The champs should need to be dethroned, except maybe when the season sample size is just one game deep?
A few grains of salt -- or 300 -- are always recommended when dealing with power rankings, and our Premier League club power rankings are intended to be a show of how the clubs look in both form and forecast at a moment in time.
[ MORE: Ramos takes shots at Klopp ]
Manchester City beat new-look Arsenal 2-0 despite being quite shorthanded at the Emirates Stadium, and is coming off the most impressive PL season in recent memory.
But is that enough to hold off mighty Liverpool, who has invested the resources for a true title fight and looked dynamite all preseason before pummeling West Ham United at Anfield?
Read on...
20. Cardiff City -- Could be a long season in Wales
19. Brighton and Hove Albion -- Biggest disappointment of the weekend
18. Huddersfield Town -- No shame in losing to Chelsea
17. West Ham United -- Defense should buy Pellegrini his breakfast this week
16. Southampton -- Couldn’t beat a thin, tired Clarets at home
15. Burnley -- Joe Hart looking like a man back in form
14. Fulham -- Performed better than its 2-0 loss indicates. Seri is the truth.
13. Newcastle -- Deserved a point vs. Spurs; Need Rondon, Muto fully fit
12. Bournemouth -- Did what was expected against new boys Cardiff
11. Leicester City -- Demarai Gray was fine, but more needed from playmakers
10. Wolves -- Promising, but 2-2 against 10 shows there will be growing pains
9. Arsenal -- When Mesut Ozil isn’t going, this team goes nowhere
8. Everton -- 2-2 feels like a false start thanks to Jagielka red, but a good battle
7. Watford -- Totally shut down a Brighton side with high expectations
6. Crystal Palace -- Wilfried Zaha is a nasty talent.
5. Tottenham Hotspur -- Rusty but industrious at Newcastle.
4. Manchester United -- Fortunate Vardy was rusty, but same true for LCFC-Lukaku
3. Chelsea -- If Maurizio Sarri gets Morata humming, can contend with anyone
2. Liverpool -- Keita very much looked the missing piece in cueing up Mane, Firmino, Salah
1. Man City -- Solid away win without KDB, Sane, Kompany, David Silva in Starting XI; Keeping Aubameyang off the scoreboard keeps City just ahead of the Reds.