Power Rankings: Week 1

The first weekend of Premiership action is gone, taking along with it something I have never witnessed before: a full weekend of ten Premiership games without a single draw. I don't know how rare of a phenomenon this is, but I can't ever remember it happening in the three seasons previous to this one. Other than that little statistic there was not much anomaly to be had at the weekend; Spurs over Liverpool was certainly something of an upset, and Arsenal's absolute destruction of Everton was definitely not predicted, but on the whole the expected teams won out.

Now, onto the rankings:

1. Arsenal (Last week: 4)- Wow, what a start. I knew Arsenal were a shade stronger of a side than the Toffees, but I don't think any of us saw this one coming. 6-1 over the reigning back-to-back "best of the rest" is more than enough to vault the Gooners to the #1 spot. If (that's a BIG if) Arsenal can keep up this type of offensive efficiency (keep in mind they did not really dominate ball control, the simply capitalized their chances) then obviously they are in with a shout at the title.
2. Chelsea (Last week: 1)- A slow start to the game was made up for by a ferocious fightback, with Drogba leading the way. It looks as though he has decided to play this season, good news for any Blues fan. His second goal was just incredible, check it out:
3. Manchester United (Last week:3)- I did not watch any of their game but 1-0 over Birmingham does not awe me in any way. As Giblinho said to me via cellphone, they probably did their typical United bullcrap, which includes playing like garbage against a garbage team and somehow getting a goal.
4. Liverpool (Last week:2)- The Scousers looked a little sluggish against Spurs, which is typical of a top 4 side, those who always do tend to start the season off slow, finally hitting a groove sometime before Christmas. But one away loss in a tough atmosphere is not enough to push them too far down the rankings, especially when they arguably deserved a draw (I refer to the Voronin penalty shout). Outplayed on the day, the Reds were unlucky not to have been given a second stone cold penalty.
5. Tottenham Hotspur (Last week:6)- Beating Liverpool on opening day was huge for the Lilywhites; after losing to underdogs in the past two season openers, it was great (for me, at least) to see Spurs finally do something remarkable on opening day. Lennon, Palacios and Modric all looked incredible, and of course I was pleasently surprised to see the Cameroonian contingent of Bassong and Assou-Ekotto come through as two of the unlikeliest goalscorers. Now how about getting some results on the road?
6. Manchester City (Last week:7)- They took care of business... against Blackburn. Good for them. I'll have to wait until I see some real fight against top notch opponents before I crown them the heirs to the 4th place throne.
7. Fulham (Last week:8)- Well, they beat a team everyone expects to be relegated. Well done to the Cottagers.
8. Everton (Last week:5)- The Blue half of Mercyside were exposed by a near perfect Arsenal team. Tony Hibbert and Joseph Yobo had better recall how to defend, well, really the whole team, otherwise the Toffees could be in for a beating this season. As the ever-insightful Giblinho pointed out, none of the 6 goals could really be blamed on Howard, which means that 6 times the Everton defense gave Arsenal far too good of chances. This is a common symptom of inconsistent teams, and must be worrying for a team that hopes to crack into the Champions League.
9. Stoke City (Last week: 10)- They put Burnley in their place. Stoke have all the makings of a team that can become a Premiership mainstay.
10. West Ham (Last week:11)- A handling of newboys Wolves is nothing to scoff at, but let's be real here, it's their first Premiership game in over five years, so it's not exactly a famous victory.
11. Wigan (Last week:17)- What a display against the Villans AT Villa Park. I had heard of only 5 of Wigan's starters, but they really put Villa to the sword. Granted, it was opening day, and not much can be drawn from this in terms of end of the season finishes, but the Latics definitely know how to start off in style.
12. Aston Villa (last week:9)- Humbled at home by Wigan. Ashley Young looked more like Jermaine Pennant, and Heskey looked like he'd be needing a visit to the sports psychologist after that abysmal game for Villa.
13. Sunderland (last week:16)- Darren Bent got a goal, which was (surprise) not impressive in any way. Good for the Black Cats, but I'm still not convinced they'll be safe from the relegation dogfight.
14. Blackburn (Last week:14)- They lost to a much better City side. From the bit of the game that I saw, they actually looked alright, so I won't slide them down any in the rankings just yet.
15. Birmingham (last week:15)- They held United to only one goal... or did United just not care at all?
16. Hull City (Last week:19)- Well, they actually put up quite a fight, probably more so in this game than from all of January-May. Perhaps Phil Brown has somehow regained the dressing room? Coming up short to Chelsea is nothing to be ashamed of for a low-budget club like Hull.
17. Bolton (Last week:12)- Not much to say for Gary Cahill's men, for a couple of reasons: 1. I didn't watch their game and 2. I don't care about them at all. And they lost to a team that probably should have been relegated last season.
18. Portsmouth (Last week:18)- Well, at least they only lost by one goal... enjoy that while it lasts, Pompey...
19.Wolves (Last week: 13)- Kevin Doyle didn't even play, nor did Marcus Hahnemann. WTF?
20. Burnley (Last week:20)- WELCOME TO THE EPL!!