Grading Every Team's Start to the 2020/21 Premier League Season
By Tom Gott
We all know the importance of making a good start to a new season. If you're in good form, you'll feel good all year. If things don't go well, there's a good chance you're in for a bumpy ride.
The fixtures for the 2020/21 Premier League season have now been released, so it's time for us to start hazarding guesses as to which teams will be building momentum early and which teams will be looking for immediate answers.
Let's grade each team's start to the new campaign.
Arsenal
First five fixtures:
Fulham v Arsenal
Arsenal v West Ham United
Liverpool v Arsenal
Arsenal v Sheffield United
Manchester City v Arsenal
When your first five fixtures contain meetings with last season's top two, you know you're in for a bumpy ride.
Liverpool and Manchester City will do their utmost to make life hard for Arsenal, so the Gunners might have to get their work done early when the fixture list looks a little kinder to them.
Starting against newly promoted Fulham looks easier on paper but has the potential to be a real banana skin for Mikel Arteta's side, who will know they have to be on top form for the first five weeks of the season if they don't want to be left with ground to make up again.
Grade: B-
Aston Villa
First five fixtures:
Aston Villa v Sheffield United
Fulham v Aston Villa
Aston Villa v Liverpool
Leicester City v Aston Villa
Aston Villa v Leeds United
The first five games of the season look set to set the tone for Villa. Sheffield United will present a real test, while Liverpool and Leicester might be a little too much, but there will be plenty of chances to make a statement.
Points against any of that trio would be great, but the fixtures Villa will look forward to come against newly promoted duo Fulham and Leeds United. Three points against both would be the dream, but defeat against either could spark real concerns.
Dean Smith will hope to see his side steer clear of a relegation battle this season, and we get a good idea of whether they're capable of that after the first five games.
Grade: C+
Brighton & Hove Albion
First five fixtures:
Brighton v Chelsea
Newcastle United v Brighton
Brighton v Manchester United
Everton v Brighton
Crystal Palace v Brighton
On paper, this looks rough for Brighton, who finished below all of their first five opponents in the 2019/20 table. Their only victory against any of their upcoming opponents came against an Everton side who were still labouring in the Marco Silva era in October 2019.
Chelsea, Manchester United and Everton will all harbour hopes of finishing well up the standings, while Newcastle and Palace will expect to be mid-table sides at worst. All five opponents will expect victories against the Seagulls.
Graham Potter's men could easily pick up some points if they bring their A-game, but anything less than that could spell trouble.
Grade: D-
Burnley
First five fixtures:
Leicester City v Burnley
Burnley v Southampton
Newcastle United v Burnley
West Bromwich Albion v Burnley
Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley won't be too afraid of their first five fixtures.
There are a few toughies for them to navigate - Tottenham and Leicester could both be difficult - but Sean Dyche's men proved last season that they have enough about them to pose an outside challenge for a spot in Europe. Underestimate them at your own peril.
Southampton, Newcastle and West Brom are all winnable games for the Clarets, but only if they bring their end-of-season form from last season and not their miserable first-half form.
Grade: B
Chelsea
First five fixtures:
Brighton v Chelsea
Chelsea v Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Chelsea
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Chelsea v Southampton
We should know a whole lot more about the Chelsea of 2020/21 after their first few games. On paper, as a top-four challenger with some new big-money signings, the Blues should be winning at least four of these games.
The problem for Frank Lampard is that 2019/20 Chelsea did not win all these games. They were inconsistent against so-called lesser sides, and that's why they found themselves scrapping until the last day for a Champions League spot.
There's probably still work to do to catch up with Liverpool, and the meeting between the two sides on matchday two will tell us how much.
Grade: A-
Crystal Palace
First five fixtures:
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Manchester United v Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace v Everton
Chelsea v Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace v Brighton
With so much uncertainty surrounding Crystal Palace's squad, it's hard to truly know where they'll stand by the time the season arrives, but regardless of whether Wilfried Zaha is still on the books or not, their first five games look a more than a little tough.
It's not hard to picture Palace falling to Southampton, United, Everton and Chelsea, so that gameweek five meeting with Brighton might be crucial to steadying the ship.
Roy Hodgson's side might still be dealing with the hangover of all the transfer speculation which has surrounded Palace already this summer. If they are, another slow start could easily be on the cards.
