The latest Premier League Power Rankings are out and ahead of the busy festive season -- which is fast approaching by the way -- we have some intense jostlers ladies and gentlemen.
[ MORE: Should van Gaal leave United? ]
With the middle of the PL looking more congested than Macy’s the week before Christmas, the power is being shared across the PL this season with so many unpredictable results.
That said, we also have a new leader at the top of the rankings which is also completely unpredictable.
Sink your teeth into this lot...
| TEAM | RANKING | Up/Down | |
|---|---|---|---|
1
| UP 2 | Leicester City: The Foxes are on top, and deservedly so. Following a 3-0 spanking of Swansea their fairytale shows no signs of stopping with Mahrez now the ringleader. Up next: Chelsea on Monday. | |
| 2 | UP 4 | Arsenal: Good week for the Gunners in PL and UCL, as they pulled off mission impossible at Oympiakos and made the most of others slipping up with a win over Sunderland. | |
| 3 | DOWN 2 | Liverpool: A head-scratching loss for Klopp’s boys away at Newcastle went against the form book. Reds still red-hot though and have WBA at home. | |
| 4 | DOWN 2 | Manchester City: Second defeat in three for City as they put in a really poor showing at Stoke. They face managerless Swansea but will be buoyed by UCL success in midweek. | |
| 5 | DOWN 1 | Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs looking as solid as ever but failed to beat WBA as goals are still an slight worry. Newcastle at home should be a banker for the team unbeaten in 14. | |
| 6 | UP 5 | Stoke City: Well, do you believe the hype after 3 wins in 4? The Potters turned on the style to beat Man City as Shaqiri, Bojan and Arnautovic made it look like South America in Staffordshire. West Ham away this week for the Potters. | |
| 7 | UP 6 | Watford: 4 wins in their last 6 has seen the Hornets surge up the table with Deeney and Ighalo bullying opposition defenses. They look so comfy at this level. Trip up to Sunderland this week. |
| 8 | - | Crystal Palace: Steady away point for the Eagles and they nearly grabbed a win at Everton. Alan Pardew has them so well organized. Saints at home this weekend. Let’s see if they can kick on. |
| 9 | DOWN 2 | Everton: Romelu Lukaku now has 50 goals in 100 games for the Toffees and if the woodwork wasn’t their best friend against Palace he’d have a few more. Martinez’s men looking decent, Norwich away next. | |
| 10 | DOWN 5 | Manchester United: A poor week for the Red Devils as they fired another blank at home in the PL and were then dumped out of the UCL at group stages. The #LouisvanGaalOut brigade is growing. | |
| 11 | DOWN 2 | Southampton: No win in three for Saints and Koeman’s side are lacking in confidence in front of goal. Can they beat a close rival in Palace away from home to get back on track? | |
| 12 | UP 7 | Bournemouth: What a win for the Cherries. Eddie Howe’s boys beat Chelsea away and now they have an out of sorts Man United at home this week. They can’t beat two big boys back-to-back... can they? | |
| 13 | DOWN 3 | Chelsea: Okay, so that awful defeat to Bournemouth at home had everyone wanting Mourinho sacked, but then beat Porto easily to make the UCL last 16. Leicester up next. | |
| 14 | - | West Ham: Steady for the injury-hit Hammers who drew at Man United last week. They host Stoke this weekend as Bilic gets a few key men back. That should help. | |
| 15 | DOWN 3 | West Brom: A spirited yet lackluster display in a home draw vs. Spurs sums WBA up. They won’t go down but won’t do much else this season. | |
| 16 | UP 3 | Newcastle: That’s more like it. You know the Magpies have talent but just question their mentality. They outworked Liverpool and Wijnaldum had the class to win it for McClaren. Can they build on this? | |
| 17 | DOWN 1 | Sunderland: After two-straight wins they lost at Arsenal but put up a good fight. Promising signs for Big Sam as the Black Cats head in to a crucial period. | |
| 18 | DOWN 1 | Norwich City: Goals continue to be a worry for the Canaries who have netted just 17 times. Alex Neil’s side have to be better going forward otherwise they’re doomed to relegation. | |
| 19 | DOWN 4 | Swansea City: Managerless after the frankly ridiculous sacking of Garry Monk, the Swans are in turmoil. After such a great start they’ve plummeted but have the talent to at least survive. | |
| 20 | - | Aston Villa: Somehow they grabbed a point at Saints, but they could’ve been 5-0 down at half time. Showed plenty of grit but had luck on their side too. Arsenal up next for Garde as they are now winless in 14. |
