Premier League Power Rankings - week 4

The league never lies? A weekly look at who is making the real moves during the season!

1) Chelsea - The Blues stay on top. It feels like an age since Chelsea were last challenged and Blackpool at The Bridge await next week. Until Chelsea play a team that are likely to deliver a challenge then they stay ... well ... unchallenged. No.1 until further notice.

2) Arsenal - Putting Bolton away in style is something that The Gunners have been craving for years. The key is to whether Wenger dropping to the Clichy and Sagna is clever rotation or another example of not knowing his best team. Champions League football awaits and this always seems to confuse the hell out of Arsene and Arsenal. Until the comedy goalkeeping begins they are formidable and could win everything. They probably won't.

3) Manchester United - Cantona and Ronaldo were hailed at Goodison Park on Saturday by United's travelling army - around 80 mins as they rolled back the years. Scholes and Giggs turning on the style. Then they collapsed. Out of date and living on reputation, full of bravado but with a quiet uncertainty - the late Ali years playing out sponsored by AON. Ferguson will rue the day he dropped Rooney. That relationship will never recover. Neither will United - not when the league wakes up to the reality.

4) Everton - Moments that change a season can be brief. For David Moyes it was a three minute spell that poured belief into his team that had gone toe-to-toe with Manchester United. It was no sucker punch by The Toffees, they had outplayed United for long periods. It was not the control that was exercised at Villa Park, but Everton are building a foundation. From Arsenal-lite to Chelsea-lite is a transition that will take time - but performances and moments like this will speed things up.



5) Tottenham Hotspur - Spurs cannot afford many more results like Saturday. They do have their first big European night around the corner so a little slip is understandable. Little Luka Modric is a big miss and the injuries are becoming an issue. While others look confused Tottenham have a style and substance that few can match. Whatever you may think about Harry Redknapp, you have to accept that his teams play with class.

6) Blackburn Rovers - It is clear that Sam Allardyce has got his mojo back at Rovers. The difference between an Allardyce and a Mick McCarthy is in the preparation. Allardyce works his tactics like a science. He is the master of taking advantage of the slackers in the league. That brings you a lot of points in this day and age.

7) Manchester City - And so it goes .. the City slackers. You get the same amount of points by beating Blackburn as you do for destroying Liverpool. Just not the same plaudits or celebrity. You can see the pattern very early this season. It will not be too long before the Europa League is the main object of City's affections. It is the natural stepping stone of The Project - Hoover up Europe's second-rate players and prizes.

8) Liverpool - First things first - St. Andrews is a tough place to pick up points. Perhaps The Reds are damned by unrealistic expectations. For every mediocre performance from a team including Torres and Gerrard, the more concern you have for the direction Liverpool are going in. The hope will be their ability to rise to the biggest challenges. You can say what you like about the Benitez and Houllier years - but they stepped up in places like Old Trafford when it mattered. It matters now - and United are there for the taking.

9) Sunderland - Reading with interest the comments of Steve Bruce regarding stripping Lee Cattermole of the captaincy - you have to think that there are better ways to curbing somebody's natural game. Cattermole has never appeared overly-aggressive - just rash. Rash play most likely stems from Steve Bruce's very own team-talks that, for all the money and computers involved, appear to revolve around the war-cry, 'Getinto'em!'

10) Birmingham City - The result against Liverpool was exactly what The Blues needed to keep their intensity. They are unbeaten but not unbeatable, but they are a tough team to break down. The manager at some clubs are worth their weight in gold. Here is the best example.

11) Bolton Wanderers - Hard to get too excited by a defeat with 10-men against Arsenal. It was never likely to be a big moment in the Coyle revolution Not yet anyway.

12) Aston Villa - Maybe Villa can start to get down to business - if Gerard Houllier ever turns up to deliver his slow passing and outdated tactics. A win against Stoke would have lifted Villa into the top four, one place ahead of Blackpool. One part of that sentence will hold true come May it appears.

13) Newcastle United - It is easy to write the 'back to reality' stuff about The Magpies, the truth is that they were always on a hiding to nothing against Blackpool. Newcastle have not just turned into a bad team in a week, nor were they ever turned into world-beaters over a largely stale summer. It will be highs and lows for Newcastle - when has it not been?

14) Fulham - A decent result that was massively overshadowed by the injury to Bobby Zamora. It is a big loss to Fulham, Zamora has become as important to The Cottagers as Drogba to Chelsea. A massive three points against the most awkward opposition.

15) Wolverhampton Wanderers - As has been highlighted here week-on-week, Mick McCarthy's style of football is a disgrace. Against Newcastle United his players were sent out to target Joey Barton with such cynicism that tarnished the good name of his football club. It was a matter of time before his team left their mark in a more obvious manner - they missed Jonny Heitinga by inches a few weeks ago. Bobby Zamora has a different tale to tell. In his Yorkshire brogue McCarthy would probably say something like: 'results-wise we are doin' okaaagh.' And they are.

16) West Bromwich Albion - When looking at The Baggies before the season Chris Brunt would have been like one of those shiny Pannini stickers that every team had back in the 1980s. If your star players step up they give you every chance. Brunt is a class-act. A point and conceding two goals against Liverpool and Tottenham in their last two games shows how far defensively West Brom have come under Roberto Di Matteo.

17) Blackpool - There will come a time when it will no longer be acceptable to mention Blackpool and follow it by using the words Burnley and Owen Coyle. But we will do it here. Burnley lost their enigmatic manager and tailed off - let us hope that Ian Holloway gives himself and his players the chance to do the unbelievable.

18) Stoke City - A really hard one to call. Emotions ran high at Stoke this week and that fed through onto the pitch. No-one can say that Stoke City give anything other than 100%. For sides with as little guile as a managerless/manager rich Aston Villa - that will be too much. Kenwayne Jones can keep Stoke in the division, but the talent on the bench must also be used long-term.


19) Wigan Athletic - Not the worst result that Wigan have had this season - but by far the most telling. Quite simply Latics must win games like this against ten-men, otherwise it will be a close call in the final reckoning.

20) West Ham United - Is there anybody left who has not given up on The Hammers. The board have suddenly discovered crippling debts after paying off a well-liked manager and replacing him with the opposite. The players don't believe, the fans don't believe and neither do the suits. Why should anybody else.