1 Hot Take for Each Premier League Club After Gameweek 5
By Tom Gott
We're four or five games into the Premier League season, and if history has taught us anything, it's that this is a good time to start overreacting and throwing out wild predictions based on just one game.
So let's do that.
Here's one hot take for each team from gameweek five.
1. Arsenal - Aubameyang Is Wasted Out Wide
Sure, it's the position he played last season when he scored 29 goals in all competitions, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doesn't work as a left winger.
Are teams figuring the system out? Or is Willian so bad as a central striker that he drags his team-mates down?
2. Aston Villa - Beat Leicester, Become Leicester
Four games, four wins. Can anyone stop Aston Villa?
Dean Smith's side picked up a 1-0 win over Leicester, which has got people talking about a potential title push. And why not? Nobody else really wants to play well this season apparently.
3. Brighton - Mac Allister Will Be YPOTY
One of the most underrated signings of the past few years, Alexis Mac Allister looks ready to take over.
He's got three goals in four games this season and gave Brighton the cutting edge they sorely needed against Crystal Palace. Young Player of the Year incoming.
4. Burnley - Why No Money Spent?
When you can only manage a 0-0 draw against the consensus worst team in the division, something is wrong.
Burnley spent next to no money during the summer and now look like a squad out of ideas and enthusiasm. This one's on the board.
5. Chelsea - Werner for Golden Boot
Wow, Timo Werner is really good.
If he keeps playing like he did in the 3-3 draw with Southampton, he might just pick up a Golden Boot award in his first season in England.
6. Crystal Palace - Hodgson Has to Go
Out of the 20 Premier League teams, Palace are 20th in possession, 20th in successful passes, 20th in passing accuracy and 19th in passes in the opposition half.
The football is really, really bad. Unless the board want to invest £200m in January, sacking Roy Hodgson might be the only way forward.
7. Everton - Who's the Noisiest Neighbour?
After years of being humiliated by Liverpool, Everton have proven that they are on top right now.
They took the game to the Premier League champions and deservedly came away with a point, maintaining their unbeaten start to the season.
Maybe the league title will be staying on Merseyside after all?
8. Fulham - Lookman for Ballon d'Or
Fulham are objectively bad. It's obviously going to be a long season for the Cottagers, but Ademola Lookman might be able to help soften the blow.
The Englishman was unplayable against Sheffield United and pretty much dragged the team to their first point of the season. Just 39 more to go and things'll be fine.
9. Leeds - Life Is Still Good
Sure, Leeds were disappointing in front of goal in their 1-0 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but Marcelo Bielsa's men still dominated the game and probably should have won.
Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford didn't turn up, but that's alright. A top-half finish is still on.
10. Leicester - Fofana Is the Player Maguire Is Supposed to Be
While Manchester United fans are still struggling to accept the £85m spend on Harry Maguire, Leicester are laughing after dropping a cool £36.5m on Wesley Fofana.
The 19-year-old was the best player on the pitch against Villa, dominating both in the air and on the floor. He'll be an £85m player soon enough.
11. Liverpool - Title Defence Is in Tatters
Losing Virgil van Dijk is bad enough, but needing to rely on Joe Gomez and Joël Matip for an entire season could be game over for Liverpool's title defence.
Neither of them is a bad defender, but you can't call either great. Does an average defence win you the league?
12. Manchester City - Guardiola Is a Tactical Genius
You can complain all you want about Pep Guardiola's tinkering of his tactics, but when he gets it right, he really gets it right.
A 3-1-4-2 with no less than five players playing out of position? It sounds like hell, but it brought revenge against Arsenal. The man knows his stuff.
13. Manchester United - Mata Should Still Start
In a team that thrives on counter attacks, Juan Mata doesn't have much use, but why not try and shift up the style and bring him in permanently?
The Spaniard was on another level in the 4-1 win over Newcastle, using his vision to compensate for his lack of speed. He makes United look like the team they actually want to be.
14. Newcastle - Bruce Is Finished
Newcastle's tactic seems to be gamble on the goalkeeper to make 1,000 saves and then hope Allan Saint-Maximin can conjure up some magic.
Steve Bruce's side were six minutes away from snatching a point against United, and that would have been the biggest injustice of all time. The football is just so negative. It's time for a change.
15. Sheffield United - 2nd Season Syndrome Is Real
Sheffield United were so sloppy against Fulham that they needed a late penalty to take home a point. They'd have lost if Aleksandar Mitrović could have managed something better than a 1/10.
This is the team that was supposed to be snatching a Champions League spot last year. Lockdown completely ruined the Blades.
16. Southampton - The Most Dangerous Attack in the League
Southampton took advantage of every Chelsea mistake with terrifying ease. With Danny Ings and Che Adams leading the line, Ralph Hasenhüttl's men always backed themselves to score.
Even Theo Walcott looked dangerous on his return to the club. The Saints will score a lot of goals this year, and they'll make it look far too easy.
17. Tottenham - Imbalance Will Cost the Team
Having Harry Kane and Son Heung-min on top form is all well and good, but if you can't defend well enough, you won't win anything.
Davinson Sánchez looks far too shaky to be a regular part of the starting lineup, so hopefully Joe Rodon is ready to come in and make an immediate impact.
18. West Brom - Ivanović Has Still Got it
When West Brom put their Premier League fate in the hands of 36-year-old Branislav Ivanović, more than a few eyebrows were raised. However, if the 0-0 draw with Burnley is anything to go by, it could be one of the smartest deals of the season.
The Chelsea connection was real at the Hawthorns as loanee Conor Gallagher put in a real shift in midfield as well.
19. West Ham - The Most Frustrating Team in the League
Imagine being good enough to put three past an in-form Spurs in just eight minutes, yet also bad enough to concede three inside the first 16 minutes.
That 3-3 draw came after West Ham put seven unanswered goals past Wolves and Leicester, so it's safe to say the jury's still out. Are they winning the league? Are they getting relegated?
20. Wolves - Nuno Needs to Figure Things Out
Wolves won. Great. On paper, that's another solid three points to add to the tally.
But they're just so bad to watch.
This desire to do away with counter attacking in favour of possession simply hasn't worked, and it's left Wolves with no identity. But hey, three points.