Laporte have combined to give City a real foundation underneath their dangerous attack. Plus Kevin De Bruyne is the best player in the league.

Top performer: KDB.

7. Everton

Last ranking: 1

Why? You mean why not a farther slide, and why ahead of a Manchester United side that beat it 3-1? Depth is a big problem for the Toffees but its three-match slide happened in its first three matches without suspended Richarlison. With Fulham, Leeds, and Burnley next, we’ll see if Carlo Ancelotti steadies the ship before a next huge test against Chelsea on Dec. 12.

Top performer: James Rodriguez, when healthy, has been one of the three or four most dynamic players in this young Premier League season.

6. Wolves

Last ranking: 14

Why? A loss to Leicester City was a setback, as was drawing Newcastle, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have been the better team more often than not.

Top performer: Ruben Neves — Take out goalkeepers and there are only two players in the PL’s top 10 in accurate long balls: Neves and teammate Conor Coady. Neves is one of only two in the league’s Top 20 above 70 percent in completion percentage on long balls (James Rodriguez). Given the volume, that’s nuts.

5. Southampton

Last ranking: 15

Why? Ralph Hasenhuttl has proven that patience was in Saints’ fans best interests, and Southampton was so much better organized than Newcastle in a comprehensive win without Danny Ings.

Top performer: James Ward-Prowse. He can do absolutely anything on the pitch.

4. Chelsea

Last ranking: 6

Why? Buried Burnley and Sheffield United and might’ve taken Man United, too, if a certain penalty was called against Harry Maguire on Cesar Azpilicueta. Timo Werner is a true star.

Top performer: N’Golo Kante – A PL-high 24 interceptions shows that the former Ballon d’Or candidate remains one of the best in the game.

3. Leicester City

Last ranking: 8

Why? The Europa League hasn’t slowed Brendan Rodgers’ men, who’ve beaten Arsenal, Leeds, and Wolves to the tune of a combined 6-1 score line.

Top performer: Youri Tielemans. The 23-year-old has helped Leicester run the show despite injuries to Wilfred Ndidi, Caglar Soyuncu, and — for a time — Jamie Vardy.

2. Liverpool

Last ranking: 4

Why? Because losses of Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, and now Trent Alexander-Arnold have not stopped Jurgen Klopp’s men from staying within a point of the top.

Top performer: Mohamed Salah – level with De Bruyne for most key passes in league, his shoot-first reputation sometimes precedes him but the Egyptian remains Liverpool’s best feature.

1. Tottenham Hotspur

Last ranking: 3

Why? Have not lost since the opener against Everton despite the challenging Thursday-weekend doubleheaders of the Europa League.

Top performer: Harry Kane. Leads the PL in assists, shots, shots on target, and big chances created. Scores a bunch, too.

Follow @NicholasMendola

Premier League Club Power Rankings 2020-21, Vol. I

By Nicholas MendolaOct 6, 2020, 6:58 PM EDT

Well, here we go with the very first Premier League Club Power Rankings of the 2020-21 seasons

Transfer Deadline Day is in the books and teams are still figuring themselves out, not to mention their opponents.

Clubs have also played between three and four matches against opponents of varying strength.

[ MORE: Full Premier League schedule ]

And how hard is it to read the litmus tests when we’re two teams from being able to complete one of those wheels of who lost to who, and that the teams we’re waiting on are Everton and Aston Villa.

On top of all that, almost every team on the table returns from the international break with a real litmus test including three derbies in the form of Everton-Liverpool, Crystal Palace-Brighton, and Tottenham-West Ham.

Cue Eric Wareheim mind-exploding gif.

ProSoccerTalk is using a different method to ranking teams this season, at least until everyone’s played each other once.

Here are our considerations:

Form — Winning and losing in three recent matches plus notable injuries
Sense and strength matter — If the champs lost two-straight hard luck matches and a relegation candidate got 2 weird VAR breaks to win, we note the big picture over the little.
The table — Of course it matters.
Head-to-head — The results better be notable if a head-to-head loser goes above a team that beat it recently.
Numbers > Luck— Did a wicked deflection or bad bounce make a dominant side fall to a poor one? Let’s look at xG, shots, chances, possession, and other indicators.

At the first international break, let’s get stuck in…

Premier League Club Power Rankings 2020-21, Vol. I

20. Fulham

Last match: Wolves 1-0 Fulham
Next: Oct. 17 at Sheffield United

Here’s hoping Ruben Loftus-Cheek stays healthy and becomes the impact player he was at Palace, and that two signings at center back shore up a weak corps. If not…

19. Burnley

Last match: Newcastle United 3-1 Burnley
Next: Oct. 17 at West Brom

After losing 4-2 at Leicester in super unlucky fashion (xG says Burnley by about .7 of a goal), they were deserving losers to Saints and Newcastle. Sean Dyche wanted help on the transfermarket. Their answer was “Well, what if we keep James Tarkowski? Then Dale Stephens should be enough, right?”