Grade: D-
Everton
First five fixtures:
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton
Everton v West Bromwich Albion
Crystal Palace v Everton
Everton v Brighton
Everton v Liverpool
Only one of these first five fixtures counts - the Merseyside derby.
After a tricky start against Tottenham, Carlo Ancelotti's Everton will have three weeks to build up momentum ahead of the showdown with Liverpool, and fortunately for the Toffees, the fixture list has been kind to them in that regard.
West Brom, Palace and Brighton shouldn't pose too many problems, so Everton should head into that game with Liverpool feeling good enough to get a result.
Grade: B+
Fulham
First five fixtures:
Fulham v Arsenal
Leeds United v Fulham
Fulham v Aston Villa
Wolves v Fulham
Sheffield United v Fulham
If Fulham were hoping for an easy start to life back in the top flight, they'll be sorely disappointed to see meetings with three of last season's top nine on the schedule in the first few weeks. However, with Arsenal, Wolves and Sheffield United finishing eighth, seventh and ninth respectively, it's fair to say that Fulham have avoided the bigger bullets.
Those two games against Leeds and Villa will have already been identified as crucial fixtures. The trio could all be embroiled in a relegation battle next year, so Fulham will know they need to get as much of a head start as possible.
Two big performances against Leeds and Villa, coupled with a shock or two in the other three games, and it could be a solid start for the Cottagers.
Grade: C+
Leeds United
First five fixtures:
Liverpool v Leeds
Leeds v Fulham
Sheffield United v Leeds
Leeds v Manchester City
Leeds v Wolves
Ah, nothing says 'welcome back to the top flight' more than a trip to Anfield to face the defending champions on opening weekend.
Unfortunately for Leeds, that doesn't look like the only tough game ahead as Manchester City, Wolves and even Sheffield United could all pose some major problems for Marcelo Bielsa's Championship winners.
But hey, at least they should beat Fulham!
Grade: D-
Leicester City
First five fixtures:
West Bromwich Albion v Leicester
Leicester v Burnley
Manchester City v Leicester
Leicester v West Ham United
Leicester v Aston Villa
Few teams will have enjoyed receiving the Premier League's fixture list quite like Leicester who, outside of a tough trip to Manchester City, will be confident of an incredibly strong start to the season.
Assuming the Leicester who ended the season in atrocious form have sorted themselves out, Brendan Rodgers' side will feel good about picking up wins against West Brom, Burnley, West Ham and Villa.
A good run of form would help the Foxes regain the confidence which completely disappeared post-lockdown, and that's exactly what we could get from Leicester.
Grade: A-
Liverpool
First five fixtures:
Liverpool v Leeds United
Chelsea v Liverpool
Liverpool v Arsenal
Aston Villa v Liverpool
Everton v Liverpool
Jürgen Klopp's title winners won all of their first five games last year, and while they could repeat the feat this time around, they'll definitely have to work for it.
An opening-weekend clash with Leeds could be trickier than some fans would think, and consecutive games against Chelsea and Arsenal will both provide real tests for Liverpool, who know the kind of standard that is expected of them now.
The Merseyside derby will only add to the excitement of Liverpool's first five games, which could bring us some of the most enthralling action around for the first few weeks.
Grade: B
Manchester City
First five games:
Wolves v Manchester City
Manchester City v Leicester City
Leeds United v Manchester City
Manchester City v Arsenal
West Ham United v Manchester City
This is a tricky one. While City will be confident of beating anyone and everyone on their day, they'll definitely have been hoping for an easier start to the campaign than this one.
Wolves, Leicester and Arsenal could all pose problems for Pep Guardiola's side - we saw Arsenal snatch a 2-0 win over City in the FA Cup semi-final not long ago - and wildcard Leeds know how to make life hard for anyone (although whether they have the quality to stop City is a different matter entirely).
At the end of the day, City could win all five of these games, but it's not going to be easy.
Grade: B
Manchester United
First five fixtures:
Manchester United v Crystal Palace
Brighton v Manchester United
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Newcastle United v Manchester United
Manchester United v Chelsea
United have been given the chance to make a real statement with their first five games. They want to be at the top of the table, and judging by these fixtures, they could well be.
Palace, Brighton and Newcastle should be relatively straightforward wins for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men, but they'll have to dig in a little deeper against Spurs and Chelsea.
United are capable of winning all five of these games and proving to the world that they're not here to mess about this year, but defeats against either top-four rival could kill all their momentum.
