Power Rankings: Week 2

Well, more or less this is week 2. The way the fixtures are, it's rare that there ever will be a time in the season when all teams have played the same number of games. So forgive me if these rankings come in sporadic fashion. In this week we saw Tottenham once again win on the road (and in a derby match to boot), Manchester United and Everton stumbled at the hands (or feet) of Burnley, while Liverpool have cast further doubt on their Champions League ambitions for next season.

1. Arsenal (Last week: 1)- Womping on Pompey 4-1 is nothing we didn't all see coming for the Gunners at this stage in the season. The real litmus test for this Arsenal squad will be how they do in this type of game (vs weaker opponents) down the home stretch in February and March. But until they screw up, they've got the #1 spot.
2. Chelsea (Last week: 2)- Wins over Sunderland and Fulham keep the Blues right where they ought to be in the table (BENEATH SPURS!!!). There's really not much to say, I think everyone except the WSD guys (and look where they ended up...) had the Blues winning these two games. Great, call me when a meaningful game comes along (9/20 vs Tottenham). Seriously, call me, I don't want to miss that game.
3. Tottenham Hotspur (Last week:5)- Top of the league... I mean how often do I get to say that as a Spurs fan? Winning at Hull 5-1 midweek may not be as significant as the sloppy 2-1 away win over West Ham, but it holds a little water in my book, and was certainly more impressive to watch. JD has been running rampant (leading the Premiership in scoring), Modric is a wizard (literally, he performs sorcery on the pitch), and the back four has held it together in the midst of what is supposedly a defensive crisis. Things are looking good for the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
4. Manchester United (Last week:3)- After stuttering to a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor, United bounced back (as United do) by dismantling Wigan 5-0. Having watched the match I can confidently say that the scoreline wasn't necessarily deserved, as I was again impressed by Wigan's play, but the Mancs are obviously of an entirely different class than 75% of the league.
5.Manchester City (Last week:6)- 1-0 win over Wolves, while not exactly a confirmation of City's legitimacy, at least was a hardfought victory vs able opponents. City still have a lot to prove, but their potential has them rising up the rankings.
6. Liverpool (Last week:4)- The Pool looked to have righted the ship with a 4-0 thrashing of Stoke, only to let Villa walk away from Anfield with three points a few days later. Liverpool are a team who I thought had legitimate title ambitions, but it is looking more and more possible (even likely) that they will finish outside the top 4. You can make a convincing argument that both City and Tottenham have deeper squads than Liverpool, and though their starting XI's may not fully compare, over the course of a season the depth could win out, leaving the Reds to battle for the Europa League crown in 2010-11.
7.West Ham (Last week:10)- The Hammers looked halfway decent against Spurs (even through their loss) at the weekend; Carlton Cole's goal was absolutely nasty (though his throughball was equally as memorable for all the wrong reasons), and Scott Parker looks good enough to have "transfer request" written all over him when Liverpool come knocking in the near future (you heard it here first!).
8. Burnley (Last week:20)- Wow. When I said they had something to prove before I moved them off the bottom... I didn't think they'd actually do it! 1-0 victories over Man United and Everton have the current play-off champions sitting pretty in 7th place in the table. I sincerely hope they can keep this form up and avoid doing a Hull.
9. Sunderland (last week:16)- A loss to Chelsea was forseeable, as most likely was a victory against Blackburn. That doesn't change the fact that Steve Bruce is building a decent team of Spurs rejects up at the Stadium of Light, which just may push for Europe (no matter how much it pains me) if things keep going their way.
10. Fulham (Last week:7)- Losing to Chelsea is not anything new for Craven Cottage's heroes. They still have one of the hardest fighting teams in the league, something that will always keep them in the mix for a top table finish (unless things really go south).
11. Stoke City (Last week: 10)- A loss to Liverpool and a draw at scrappy Birmingham says that Stoke isn't going very far in the rankings. They aren't going to surprise us with any kind of miracles this season (although they did just sign Tuncay), just your standard Stoke City football- and they'll stay up doing it.
12. Aston Villa (last week:9)- Villa may be this year what Tottenham are every year: highly talented, but wildly inconsistent. Victory over the red side of Mersyside was an incredible high for the Villans, however they went ahead and got knocked out of Europe by an Austrian team. I don't care if they won the Austrian Bundesliga or not (and no I will not look that up), they are from AUSTRIA. Pull yourselves together, Villa!
13. Everton (last week: 8)- Losing to Burnley keeps the Toffees rooted to the bottom of the table. They're going to have to hope that Distin and that Russian dude can make some magic happen, and they really need Arteta back to create something in the final third.
14. Wigan (Last week:11)- Well, they actually looked a lot more impressive against United than the scoreline of 5-0 gives them credit for. But losing 1-0 at home to a promoted side (albeit a decent one...) sees the Latics slide a bit this week.
15. Wolves (Last week: 13)- They beat Wigan without Kevin Doyle... imagine what they'll be capable of when he makes his debut!
16. Hull City (Last week:19)- Well, they won a game. Jozy Altidore sets up the winner, the momentum gathers, Hull stays up against the odds and the good times roll!
17. Birmingham (last week: 15)- Beating Portsmouth is honestly nothing to be proud of (at 1-0 nonetheless). They'll be in for the dogfight.
18. Bolton (Last week:17)- I'm losing faith in Bolton. They've been steadily slipping ever since I started following football. This could be the year they finally bite it.
19. Blackburn (Last week: 14)- Same exact story as Bolton.
20. Portsmouth (Last week:18)- 0 points from three games, and it gets worse: they just sold Silvain Distin. So long, Pompey!