18. West Bromwich Albion

Last match: Southampton 2-0 West Brom
Next: Oct. 17 v Burnley

The Baggies aren’t as bad as they’ve looked but Burnley, Brighton, and Fulham are next after a tough-enough run to start the season. Gotta get at least four points there.

17. Sheffield United

Last match: Arsenal 2-0 Sheffield United
Next: Oct. 17 v Fulham

If Rhian Brewster finds chemistry with David McGoldrick, Oli McBurnie, Billy Sharp, or Lys Mousset, then Blades could be reborn and be midtable again. If he doesn’t, well, reread that list.

16. Newcastle United

Last match: Newcastle United 3-1 Burnley
Next: Oct. 17 v Man Utd

Steve Bruce’s men are going to be like this all year over each span of four games, albeit without the fortunate point against Spurs more often than not. They crushed West Ham and Burnley because Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson have real quality and the opposing managers are short-handed and underwhelming or both. Jose Mourinho and Graham Potter are better tacticians and the Magpies could’ve been blown out in both.

15. Southampton

Last match: Southampton 2-0 West Brom
Next: Oct. 17 at Chelsea

Saints have so far, on the whole, been unlucky in how some really great goals defied them. The xG says they should’ve drawn in losses to Palace (Townsend -> Zaha) and Spurs (Harry Kane -> Heung-min Son x4) and that they gave nothing to Burnley and West Brom.

14. Wolves

Last match: Wolves 1-0 Fulham
Next: Oct. 19 at Leeds, 3 pm ET

Another slow start for a good team with a better manager. Rebounding isn’t automatic, but Wolves should be fine.

13. Brighton and Hove Albion

Last match: Everton 4-2 Brighton
Next: Oct. 18 at Crystal Palace, 9 am ET

A year after good performances often didn’t get appropriate results, it’s happening again. Brighton bossed Newcastle and Man Utd and could’ve drawn or beaten Chelsea. The Everton loss was justified, but three points via one win through four games could hardly tell the story of Potter’s men (if it wasn’t telling the story of their last 13 months).

12. Manchester United

Last match: Man Utd 1-6 Spurs
Next: Oct. 17 at Newcastle United

The way Monday’s transfer announcements all praised Ole Gunnar Solskjaer it seems he’s super safe, which is interesting given the xG score lines from United’s 1W-2L start to the season say they should be 0-3.

United 1.91 – 1.1 Palace (Palace won 3-1)
Brighton 2.98 – 1.58 United (United won 3-2)
United .87 – 3.30 Spurs (Spurs won 6-1)

Also, after beating Real Madrid and half the world to Donny van de Beek, Solskjaer’s playing him like it would be impossible for the youngster to understand his system or something. Van de Beek’s 39 minutes played are second-fewest on the team to Odion Ighalo’s five.

11. Crystal Palace

Last match: Chelsea 4-0 Crystal Palace
Next: Oct. 18 v Brighton, 9 am ET

Really don’t know what to make of the Eagles. Take away Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend and the next eight players on the roster have combined to contribute 1.28 xG. And Cheikhou Kouyate — hardly a goal machine — is responsible for nearly half of that total.

10. Manchester City

Last match: Leeds United 1-1 Man City
Next: Oct. 17 v Arsenal, 12:30 pm ET

They are hurt. Fine. They’ll improve, for sure. But this is hardly the sort of “(expletive) off” tour we expected. And Arsenal has the ponies to counter City out of the park. 1W-1D-2L City through four probably won’t happen, right? Right?!?

9. Arsenal

Last match: Arsenal 2-0 Sheffield United
Next: Oct. 17 at Man City, 12:30 pm ET

Thomas Partey is someone Atletico Madrid was willing to pay big to stick around. Arsenal convincing him to fit the exact hole in Mikel Arteta’s bucket should have the Gunners brimming with confidence.

8. Leicester City

Last match: Leicester City 0-3 West Ham
Next: Oct. 17 v Aston Villa

The opposite of last year: The Foxes followed up a remarkable and powerful defeat of a great club (Man City) by puking against a lesser side (West Ham).

7. West Ham United

Last match: Leicester City 0-3 West Ham
Next: Oct. 18 v Spurs, 11:30 am ET

Maybe David Moyes is a good game-planner and recruiter but really, truly annoying on the touch line? The Irons looked great for the second-straight week with Moyes giving the team talks via Zoom or something due to a positive COVID-19 test.

