Premier League Power Rankings: Week 21 of the 2023-24 season
We've reached the stage of the Premier League season where everyone's played everyone, and that means — firings aside — that we get evidence of clear superiority as well as answers to which managers best learn their lessons.
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It's not a perfect exercise. See Erik ten Hag's failure to sweep Nottingham Forest. He has an excuse as the Tricky Trees were playing were new boss Nuno Espirito Santo and at home. But those who want to herald a 2-2 home draw after losing 2-0 a Spurs earlier in the season would have to note two blown leads against a seriously-depleted Tottenham.
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But then there's Jurgen Klopp: now 2-for-2 in sweeping opponents and his Liverpool did so in dominant fashion. So while some may roll their eyes at highlighting a team that's lost just once this year, remember the performances: The Reds clobbered two pretty decent sides.
That brings us to Wolves, where Gary O'Neil's star continues to rise higher and higher. His hiring was considered a prayer in the wake of Julen Lopetegui's exit, but Wolves bossed Everton to complete a sweep and then took memories of a 4-1 home loss to Brighton and squashed them with a gritty 0-0 draw at the Amex. Wolves' advanced stats point to some good fortune in open play but they've also given away five penalties and have had VAR controversy go against them. Might they be a sneaky side for the top half? With Pedro Neto healthy and good players coming back from AFCON and the Asian Cup, we wouldn't want to see them on our schedule late in the season.
There have also been a few mixed bags: Arsenal bounced back to emphatically sweep Palace after losing at Fulham to claim just one point from the Cottagers this season. And Thomas Frank's Brentford stumbled to just a point versus Palace this season to take care of Forest for 4 of 6.
Premier League Power Rankings - Week 21
The strugglers
20. Sheffield United - Even
19. Fulham - Down 6
18. Burnley - Up 1
17. Luton Town - Even
16. Crystal Palace - Down 1
Impressive fight from the Blades at home in a draw to West Ham, as signs of improvement in the advanced stats can't distract from another long winless streak and a 10-point hill to the safe spaces. Don't let Fulham's hoodoo over Arsenal paper over their four other losses — including Bournemouth and Burnley — dating back to mid-December. Burnley's decidedly improved from the start of the season but eight points back and feeling like a side we'll be talking about as "newly-promoted" at the start of the 2025-26 season. Luton Town doesn't know how to quit but their good fortune on set pieces — 9-6 in goals despite a 81-59 disadvantage in attempts to go with -2.3 xG — seems doomed for regression. Crystal Palace isn't great but it's not on Roy Hodgson, who had dealt with big injuries in attack — Eberechi Eze and Odsonne Edouard have each missed six games, Michael Olise's been out 12 — and turned USMNT man Chris Richards into a decent defensive midfielder despite his experience at the position being (checks notes) zero games at the senior level.
The scrappers
15. Everton - Up 1
14. Newcastle United - Down 2
13. Brentford - Up 5
12. Bournemouth - Down 3
11. Nottingham Forest - Up 3
It's been lullsville for Everton, who fortunately finally get a lull in opponents in Fulham this week. The Cottagers are sandwiched between a run of Spurs, Man City, Wolves, Villa and a post-Fulham duo of Spurs and Man City. Newcastle's lost four in-a-row and have Financial Fair Play concerns that will not improve much without Europe next season. That's likely a lot of hope on the FA Cup now that Joelinton's on the long-term injured list and the futures of Miguel Almiron and Kieran Trippier are in question (when the Magpies probably should cash in now). Brentford's advanced stats are nice, Ivan Toney's back, and Thomas Frank is doing a decent job but they need way better goalkeeping and significantly better defending. Ben Mee's return helps but no clean sheets since late October is no bueno. Forest looks better under Nuno Espirito Santo and maybe more American eyes will be trained on them as Giovanni Reyna may be coming to town.
The promising bunch
10. Manchester United - Up 1
9. Brighton - Down 2
8. Wolves - Up 2
7. Aston Villa - Down 5
6. Arsenal - Down 1
A nice Spurs draw for Man United versus Spurs won't have us leaping to re-re-re-re-appoint the Red Devils as "back." Brighton would be on the outskirts of the top-four race had it taken its xG advantages over solid West Ham and Wolves and produced something more than scoreless draws. Note the clean sheets, though. Wolves weathered the Pedro Neto absence and are now doing the same despite Hee-chan Hwang's time at Asian Cup. Gary O'Neil for Manager of the Year? Aston Villa's good but draws with Sheffield United and Everton give them just five points of an available 12 before European competition kicks up again. Arsenal needed the five-goal waxing of Palace for its sanity but the 0.29 xGA after big-time wobbles versus West Ham and Fulham is a better stat for Mikel Arteta's title hopes.
The leading lights
5. West Ham United - Up 1
4. Chelsea - Up 4
3. Tottenham Hotspur - Up 1
2. Manchester City - Up 1
1. Liverpool - Up 1
The Blues' only loss from five games was its most difficult ask in Wolves away, and Mauricio Pochettinho’s got good cup vibes and Cole Palmer to thank ahead of a brutal "prove-it" stretcg of Liverpool, Wolves, Palace, Man City, and Spurs. West Ham. Speaking of the Irons, David Moyes' men haven't lost since Dec. 10 but that taste has been soured by draws with Brighton and Blades. How will Spurs manage the next few weeks without very important players at AFCON and the Asian Cup? It's been so far, so good, and there's reason to think Timo Werner has more than a puncher's chance to throw haymakers in lilywhite over the next few months. Kevin De Bruyne is back and Erling Haaland's going to join him and Man City might be inevitable, but Liverpool's lost just once this year and is on pace for 2-3 bits of silver. One Premier League loss through 21 games for ol' Jurg.
