Power Rankings, September 20

Ok guys, another week is in the bag, and another set of Power Rankings on the way. A thriller in Manchester left City unable to break into the top 2, but they have now firmly solidified themselves as not only Top 4 contenders, but title contenders. Tottenham seems to have fallen back to Earth, and sad to say, it looks like anything better than 6th will be a tall order for Spurs, especially considering the resurgent Villans. Without any further ado, here are the rankings.

1. Chelsea Last Week: 1
And the vice grip on first remains! Chelsea is looking rather tough to top this year, and after dismantling Spurs, they are showing that most teams just aren't in their class. Two huge questions for Chelsea now though. How long is Drogba out? And who will score?

2. Manchester United Last Week: 2
Man United is looking rather frisky already this year. An absolutely thrilling derby win that might just put Michael Owen into...the heart of United fans? Who would ever have thought I would type that one day? Weird times. Well, the Mancs are blowing up, and I think I speak for the soccer-watching community in saying I'm waiting for their match with Chelsea with baited breath.

3. Manchester City Last Week: 3
Well, they really could have jumped to 1 with a big-time win, but, not everything can work out so splendidly for the Middle Eastlands. They're much better than anyone really predicted, and Sparky deserves boatloads of credit, especially considering how much shit was talked about him (myself included) and they were quite unlucky to lose that match to United. A great derby, it showed their on equal footing with United. Watch out, they could win this thing.

4. Arsenal Last Week: 5
Well, two tough losses to teams above them in the rankings shouldn't throw them down the list. Another comprehensive blowout of a lesser team shows that while Arsenal still has some figuring out to do when it comes to beating other top sides (this will be most worrying in the Champions League), nobody destroys lesser teams better right now. Comprehensive blowout of Wigan, and I'll be interested to see how they do at the Cottage this weekend.

5. Tottenham Hotspur Last Week: 4
Well, they just pulled an Arsenal. They lost twice in a row to better teams and are getting written off. I don't think they're contenders, and really, it'll be a miracle if they make the Top 4, but they're a strong side who is really punching above their weight right now. Let's hope they can keep it going, but as the season wears on, how will the Lilywhites hold up?

6. Aston Villa Last Week: 7
Look, they beat Portsmouth. Big deal, I know. But really, they haven't lost a Premier League match since their opening loss to Wigan. So, why exactly is everyone down on them? They beat Liverpool and have won everything that they should have. If they can grab another 3 points this weekend at Ewood Park, they'll have a lot at stake when City comes to visit, and if they can get points out of that match, maybe, JUST maybe, they can contend for the Top 4 again.

7. Liverpool Last Week: 6
Title contenders, eh? It's been a rough start to the season for Liverpool. Outside of comprehensive victories against Stoke City and Burnley, they've lost to Tottenham and Villa, and have needed thrilling last-minute finishes to beat West Ham and Bolton, not to mention they had a not-so-convincing Champions League win over some team from Hungary. If anyone is looking vulnerable in the Big Four, it's clearly the Reds, and unless Aquilani channels Zidane when he gets back, things aren't looking up anytime soon. Liverpool is looking like Tottenham of the Berbatov-Keane days. They have some world-class players, but too many average players and a lack of chemistry will prevent them from making the Champions League. Let's hope for my sanity that they turn things around.

8. Burnley Last Week: 13
OK, this part of the table is really hard. Why? Because normally, the way I go about these rankings is I check my table from last week, and see what changed. Normally this doesn't involve every team from 8-12 losing (or drawing with Bolton, which is basically a loss) so I had to go with Burnley, who beat Sunderland despite being significantly outplayed. If Sunderland had held on to win, they'd be 8th, but alas, no one remembers that game they outplayed and lost, and in the end, the points belong to Burnley. And how about David Nugent? Who knew he still had it in him? I think it would be great if he got back to scoring goals, the man has been through hell and back with supporters and it would be sweet vindication for him to hit 15 this season.

9. Sunderland Last Week: 9
One of the more unlucky 3-1 losses you'll see this year, so really, it would be harsh to drop them anywhere, especially considering they put in a great game at Turf Moor, which is quickly turning into Britannia Redux. Sunderland has a real quality side, and I think they can do some damage, but given the strength above them, there is just no way they'll make a European competition without winning a Cup.