6. Chelsea

Last match: Chelsea 4-0 Crystal Palace
Next: Oct. 17 v Southampton

The 10-man loss to Liverpool is still sticking in our craw here, but this club is 2-1-1 with a very unlucky Timo Werner and without anything from Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic. The four before the next international break could dial up 10-12 points: Saints, Manchester United, Burnley, Blades.

5. Leeds United

Last match: Leeds United 1-1 Man City
Next: Oct. 19 v Wolves, 3 pm ET

I thought it would take time for Leeds to adapt and that they’d survive but stumble a lot. Sorry, Marcelo. Cue “Dumb and Dumber” voice — “I was way off!”

4. Liverpool

Last match: Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool
Next: Oct. 17 at Everton, 7:30 am ET

A blip on the radar. Joel Matip is better than most people think and certainly more impactful than Joe Gomez. Even with him possibly fit after the break, there’s reason to believe that Richarlison, James Rodriguez, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin isn’t the best way to merge back into the PL highway.

3. Tottenham Hotspur

Last match: Man Utd 1-6 Spurs
Next: Oct. 18 v West Ham United, 11:30 am ET

Daniel Levy opened the checkbook to give Jose Mourinho the sort of pieces he requires to deploy an ideal ‘Mou’ system and we saw it against Manchester United. Sergio Reguilon can do for Spurs attack what Lucas Digne did for Everton, and their monstrous midfield trio dominated United at Old Trafford. Dominated Newcastle but lost two points to VAR and a dumb rule. Maybe?

2. Aston Villa

Last match: Aston Villa 7-2 Liverpool
Next: Oct. 17 at Leicester City

It’s feel likely they beat a bad Sheffield United and a worse Fulham before getting a perfect storm against Liverpool — an inspired Ross Barkley returning to face his Merseyside rivals plus some wicked bounces and no Thiago Alcantara, Sadio Mane, or Alisson Becker — but who cares? Seven goals against the champs and 3-0. Dean Smith is the new Chris Wilder.

1. Everton

Last match: Everton 4-2 Brighton
Next: Oct. 17 v Liverpool, 7:30 am ET

Carlo Ancelotti, you beauty. And whatever you think Robin Olsen’s loan means, it’s not a safeguard. Without European schedule congestion, Everton is a good goalkeeper and healthy center backs away from contending for all the domestic honors.

Follow @NicholasMendola

PL Club Power Rankings: Week 29

By Nicholas MendolaMar 11, 2020, 10:48 PM EDT

Roy Hodgson‘s got the Eagles flying up our PL power rankings.

Crystal Palace keeps finding ways to win, and Hodgson’s men are rising up the list as notable sides Spurs and Everton falter at the start of the stretch run.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ]

Green: New season-high ranking
Red: New season-low

[ MORE: PL Club Power Rankings archive ]

20. Norwich City — A Saints visit presents a rare opening for the Canaries.
Last week: 20
Season high: 10
Season low: 20
Last match: Lost 1-0 at Sheffield United
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday v. Southampton

19. Aston Villa — Take away Tyrone Mings, and Villa’s defense reminds me of McBain’s goggles.
Last week: 19
Season high: 6
Season low: 19
Last match: Lost 4-0 at Leicester City
Up next: 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday v. Chelsea

18. Bournemouth — Gotta build off the performance at Liverpool, but Palace has looked good lately.
Last week: 18
Season high: 6
Season low: 18
Last match: Lost 2-1 at Liverpool
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday v. Palace

17. Watford — Can Nigel Pearson take advantage of his former side?
Last week: 17
Season high: 13
Season low: 20
Last match: Lost 1-0 at Crystal Palace
Up next: 8:30 a.m. ET Saturday v. Leicester City

16. West Ham United — Home field is about all the Irons have going for them versus Wolves (aside from Wolves’ penchant to sleep a bit versus lower-half sides).
Last week: 14
Season high: 5
Season low: 20
Last match: Lost 1-0 at Arsenal
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday v. Wolves

15. Brighton and Hove Albion — Running out of time and opportunity.
Last week: 15
Season high: 6
Season low: 18
Last match: Drew 0-0 at Wolves
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday v. Arsenal

14. Southampton — Still almost got a point despite an early red card versus Newcastle.
Last week: 12
Season high: 7
Season low: 20
Last match: Lost 1-0 v. Newcastle
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Norwich City

