Premier League Table 2013 Week 6: Teams in Immediate Need of Big Performances
With 15 points, Arsenal leads the Premier League field into the sixth week of play. Tottenham is alone in second with 13 points. There are also seven teams sitting between nine and 11 points.
Two of my three teams on this list fall in that tightly packed bunch—a group that is right in the thick of the action but also just a bad loss or two away from falling to the also-rans.
While it is still early in the season, it is important for teams to keep things going in a positive direction and not lose too much ground in the table. Here are three teams that must come out with strong efforts to ensure that is their path.
EPL Table (via ESPN)
| POS | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 |  | Sunderland | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -8 | 1 | |||
| 19 | | Crystal Palace | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | -6 | 3 | |||
| 18 | | Fulham | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 4 | |||
| 17 | | Norwich City | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -3 | 4 | |||
| 16 |  | West Ham United | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 5 | |||
| 15 | | Newcastle United | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 7 | |||
| 14 | | Stoke City | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 7 | |||
| 13 | | Swansea City | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | -1 | 7 | |||
| 12 | | Manchester United | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 7 | |||
| 11 |  | Cardiff City | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 8 | |||
| 10 | | West Bromwich Albion | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 8 | |||
| 9 | | Aston Villa | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 | |||
| 8 | | Everton | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 9 | |||
| 7 | | Hull City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 | -1 | 10 | |||
| 6 | | Liverpool | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 10 | |||
| 5 | | Manchester City | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 | |||
| 4 | | Southampton | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |||
| 3 | | Chelsea | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | |||
| 2 | | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 13 | |||
| 1 | | Arsenal | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 15 |
Manchester City
Manchester City certainly has the talent to contend for the EPL title. However the Citizens have to find some consistency.
This fact is not lost on head man Manuel Pellegrini. Jamie Jackson of The Guardian passed along this Pellegrini quote:
"Every team who wants to win something must demonstrate every week the intensity, the quality, the spirit we have here in this team. If you think you are going to win just with quality then you are making a great mistake. I hope the team will continue trying to win every game we play, but it's not easy.
"
While Pellegrini seems content in this area, I don't think he should be.
After destroying the Red Devils 4-1 in the Manchester derby on Sept. 22, City's next EPL performance was a 3-2 loss to Aston Villa. City now sits with the group of teams with 10 points.
That is the exact kind of away win that the Citizens need to put in a serious run at the title. This week, City will host Everton on Oct. 5, and that comes just three days after City takes on Bayern Munich in a Champions League tie.
If City is going to be a serious title contender, then it must come out and earn a sound victory over Everton.
Everton
That Manchester City-Everton match will be pivotal for both sides. Everton sits with nine points and has a match on Sunday against Newcastle United.
Everton needs to keep its momentum going to prove to itself and the rest of the league that it can contend all year.
Everton surged with a nice 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sept. 14 and followed that up by travelling to West Ham and earning a 3-2 win.
Playing at Etihad Stadium, Everton will have its work cut out for it in this one. However, even just a draw will be a sound a result for this squad.
Manchester United
The Red Devils haven't earned a point in an EPL match since their 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace. As a result, this proud group is stuck at seven points.
Since that triumph, Manchester United had the humbling in the Manchester derby and a 2-1 loss at home to West Bromwich.
With all the talent on this team, manager David Moyes needs to start turning in better results or his tenure at Old Trafford will be a short one.
United will travel to take on Sunderland on Oct. 5. If the Red Devils don't pull three points out of that one, it will be time to hit the panic button. Sunderland has picked up just one point all campaign.
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