English Premier League Power Poll: Week 10

The old kings are dead. Long live the new kings.

Manchester United took over at the top of last week's B/R English Premier League Power Poll, and the Red Devils made a strong claim to hold onto that spot by beating Arsenal soundly at the weekend.

But what about the other end of the table? Which team reigns there?

Read on for this week's edition of the rankings.

Methodology

For these rankings, the voters cast their ballots based on the "power rankings" style.

That means voters ranked each club based on which teams they thought were the best, keeping in mind recent results and the league table.

Eight B/R personalities voted in this week's poll, and all the votes were counted on a points system. A first-place vote counted as 20 points, a second-place vote as 19 and so on.

 

Explanation of terms

Points: The total number of points the team received via our voters' rankings. A first-place vote counted as 20 points, a second-place vote as 19 and so on.

Last-place votes: The number of last-place votes the team received from our voters.

First-place votes: The number of first-place votes the team received from our voters.

Last time: The team's ranking in the previous poll. Click here for the previous rankings.

Table: The team's position in the English Premier League table, along with current points total. Click here for the full table.

Results: The team's results since our last rankings.

Fixtures: The team's upcoming matches.

Complete Rankings

Here are this week's full rankings. Click through the slides for more information on every team.

1. Manchester United

2. Chelsea

3. Manchester City

4. Everton

5. Tottenham Hotspur

6. West Bromwich Albion

7. Arsenal

8. Fulham

9. Newcastle United

10. West Ham United

11. Liverpool

12. Wigan Athletic

13. Swansea City

14. Norwich City

15. Aston Villa

16. Sunderland

17. Stoke City

18. Reading

19. Queens Park Rangers

20. Southampton

Meet the Voters

Aliko Carter: B/R front-page editor. @AlikoCarter

John Greely: B/R world football assistant editor. @johnwgreely

Adam Hirshfield: B/R deputy editor. @ahirshfield

Dan Levy: B/R national lead writer. @DanLevyThinks

Brad Read: B/R world football newsletter. @ReadBrad

Sean Swaby: B/R featured columnist coordinator. @seanswaby

Will Tidey: B/R world football lead writer and editor. @willtidey

Michael Cummings: B/R world football lead writer and poll organizer. @MikeCummings37

20. Southampton

Points: 8

Last-place votes: 8

Last time: 19

Table: 20th, 4 points

Results: Lost 2-0 at West Brom

Fixtures: Home to Swansea, Saturday

How did they get the four points?

Southampton were a unanimous choice for the bottom spot in our rankings, and it’s easy to see why. The Saints lost for the third straight time and have now tasted defeat eight times in 10 matches this season.

John: Remember when Southampton was off to a promising start this season? That certainly didn't last. Three losses in a row puts the Saints at the bottom.

Sean: Defenseless Saints are much like the NFL's New Orleans Saints...now, if they could only actually score like their American counterparts.

19. Queens Park Rangers

Points: 16

Last time: 20

Table: 19th, 4 points

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Reading

Fixtures: At Stoke, Saturday

QPR are still winless on the season after drawing with Reading, the league’s only other winless club.

How much longer will manager Mark Hughes remain in charge?

Dan: When Reading faced QPR, we had to expect a draw. There's no way the two winless clubs could end any other way.

18. Reading

Points: 28

Last time: 18

Table: 18th, 5 points

Results: Drew 1-1 at QPR

Fixtures: Home to Norwich, Saturday

Reading are still winless on the season after drawing with QPR, the league’s only other winless club.

The season is still young, but both are clearly in all kinds of trouble.

John: Reading may be near the bottom of the table, but take note of recent results. This squad has five points on five draws, four of which have come in their last five matches. That's a serious upward trend line.

17. Stoke City

Points: 34

Last time: 14

Table: 15th, 9 points

Results: Lost 1-0 at Norwich

Fixtures: Home to QPR, Saturday

Stoke dropped three places in our poll, which tied for the largest fall of the week. The Potters have collected two points from the last 12 available.

Naturally, Tony Pulis has called for new rules about diving.

