With good reason, the English Premier League is regarded by many as the best league in the world. Stadiums are packed full of passionate supporters up and down the country, week in week out.
The 2023/24 Premier League season started two months ago and we’ve already witnessed enough scintillating football and stoppage time drama to last a lifetime. Tottenham Hotspur were the surprise league leaders at the October international break, having made a superb start under new manager Ange Postecoglou.
In this blog, we’ve taken a look at this season’s overachievers and underachievers. There’s still a long way to go, but things are definitely not looking promising for Chelsea and Manchester United.
Fans looking to buy tickets to any upcoming fixture can do so with ease on our Premier League page.
Overachievers
We’ve picked out five teams performing well above what was expected of them.
1. Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs fans are actually enjoying watching their team play after the disappointing spells under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. It’s easy to forget that Tottenham finished 8th last season. Australian manager Ange Postecoglou arrived from Celtic in June and appears to have transformed the club’s fortunes with his positivity.
They remain unbeaten after eight Premier League matches, having secured three points against both Manchester United and Liverpool. Postecoglou has no interest in defensive football, and Tottenham have been a joy to watch, despite the £100m sale of Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
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2. Brighton
Everyone in football is singing the praises of Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian coach succeeded Graham Potter in September 2022 and led the Seagulls to a 6th place finish, securing European football at Brighton for the first time in their history.
Brighton started the 2023/24 season in the same vein. They continue to play a beautiful brand of football, and Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma has been unplayable. They beat Newcastle United and Manchester United, before securing a 2-2 draw against high-flying Liverpool ahead of the October international break.
3. Aston Villa
Aston Villa began the season with a humiliating 5-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United. They have since bounced back commendably and currently find themselves 5th in the table, just four points behind the league leaders.
Unai Emery’s side won away at Stamford Bridge and Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick in a superb 6-1 victory against Brighton. They will look to keep up the momentum after the international break when they face Luton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Fulham. Buy Aston Villa tickets on SeatPick with just a few clicks.
4. Liverpool
Liverpool’s 2022/23 season was a huge disappointment, but Jurgen Klopp appears to have rediscovered a winning recipe at Anfield. The Reds were incredibly unfortunate to lose 2-1 away at Tottenham earlier in October, ending their unbeaten start to the season.
Despite that defeat, Liverpool look like potential title challengers once again. Mohamed Salah is a constant threat to Premier League backlines and the arrival of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai have injected much-needed life into the Liverpool midfield.
5. Arsenal
Arsenal stunned Premier League fans last season with their remarkable title challenge. The young and energetic team ultimately fell short against Manchester City, but their unbeaten start to the 2023/24 season suggests they’re no one-season wonder. We’ve got a huge inventory of Arsenal tickets on our site.
The Gunners started the campaign with victory over Manchester City in the Community Shield. They’ve proved a formidable opponent in every Premier League fixture and are level on points with Spurs, trailing only on goals scored. Their impressive league victories over Manchester United and Manchester City indicate Mikel Arteta’s side are indeed the real deal.
Underachievers
These teams need to buck their ideas up, if they hope to achieve their pre-season goals.
1. Chelsea
Where to start with Chelsea? New owner Todd Boehly will surely soon learn that throwing money at your problems won’t necessarily fix them. Chelsea’s current squad cost around £1 billion to assemble. Last season they finished 12th in the Premier League, racking up only 44 points.
In the 2023/24 season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have already been beaten at home by Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. Many questions are being asked, but no one seems to have any answers. Chelsea did secure back-to-back Premier League wins before the international break to lift them up to mid-table.
2. Manchester United
Chelsea may be a disaster of epic proportions, but things aren’t looking much better at Old Trafford. Manchester United have lost four of their opening eight Premier League games under Erik ten Hag. They’ve also lost their opening two Champions League outings against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
Star forward Marcus Rashford has been underperforming, while Jadon Sancho has been frozen out of the first-team after falling out with the manager. The Glazers remain as owners. The fans are unhappy. The football is sub-par. Manchester United is a club in crisis. Their next Premier League home game is against Manchester City and fans can secure tickets to the derby on SeatPick.
3. Manchester City
Manchester United’s arch-rivals have dominated the Premier League in recent years. Manchester City won a historic treble last season and remain clear favourites to win yet another league title.
Pep Guardiola’s side started the season in commanding style, winning all six of their Premier League fixtures. However, things began collapsing in the absence of Rodri. The Spanish midfielder picked up a three-game suspension and Manchester City subsequently lost all three matches.
City were beaten by Wolves and Arsenal in the league, and knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Newcastle United. Bidding to return to winning ways, they’ll face Brighton and Manchester United in their next two Premier League fixtures. You can grab Man City tickets at affordable prices on SeatPick.
4. Newcastle United
Have we been a little harsh placing Newcastle United in the underachievers group? They have been performing well in cup competitions but the Magpies finished 4th in the Premier League last season, and today they sit 8th.
Newcastle lost three consecutive Premier League games at the beginning of the season, but Eddie Howe appears to have steadied the ship. They won 8-0 away at Sheffield United last month and Newcastle now find themselves in position to mount a challenge for one of the coveted top four spots.