13. Newcastle United — The Magpies faithful deserves a player like Allan Saint-Maximin.
Last week: 16
Season high: 11
Season low: 20
Last match: Won 1-0 at Southampton
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday v. Sheffield United

12. Everton — What was that, Carlo? Suddenly a head-scratching winless in three.
Last week: 6
Season high: 5
Season low: 19
Last match: Lost 4-0 at Chelsea
Up next: 4 p.m. ET Monday v. Liverpool

11. Tottenham Hotspur — Pretty sure everyone near Spurs wants this season to be over already.
Last week: 5
Season high: 2
Season low: 16
Last match: Drew 1-1 at Burnley
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday v. Man Utd

10. Sheffield United — Chris Wilder‘s men will want a measure of revenge from Saturday’s trip to the Northeast. Play to the whistle, Blades.
Last week: 11
Season high: 5
Season low: 17
Last match: Lost 1-0 v. Norwich City
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Newcastle

9. Burnley — Steadily hanging around the UEL race.
Last week: 10
Season high: 5
Season low: 17
Last match: Drew 1-1 v. Spurs
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Man City

8. Crystal Palace — Three-straight 1-0 wins and the fixtures will get dicey after Saturday’s trip to the Vitality Stadium.
Last week: 13
Season high: 5
Season low: 18
Last match: Won 1-0 v. Watford
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Bournemouth

7. Arsenal — Don’t sleep on the Gunners and the top four.
Last week: 9
Season high: 4
Season low: 13
Last match: Won 1-0 v. West Ham
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday at Brighton

6. Leicester City — Grateful for their fixture list. Harvey Barnes has pure star quality.
Last week: 8
Season high: 2
Season low: 10
Last match: Won 4-0 v. Aston Villa
Up next: 8:30 a.m. ET Saturday at Watford

5. Wolves — May look at the Brighton draw as the result that kept them out of the UCL.
Last week: 3
Season high: 3
Season low: 17
Last match: Drew 0-0 v. Brighton
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday at West Ham

4. Chelsea — A really nice win over Everton after an FA Cup ouster of Liverpool. Has Frank Lampard refound his footing?
Last week: 4
Season high: 2
Season low: 12
Last match: Won 4-0 v. Everton
Up next: 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Aston Villa

3. Manchester United — Unbeaten in 10 and Paul Pogba‘s gonna be back soon enough. Can hardly wait to see if he works well with Bruno Fernandes.
Last week: 7
Season high: 2
Season low: 16
Last match: Won 2-0 v. Man City
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Spurs

2. Manchester City — Can Pep Guardiola‘s men reclaim form ahead of second leg versus Real Madrid?
Last week: 2
Season high: 1
Season low: 6
Last match: Lost 2-0 at Man Utd
Up next: 11 a.m. ET Saturday v. Burnley

1. Liverpool — Title incoming.
Last week: 1
Season high: 1
Season low: 3
Last match: Won 2-1 v. Bournemouth
Up next: 4 p.m. ET Monday at Everton

Follow @NicholasMendola

PL Club Power Rankings: Week 28

By Nicholas MendolaMar 2, 2020, 11:37 PM EST

One and two are pretty much set in stone, but there’s a new three on the block and only they seem a threat to challenge two.

It’s a lot of words to preview one of our final club power rankings of the Premier League season.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ]

Green: New season-high ranking
Red: New season-low

[ MORE: PL Club Power Rankings archive ]

20. Norwich City — A great win over Leicester inspires thoughts that the tricky schedule won’t be as big of an issue as it first looked.
Last week: 20
Season high: 10
Season low: 20
Last match: Won 1-0 v. Leicester City
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday at Sheffield United

19. Aston Villa — The guts shown in the League Cup Final are replicable. Can Dean Smith coax them out again (and again)?
Last week: 19
Season high: 6
Season low: 19
Last match: Lost 2-0 at Saints
Up next: 4 p.m. ET Monday at Leicester City

18. Bournemouth — Nice draw with Chelsea.
Last week: 17
Season high: 6
Season low: 18
Last match: Drew 2-2 v. Chelsea
Up next: 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday at Liverpool

17. Watford — The win over Liverpool is a dream. The loss of Gerard Deulofeu is a nightmare.
Last week: 18
Season high: 13
Season low: 20
Last match: Won 3-0 v. Liverpool
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday at Palace

16. Newcastle United — So drab. And if there isn’t another win soon, the back end of the schedule will send them down.
Last week: 15
Season high: 11
Season low: 20
Last match: Drew 0-0 v. Burnley
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday at Southampton

15. Brighton and Hove Albion — At some point, the unluckiness has to wear on the Seagulls. Performances have been better than the depths of the table.
Last week: 13
Season high: 6
Season low: 18
Last match: Lost 1-0 v. Palace
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday at Wolves

