It hasn’t taken long for the Premier League’s usual contenders to rise to the summit. Manchester City and Liverpool are the only teams with 100 per cent records going into the first international break and Arsenal are only two points back after a decidedly more difficult set of fixtures to kick off their 2024/25 campaign. Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United are level with Arsenal on seven points, hinting at the possibility of an outsider joining the race this season, but even at this early juncture, it looks likely that another three-horse race will emerge.
Last season it wasn’t until mid-April that a three-way tussle became two, when Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool ran out of energy. It might be very early into the 2024/25 season, but the signs are positive that both Liverpool and Arsenal can at least take it that far again.
Slot's smooth transition makes Liverpool contenders Three wins and three clean sheets is the perfect start for Liverpool. The basis of Arne Slot’s success so far has been instigating a calmer and more considered possession game, with Liverpool willing to kill momentum and recycle the ball backwards when necessary. This allows them to stay in more regimented positions from within their new 4-2-3-1 formation.
What’s particularly interesting about Slot’s start is that elements of Klopp’s football remain. Trent Alexander-Arnold continues to roam across several positions at once and play sweeping diagonals, while Virgil van Dijk’s long-balls to Mohamed Salah have continued and they also transition with speed, leading to Luis Diaz's goal against Brentford.
Whether this is simply a hangover that reflects Liverpool mid-transition, or whether Slot has deliberately played a hybrid of the two systems, it has so far worked a treat – as the underlying numbers show.
On the style shift, a small but subtle movement towards shorter passes and away from progressive passes and carries reveals that Slot is changing the tactics without entirely dismissing his predecessor’s ideas.
One player responsible for this shift more than any other is Slot’s Dutch compatriot Ryan Gravenberch, who has come to the fore as a calmly-controlling No 6 and symbol of the new regime.
Gravenberch, more than anyone else, is responsible for the cool efficiency with which Liverpool have won their first three matches to nil, a feat that only two managers in Premier League history have ever achieved in their debut season.
Haaland, Lewis, and Gundogan can rejuvenate Man City On the one hand, it’s same old Man City: three wins from three, all at a canter, and football played in the Pep Guardiola way.
There are several Man City players whose roles or influence have changed over the summer, the most obvious being Erling Haaland, whose consecutive hat-tricks took him to SEVEN goals across the opening three matches.
Rico Lewis has been a big hit so far, starting all three Premier League matches and demoting Kyle Walker to the bench. Lewis’s brilliant close control in tight spaces has allowed Guardiola to use an inverted full-back again.
Ilkay Gundogan could be a game-changer. He is three things at once: the perfect replacement for Julian Alvarez, the box-crashing and goalscoring No 8 Man City have missed, and a safe pair of hands to defend alongside Rodri in tougher fixtures.
Arsenal, too, are stronger than last season, and despite dropping points last weekend, have what it takes to make up the two points that separated them from Man City in 2023/24.
Timmer hasn’t put a foot wrong so far. What’s more, he has looked comfortable stepping into midfield to make Arsenal even more secure against opposition counter-attacks.
There is reason for optimism, not just because of Timber’s influence, but the potential impact of Raheem Sterling, too.
Brighton, one of five clubs hoping to break through, are stronger this season. Seven points from matches against Manchester United, Arsenal, and Everton is a hugely impressive start from Fabian Hurzeler.
All five clubs look much stronger, and with considerably deeper benches than in 2023/24, which in turn could have an impact on the title race. Premier League games are getting harder and harder, even for the big three at the top.
There will be dozens of twists and turns ahead. But on the early evidence, it will be just as exciting – perhaps even more so – than the three-way battle we witnessed last spring.