16. Sunderland

Points: 41

Last time: 13

Table: 16th, 9 points

Results: Lost 1-0 home to Aston Villa

Fixtures: At Everton, Saturday

Like Stoke, Sunderland fell three places after suffering a loss. And like Stoke, Sunderland have taken two points from the last 12 available.

John: The good: Sunderland are near the top of the table in goals allowed, conceding only nine times thus far. The bad: they've scored only six, and just once in their last four matches.

15. Aston Villa

Points: 44

Last time: 17

Table: 17th, 9 points

Results: Won 1-0 at Sunderland

Fixtures: Home to Manchester United, Saturday

Aston Villa overtook Sunderland and Stoke after winning 1-0 at the former this past weekend.

But the good feelings might not last long: A date with free-scoring Manchester United is next.

14. Norwich City

Points: 60

Last time: 16

Table: 14th, 10 points

Results: Won 1-0 home to Stoke

Fixtures: At Reading, Saturday

The Canaries have won two of their last three matches, during which time they have claimed seven points—more than Chelsea, Everton, Tottenham and, of course, Arsenal.

Dan: This may be the early surprise of the season, as Norwich has earned at least a point in six of 10 matches despite a minus-10 goal differential. Most importantly, they are four places clear of the relegation zone.

13. Swansea City

Points: 71

Last time: 12

Table: 11th, 12 points

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Chelsea

Fixtures: At Southampton, Saturday

After an early charge and a swift fall, Swansea seem to be settling nicely into the middle of the table.

Last weekend’s home draw with Chelsea could be one of the Swans’ most satisfying results this season.

Sean: Swans' holding of Chelsea showed flashes of their early-season form that had them flirting with the top four.

John: Swansea's last two matches have been a narrow defeat at Man City and a home draw vs. Chelsea. That's two fine results and should give Swans some confidence moving forward.

12. Wigan Athletic

Points: 75

Last time: 15

Table: 13th, 11 points

Results: Won 1-0 at Spurs

Fixtures: Home to West Brom, Saturday

Wigan are the week’s biggest upward movers after gaining three spots in our poll.

The Latics have beaten top-half teams in back-to-back weeks in West Ham (ninth) and Spurs (sixth). Up next: high-flying West Brom (fifth).

Sean: Shock win over Tottenham boosts Wigan well, well out of relegation fodder.

11. Liverpool

Points: 82

Last time: 11

Table: 12th, 11 points

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Newcastle

Fixtures: At Chelsea, Sunday

Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five matches, but three of those results have been draws. Luis Suarez produced a world-class solo goal, but the Reds could only draw against 10-man Newcastle.

All the draws are reflected in Liverpool’s place in our poll, which seems to have stalled at 11th.

Sean: OK, so that's why that Suarez fella is worth all the headaches.

Dan: Luis Suarez is the most polarizing player on the planet. Actually, that's not true. There aren't many outside of Liverpool or Uruguay who can stand him. Still, a great talent.

John: It's been five Premier League matches without a loss for Liverpool, but a home draw vs. Newcastle is hardly the result they were looking for. If Suarez had someone competent to pass to (sorry, Jonjo Shelvey), I actually think this squad could be near top of the table. Instead, they're stuck waiting for moments of brilliance.

10. West Ham United

Points: 84

Last time: 10

Table: 9th, 15 points

Results: Drew 0-0 home to Man City

Fixtures: At Newcastle, Sunday

West Ham might be the closest thing the Premier League has to an “average” team. The Hammers have won four games, drawn three and lost three while scoring 13 goals and conceding 11.

That translates to ninth in the table, or almost exactly in the middle.

9. Newcastle United

Points: 98

Last time: 9

Table: 10th, 14 points

Results: Drew 1-1 at Liverpool

Fixtures: Home to West Ham, Sunday

Demba Ba ranks second in the league with seven goals. That equates to 53 percent of Newcastle’s offensive output (12).

8. Fulham

Points: 100

Last time: 7

Table: 8th, 15 points

Results: Drew 2-2 home to Everton

Fixtures: At Arsenal, Saturday

Fulham are unbeaten in their last four matches, but three of those contests ended in draws.