10. Stoke City Last Week: 10
Look, I know Stoke is not a great traveling side, but really, only a point against Bolton? Poor form. To be fair, no one was expecting miracles, and they were rather unlucky to give away a penalty in the 89th, but those points are lost nonetheless. Stoke is a more consistent Burnley, in that they won't have wild fluctuations like the Clarets but they won't be beating top teams at home too often either. Well, they can prove that wrong this weekend if they can put a dent in United's title ambitions with an upset.

11. Fulham Last Week: 8
Another awful traveling team, but really, Wolves? A lackluster performance, and frankly, I'm sick of seeing teams that can be world-beaters at home just slump to disappointing loss after disappointing loss on the road. Fulham doesn't look like they'll be able to get back into Europe this season with the emergence of City and Spurs crowding them out, so they should really live it up while they're in it, because they won't be going back.

12. Everton Last Week: 14
They're crawling up the standings, and if they can get a nice little run going, they'll maybe make it back to the top half! They already have three losses on the campaign, so they'll need quite a run to really make any sort of attempt to get into Europe. However, unlike the teams I just said weren't good enough, Everton is good enough, and at this point have only one less loss than Tottenham. But no more joking around, results like today's need to become commonplace, and Everton needs to get back to business.

13. Wigan Athletic Last Week: 11
I know, I know. Birmingham and Wolves have one more point! Not really relevant, as Wigan is a better team than either. They just happened to play Arsenal at home this week, and got pummeled for it. Wigan now has Chelsea to contend with. So, they'll probably drop further in rankings next week, but I expect them to bounce back in the long run. It is always hard to get blown out though, and considering it'll happen this weekend too, I'm curious to see how Martinez can rally the troops.

14. Wolverhampton Wanderers Last Week: 17
A quality win over a disappointing Fulham, you still can't take away the fact that Wolves won just as much as Fulham lost. This year is going to be interesting in the Premier League, as you have tons of team who either seem roughly equal at either the top, the middle and the bottom, and considering we are about 6 or 7 deep in each area, that will make this year's relegation fight quite interesting. The points this weekend were huge, and any result at the Stadium of Light will be just another boost in the arm.

15. Birmingham City Last Week: 16
I mean, it's Hull but still a good win. As I've said before, Birmingham is frightfully boring, and I don't really enjoy writing about them. I don't know anything about them, and don't care to. Another 1-0 game, oh joy! And guess how they scored, wait I'll ruin it, header. YAWN.

16. West Ham United Last Week: 12
Seems like quite a big drop for a team that barely lost to Liverpool, but the situation warranted it. After all Bolton just did it too, how hard can it be? I know the excuses though, it wasn't a game they had to win, blah blah blah. But here's a scary thought: they don't have an easy game until Hull. When is that game you ask? That's 7 games away. They have 6 games they could legitimately lose and could be staring at 4 points after 11 matches. They have following matches upcoming (home games in CAPS): Manchester City, FULHAM, Stoke City, ARSENAL, Sunderland, EVERTON. So, their easiest game there is what? A trip to Britannia or Stadium of Light? Or a home match against Fulham or Everton. Needless to say, sometimes you need to win hard games.

17. Blackburn Rovers Last Week: 15
Really, only above Bolton because they seem feistier, and Bolton just seems to be a touch unlucky. Thoroughly dismantled by the corpse of Everton, which may actually be returning to life. A tough round of matches upcoming for Rovers as well, and they'll really have to capitalize on any chance they get. If that means Blackburn needs to park the bus everywhere they go, I'm sure Allardyce won't mind.

18. Bolton Wanderers Last Week: 18
A lucky draw with Stoke, and a tough loss to Liverpool might mean that this team has more potential than we give it credit for. But, like West Ham, sometimes you have to show that. Like the last few teams, they have a tough schedule after this weekend's match with Birmingham, but to be fair, most teams at this point in the rankings would consider any game hard.

19. Hull City Last Week: 19
And now the two delinquents at the bottom. Hull sucks, simply put. And Phil Brown is an assclown. Jozy Altidore is unfortunately having some issues adjusting to the Premier League, but to be fair, his teammates suck and his coach, and his formations, substitutions and motivational techniques, suck. You know what this all adds up to? It's going to suck to be a Hull City fan.

20. Portsmouth Last Week: 20
The last team to lose 6 games out of the gate in the top flight of English football? 26 years ago in Leicester City. Amazingly they stayed up that year (but not for long). I don't see too much to get hopeful about on the South Coast, and they might challenge Derby County for the worst Premier League season ever. Congratulations Portsmouth, for sucking at unprecedented levels!