14. West Ham United — A much-needed win has them out of the table on goal differential.
Last week: 16
Season high: 5
Season low: 20
Last match: Won 3-1 v. Southampton
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday v. Arsenal

13. Crystal Palace — Roy Hodgson deserves a lot of praise for conjuring life back into the Eagles. If Christian Benteke could finish, the Eagles would be tempting the UEL places.
Last week: 14
Season high: 5
Season low: 18
Last match: Won 1-0 at Brighton
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday v. Watford

12. Southampton — The Saints are on a plateau.
Last week: 12
Season high: 7
Season low: 20
Last match: Lost 3-1 at West Ham
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday v. Newcastle United

11. Sheffield United — Did the week off provide Chris Wilder a plan to play Sander Berge and John Lundstram together effectively?
Last week: 11
Season high: 5
Season low: 17
Last match: Drew 1-1 v. Brighton
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday v. Norwich City

10. Burnley — Unextinguishable.
Last week: 10
Season high: 5
Season low: 17
Last match: Drew 0-0 at Newcastle United
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday v. Spurs

9. Arsenal — Pablo Mari looked good against Portsmouth. West Ham will be a slight step up.
Last week: 8
Season high: 4
Season low: 13
Last match: Won 3-2 v. Everton
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday v. West Ham

8. Leicester City — Two points from four matches, with Villa next. Brendan Rodgers should count his blessings the chasing pack has largely taken a collective nap.
Last week: 6
Season high: 2
Season low: 10
Last match: Lost 1-0 at Norwich City
Up next: 4 p.m. ET Monday v. Aston Villa

7. Manchester United — Bruno Fernandes is a magician. It’s a shame we won’t get to see him with Marcus Rashford any time soon (though he’s set to make it back before the end of the season).
Last week: 5
Season high: 2
Season low: 16
Last match: Drew 1-1 at Everton
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday v. Man City

6. Everton — Is Jordan Pickford really a problem? For your average side, no, but Everton wants to shoot high. He needs to do a bit better with the expected stops, because he’s got a knack for the wild stops.
Last week: 9
Season high: 5
Season low: 19
Last match: Drew 1-1 v. Manchester United
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday at Chelsea

5. Tottenham Hotspur — Results must improve, but so much the system. What’s the plan?
Last week: 4
Season high: 2
Season low: 16
Last match: Lost 3-2 v. Wolves
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Burnley

4. Chelsea — Disappointing draw with Bournemouth, but few behind them did anything to justify dropping them further.
Last week: 3
Season high: 2
Season low: 12
Last match: Drew 2-2 at Bournemouth
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Sunday v. Everton

3. Wolves — They can and will out-run and outlast you, and Raul Jimenez will devour your back line.
Last week: 7
Season high: 3
Season low: 17
Last match: Won 3-2 at Spurs
Up next: 10 a.m. ET Saturday v. Brighton

2. Man City — Bold prediction considering Aymeric Laporte is out: City will finish within 19 points of Liverpool to preserve their record triumph from 2017/18 over Manchester United.
Last week: 2
Season high: 1
Season low: 6
Last match: Won 1-0 at Leicester City
Up next: 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday at Manchester United

1. Liverpool — A loss was bound to happen, and more may come as Liverpool reprioritizes the Champions League and perhaps the FA Cup.
Last week: 1
Season high: 1
Season low: 3
Last match: Lost 3-0 at Watford
Up next: 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday v. Bournemouth

Follow @NicholasMendola

Premier League Club Power Rankings: 2020-21 Methodology

Premier League Club Power Rankings: Vol. I

20. Norwich City

19. Watford

18. Burnley

17. Newcastle United

16. Southampton

15. Crystal Palace

14. Arsenal

13. Leeds United

12. Aston Villa

11. Wolves

10. Leicester City

9. Brentford

8. Brighton and Hove Albion

7. Manchester United

6. West Ham United

5. Everton

4. Liverpool

3. Manchester City

2. Tottenham Hotspur

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Premier League Club Power Rankings: Vol. II

20. Sheffield United

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9. Aston Villa

8. Manchester City

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6. Wolves

5. Southampton

4. Chelsea

3. Leicester City

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19. Burnley

18. West Bromwich Albion

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16. Newcastle United

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13. Brighton and Hove Albion

12. Manchester United

11. Crystal Palace

10. Manchester City

9. Arsenal

8. Leicester City

7. West Ham United

6. Chelsea

5. Leeds United

4. Liverpool

3. Tottenham Hotspur

2. Aston Villa

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