There’s a trick with the idea of power rankings in a league with a balanced schedule, and that’s identifying who’s performed the best in recent matches without looking at what lies ahead.
That’s something that could’ve kept someone from holding Leicester City down their given list.
Yet the idea of power rankings is to identify who is faring the best right now, and would be picked to finish first should a given season’s slate start today. Still, you can’t ignore the table as it stands and the likely fate of a season.
[ MORE: All of this season’s Premier League Power Rankings ]
| TEAM | RANKING | Up/Down | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Leicester City: Learned from the late December gauntlet, where they went 2-1-1 against Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool and Man City. This time, the Foxes have beaten the Reds and City, and can make it 3-0 against Arsenal on Sunday. Believe. | |
| 2 | UP 5 | Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs are riding high after beating up four struggling clubs, and face a massive test in a Man City side that, well, hasn’t beaten anyone of form or merit in a while, either. | |
| 3 | UP 9 | Manchester United: It really is a season of “What ifs?” for Louis van Gaal’s crew, which has lost just once since Boxing Day. Making lots of dough, too. | |
| 4 | DOWN 1 | Manchester City: United’s derby rivals need to get off the mat after their shockingly lethargic 3-1 loss to Leicester City. Bring on Spurs. | |
| 5 | DOWN 3 | Arsenal: Beating Bournemouth snapped a four-match winless skid. A defeat of Leicester on Sunday is as close to “must” territory as you can get with this much left in a season. Will they take part in the MLS All Star Game as reigning PL champions? | |
| 6 | UP 8 | Southampton: Ronald Koeman’s side looks a lot like the Saints we remember from last season, having four wins and a draw in its last five matches including a 1-0 win that included a long while with 10 men. | |
| 7 | UP 4 | Everton: Back-to-back 3-0 wins for the Toffees have Roberto Martinez’s men within six points of fifth place. | |
| 8 | UP 7 | West Ham United: Last weekend’s failure to break down 10-man Saints is alarming, but Slaven Bilic’s side is legit. Still, they need to erase performances like that, and the 2-1 loss to Newcastle a few weeks back. Great look to lock up Dimitri Payet for the long term. | |
| 9 | UP 8 | Chelsea: Badly need to turn draws into wins, but the embarrassment of being booed after the Jose Mourinho sacking has turned into cheers for, well, actually doing their jobs. With Kurt Zouma out, is it already Miazga time at Stamford Bridge? | |
| 10 | DOWN 2 | Liverpool: Five points from their last six matches should have them further down the list, but frankly no one’s daring us to put them above the Reds. But Daniel Sturridge could help them rise. | |
| 11 | DOWN 6 | Watford: Four losses in six, but deserved better in a 1-0 loss to Spurs. That followed a win and a draw, so perhaps the Hornets have steadied themselves. | |
| 12 | UP 6 | Swansea City: Unbeaten in four, but the 1-1 draws against West Brom and Crystal Palace weren’t what they could’ve been. | |
| 13 | DOWN 7 | Stoke City: At the risk of over-simplifying, turns out Geoff Cameron is really important to the Potters. Stoke is 1W-1D-3L since the USMNT defender went down, and has allowed three goals in losses to Leicester, Manchester United and Everton. The win? Against struggling Norwich City. | |
| 14 | DOWN 5 | Bournemouth: Doing enough to survive this first season back in the Premier League. | |
| 15 | DOWN 11 | Crystal Palace: Alan Pardew’s Eagles are wandering through the desert right now, with losses to Villa and Bournemouth contributing to a six-match run with a single point. Now closer to 19th than 4th. | |
| 16 | UP 3 | Newcastle United: Jonjo Shelvey looks like an inspired signing, and the former Swans midfielder has assists in four matches for the Magpies. Up next is a trip to Chelsea. | |
| source: | 17 | DOWN 7 | West Bromwich Albion: The Baggies have scored one goal in their last four matches, and Tony Pulis’ charges are just six points above the drop zone. |
| 18 | UP 2 | Aston Villa: Still dead last with a dire schedule looming, you can’t say Remi Garde’s players have quit. Points in four of five including wins over Norwich and Palace. | |
| 19 | -- | Sunderland: Injuries are piling up around the Stadium of Light, and Sam Allardyce may need USMNT back DeAndre Yedlin to be a big part of their push for safety. At least big January signing Wahbi Khazri looks legit. | |
| 20 | DOWN 4 | Norwich City: The backline looks quite leaky again, as their five-match losing skid includes the following score lines: 2-0, 3-0, 5-4, 3-0, 3-1. |