Grade: B+
Newcastle United
First five fixtures:
West Ham United v Newcastle
Newcastle v Brighton
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle
Newcastle v Burnley
Newcastle v Manchester United
After a tumultuous summer full of takeover rumours, Newcastle will be glad to have been handed a relatively calm start to the new season.
Sure, Tottenham and Manchester United are a little scary, but the remaining three games against West Ham, Brighton and Burnley all look winnable for Steve Bruce's side.
The Magpies have been given a chance to make a solid start to the new season, but whether they'll take it is a completely different matter. They have a scary habit of making these kind of games harder than they need to be, but at least there's a chance for some positivity at St James' Park.
Grade: B
Sheffield United
First five fixtures:
Sheffield United v Wolves
Aston Villa v Sheffield United
Sheffield United v Leeds United
Arsenal v Sheffield United
Sheffield United v Fulham
For Sheffield United, the 2020/21 season is all about proving that 2019/20 wasn't a fluke, and by the time their first five fixtures are over, we should have a good idea where their current level actually is.
In Villa, Leeds and Fulham, Chris Wilder's men have three opponents against whom they will hope to pick up three points, but the major tests will come against Wolves and Arsenal, who finished narrowly above the Blades in the table last year.
They're all winnable games, but only if Sheffield United are at their best.
Grade: B
Southampton
First five fixtures:
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
Burnley v Southampton
Southampton v West Bromwich Albion
Chelsea v Southampton
After deciding to actually be a good team for the second half of last season, Southampton will be feeling confident heading into the start of the new campaign.
The Danny Ings Express will be hopeful of running wild against Palace, Burnley and West Brom, and there could even be plenty of goals for the Saints against Tottenham and Chelsea if the two London sides haven't sorted out their defensive issues.
There's the potential for a slip-up or two, but if Ralph Hasenhüttl can get his side going early on, Southampton might be in for an enjoyable first few weeks.
Grade: B+
Tottenham Hotspur
First five fixtures:
Tottenham Hotspur v Everton
Southampton v Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur v Newcastle United
Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United
Spurs' fist five games haven't thrown up anything too terrifying, but nearly all their opponents look capable of taking points from them.
Newcastle in gameweek three looks like José Mourinho's most straightforward fixture of the bunch, with Everton, Southampton, United and West Ham all promising to cause real problems for Spurs.
The 2020/21 season is all about bouncing back for Tottenham, but they might have to wait a little longer than the first five games to accomplish that.
Grade: C
West Bromwich Albion
First five fixtures:
West Brom v Leicester City
Everton v West Brom
West Brom v Chelsea
Southampton v West Brom
West Brom v Burnley
Uh oh, there's trouble on the horizon for West Brom.
Every season usually brings us one team that can't buy a win for the opening few weeks, and that could well be West Brom here. All five of their opponents finished in last season's top 12 and they were all in the race for European football until the last few weeks of the campaign.
It's nice that they've avoided Liverpool and Manchester City, but that might be the only positive to take from this.
Grade: E
West Ham United
First five fixtures:
West Ham v Newcastle United
Arsenal v West Ham
West Ham v Wolves
Leicester City v West Ham
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham
West Ham love a London derby, and they've got two to look forward to as they will travel to face both Arsenal and Tottenham in their first five games. There'll be plenty of emotion, but there might not be plenty of points.
An opener against Newcastle is fairly kind, but the rest of West Ham's fixtures look rough. They'll come up against four sides who were battling for a spot in the Europa League last season and will expect to be in a similar spot this time around too.
If the good West Ham turns up, David Moyes' side could pick up plenty of points. However, if the disappointing side who we saw for the most of last season hasn't disappeared, there could be real problems early on.
Grade: D-
Wolverhampton Wanderers
First five fixtures:
Sheffield United v Wolves
Wolves v Manchester City
West Ham United v Wolves
Wolves v Fulham
Leeds United v Wolves
Wolves fans should be feeling pretty good about this early fixture schedule. Outside of a tough meeting with Manchester City, they have been presented with four pretty kind games.
After having the upper hand over Sheffield United last year, Wolves will expect a victory on opening day, and a side who reached the Europa League quarter-final will know that victories over West Ham, Fulham and Leeds are to be expected.
Earning a point or three against City isn't out of the question either, so expect big things from Nuno's men to start the season.
Grade: A