7. Arsenal

Points: 109

Last time: 6

Table: 7th, 15 points

Results: Lost 2-1 at Manchester United

Fixtures: Home to Fulham, Saturday

Arsenal lost 2-1 at Manchester United, but it might as well have been the same 8-2 scoreline from last year’s fixture. The Gunners were thoroughly outplayed, and they look miles away from competing for the title anytime soon.

And while Jack Wilshere is back, he'll miss a match now after being sent off against United for his second yellow card.

John: Don't be fooled by the score; Arsenal got wrecked by Man United this weekend. This team has three losses in five matches now, including one to Norwich. Yikes.

Sean: At least Arsenal's defense got an RvP shirt in return for a putrid showing at Old Trafford. 

6. West Bromwich Albion

Points: 118

Last time: 8

Table: 5th, 17 points

Results: Won 2-0 home to Southampton

Fixtures: At Wigan, Saturday

West Brom snapped a two-match losing streak and climbed to the heady heights of fifth place by beating bottom-dwelling Southampton on Monday.

Anybody want to argue they don’t deserve it? As of this moment, Steve Clarke is a shoo-in for Manager of the Year.

Sean: Whatever they're doing, it's working. 

5. Tottenham Hotspur

Points: 120

Last time: 4

Table: 6th, 17 points

Results: Lost 1-0 home to Wigan

Fixtures: At Manchester City, Sunday

Spurs have lost two of their last three matches after a four-match winning streak. Up next is a tough trip to champions Manchester City.

John: With four wins in five matches (and the only slip-up being a home loss to Chelsea), Tottenham seemed a lock against Wigan. Yeah, about that...

4. Everton

Points: 136

Last time: 5

Table: 4th, 17 points

Results: Drew 2-2 at Fulham

Fixtures: Home to Sunderland, Saturday

Everton have drawn four matches in a row, including three by the score of 2-2.

Next is a home match against Sunderland, who lead the league (along with Stoke) with six draws.

John: Four draws in a row? Hardly top-four material on the surface, but nobody is really challenging Everton at the moment. Three of those four draws were on the road, and the other was the Merseyside derby. It's also now been seven matches unbeaten for the Toffees.

3. Manchester City

Points: 144

Last time: 3

Table: 3rd, 22 points

Results: Drew 0-0 at West Ham

Fixtures: Home to Spurs, Sunday

City remain the league’s only unbeaten team, but Roberto Mancini’s men were held scoreless for the first time in last weekend’s draw at West Ham.

John: City may be on the cusp of crashing out of Europe, but at least they're still unbeaten domestically. Somehow.

Dan: Still the only club in the EPL without a loss. Coming off the league title, of course their manager is on the hot seat already.

2. Chelsea

Points: 152

Last time: 2

Table: 2nd, 23 points

Results: Drew 1-1 at Swansea

Fixtures: Home to Liverpool, Sunday

After that great start, Chelsea have slipped to second in the table and second in our rankings.

Clearly, though, this title race has plenty of distance left.

John: Chelsea loses its spot atop the table after drawing Swansea, but it's hardly time to panic at the Bridge. Wins over Arsenal and Tottenham weren't that long ago, and the Man United match was contentious enough to write off as bad luck.

1. Manchester United

Points: 160

First-place votes: 8

Weeks at No. 1: 2

Last time: 1

Table: 1st, 24 points

Results: Won 2-1 home to Arsenal

Fixtures: At Aston Villa, Saturday

Robin van Persie leads the Premier League with eight goals, or nearly one-third of United’s league-leading total of 26.

Meanwhile, the Red Devils have allowed 14 goals, which is tied for the league’s ninth-lowest total.

No matter. As long as United keep outscoring their opponents, they’ll stay atop our rankings. The reign is two weeks now.

Dan: United has two more losses than City and has conceded four more goals in 10 games than Chelsea, yet there they are, atop the standings once again. They may score 100 league goals, give up 80 and still win the title.

John: Embarrass Arsenal? Check. Top of the table? Check. I'd say we have a clear winner this week.

Sean: That little boy inside of Robin van Persie sure showed Arsene Wenger what's up. 

Follow @MikeCummings37