Barclays Premier League Table: Judging Contenders vs. Pretenders Atop Standings

With each passing week, the parity that was the storyline to start the season begins to dissipate a bit more. The top contenders are throwing their weight around a bit more now, while some of the surprising squads atop the table have started showing cracks in the armor.

So which teams atop the standings are contenders, and which are pretenders? Which teams remain difficult to peg? 

Ask and ye shall receive—let's take a look at the Premier League table and break down the top five teams in the standings.

Table

Place	Club	G	W	D	L	GD	PTS
1	Arsenal	13	10	1	2	17	31
2	Chelsea	13	8	3	2	13	27
3	Manchester City	13	8	1	4	25	25
4	Liverpool	13	7	3	3	9	24
5	Everton	13	6	6	1	8	24
6	Newcastle United	13	7	2	4	1	23
7	Southampton	13	6	4	3	6	22
8	Manchester United	13	6	5	3	5	22
9	Tottenham Hotspur	13	6	3	4	-3	21
10	Hull City	13	5	2	6	-4	17
11	Aston Villa	13	4	4	5	-1	16
12	West Bromwich Albion	13	3	6	4	-1	15
13	Swansea City	13	4	3	6	-2	15
14	Norwich City	13	4	2	7	-12	14
15	West Ham United	13	3	4	6	-2	13
16	Stoke City	13	3	4	6	-6	13
17	Cardiff City	13	3	4	6	-9	13
18	Fulham	13	3	1	9	-13	10
19	Sunderland	13	2	2	9	-16	8
20	Crystal Palace	13	2	1	10	-15	7

Contender: Arsenal

The Gunners just keep on winning, led by summer signing Mesut Ozil, the inspired play of midfielder Aaron Ramsey and the strong open to the season for striker Olivier Giroud.

Despite being crushed by injuries this season, Arsenal have dropped just eight of a possible 39 points. And remember, they still have Lukas Podolski and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out injured. When that pair returns, the team's attacking options out wide will double and Jack Wilshere can return to his favored role playing centrally.

With a lot of changes at the top clubs this season and parity at the top of the table because of it, Arsenal have benefited in large part, because this team has had time to grow together. With a winter addition or two, there is no reason to think this squad can't win a Premier League title.

Contender: Chelsea 

Of all the top teams that changed managers this year, Chelsea have looked the strongest thus far. Perhaps that is due to the team's depth. Perhaps having players like Frank Lampard and John Terry who had been managed by Jose Mourinho in the past helped.

Or maybe it's just because players like Juan Mata, Oscar and Eden Hazard are talented enough to be utilized in any system.

Whatever the case may be, Chelsea remains on the shortlist of Premier League contenders. This team is legit, as we all expected it would be.

Contender: Manchester City

The Citizens can be maddeningly inconsistent, and their horrible away form remains difficult to comprehend, but on paper, this is probably the league's most talented team.

Most teams would be pretty pleased with a core of key performers led by Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure, but the Citizens also have Alvaro Negredo, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta, among others.

Manchester City are loaded, seem to have a regular system in place (as opposed to Roberto Mancini's constant tinkering last season) and basically can't be beaten at home. They are a sleeping giant, no doubt.

Pretender: Liverpool

Two things are concerning about Liverpool. In six matches against top-10 teams, Liverpool have taken just five of 18 available points. In their seven other matches, they've nabbed 19 of 21 points. This is not a team that has played very well against top competition.

The second is the defense. The Reds have now given up eight goals in their past four games, an unacceptable mark for any contender. 

Yes, the offense is scary, but now the team is without Daniel Sturridge until January. Add it up, and it isn't hard to see Liverpool sliding down the table and out of the title hunt.

Pending: Everton

This team has really come together. Everton haven't lost in six matches, taking 12 of a possible 18 points in that time, and have drawn Liverpool and Spurs and beaten Chelsea and Newcastle. They've lost just once on the year, to Manchester City, and have proven capable of being competitive against any team, anywhere.

Romelu Lukaku is one of the up-and-coming stars in European football, but the Toffees don't have any glaring weaknesses across the pitch. A title may still be a bit of a long shot, but given their recent form, it isn't out of the question, and a top-four finish certainly appears to be feasible.