The race for the Premier League Top 4 this season is extremely intense.

27/09/2025 07:47:00 PANDATV

While Liverpool has solidified the top position after 5 rounds with a flawless winning record, the competition for the Top 4 this season is expected to be extremely fierce, as the gap between Arsenal in second place and Manchester United in 11th is just the margin of one victory.

Although it is too early to make any conclusions with the season just entering its second month, it is easy to imagine how unpredictable the Top 4 race will be this year. It involves regular contenders like Arsenal, Man City, and Chelsea, the comeback of Tottenham, MU’s resilient spirit, and Newcastle’s capabilities despite their slow start.

The teams participating in this season’s Champions League — Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Newcastle — are undoubtedly the strongest candidates for this race, even though each team has faced different beginnings and challenges. Arsenal and Tottenham have started well, both securing 10 points after 5 matches. Arsenal’s momentum comes from having one of the Premier League’s deepest squads, while Tottenham has been revitalized under new coach Thomas Frank, who has brought better balance to their style of play compared to his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.

Behind these two North London teams, Chelsea and Man City have clearly felt the impact of the FIFA Club World Cup on their early season form. Chelsea was expected to step up as title contenders after winning the FIFA Club World Cup, but consecutive dropped points against Brentford and MU, along with a growing injury list, have led Maresca’s team to be seen as not yet mature enough to challenge Liverpool for the title.

The Top 4 race promises to be intense and exciting throughout the entire season.

Man City’s situation is a story of Pep Guardiola having to compromise on his familiar philosophy to help the team gradually recover. A positive sign is that the Manchester side remains unbeaten in their last 4 matches across all competitions. However, more time is needed to confirm whether Guardiola’s change in approach will help Man City return to the Premier League title race or if securing a Top 4 spot is the most achievable goal.

It would be a significant omission not to mention Newcastle, who among the six Champions League teams, have had the worst start to the season, sitting 13th with only 6 points from 5 games. One of the reasons for Newcastle’s slow start is their poor goal-scoring, with just 3 goals scored so far. The responsibility to improve their scoring lies with new signing Woltemade, the £69 million recruit from Stuttgart who scored on his debut against Wolves.

Another name with prospects to join the Top 4 race is MU. Is it unreasonable to talk about Ruben Amorim’s team for a Champions League spot, even though their performances so far have not shown a transformation from last season? Amorim’s squad has one advantage over the five teams mentioned above: they are not competing in European cups this season. This lighter schedule gives MU a physical advantage and more time for Amorim to build team chemistry. Last weekend’s victory over Chelsea was a major boost for the morale and confidence of the Red Devils, but MU must prove this is not just a short-lived effect.

The Premier League is still in its early phase, and the Top 4 race will shift within just a few rounds. Even Liverpool, currently leading, should not be complacent because a few dropped points could easily pull Slot’s team into this fierce competition.

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