What We've Learned

So, we're four games into the new season. Time to take stock of clubs at both ends of the table and assess what we've learned so far about our title contenders, our 4th place rivals and our relegation candidates. Some of it is surprising, others of it less so and it'll be interesting to see where we go from here. Let's start at the top:

The Title Contenders 

Man Utd: Solid at the back, as we knew they would be, United have only conceded twice so far in 4 league games, with only Spurs and West Ham boasting better rates. Yes it's early, but Vidic and Ferdinand have always been reliable. United's problem will come in scoring goals. Yes, they banged in 4 against Swansea, but they seem reliant on Rooney and Van Persie. Whilst they are two players that one can argue you're okay relying on, take one of them out the side and United look toothless. They've struggled to break down both Liverpool and Chelsea and weren't much better against Palace. There is a startling lack of creativity in their midfield and they'll have to play well to get anything in the derby at the weekend.

Chelsea: Mourinho's side look exactly how you'd expect. Very tight, very solid and they get the job done. However, they're yet to be fully convincing. They sat back against Hull and had to battle past Villa, and though they were very strong defensively, they offered little coming forward against United. Their real problem is up front, where they've loaned out arguably their best option in Lukaku. Eto'o is past his prime, Ba is unlikely to see the first team and Torres remains unconvincing. They have a lot of quality in their side, but can they finish their chances?

Man City: None of the big 3 have been convincing so far, but City have looked the least, with by far the easiest run of fixtures. After they demolished Newcastle, I thought they would run away with it, but they were very poor against both Hull and Cardiff and only came out with 3 points. They have the players to rip apart anyone on their day, but they've been chronically underperforming for a while now and need to get their act together. For their second string, a draw away at Stoke is a decent result but they need to show up on Sunday against United and they need to get a result out of the game.

The Battle For 4th

Liverpool: The early pacesetters have shown an ability to grind out results that has been missing from Liverpool for a long time. They've come out of the blocks brilliantly, scoring all their goals and dominating the first half of all of their games but they've fallen away after the break and have struggled in the second half of games. With Dan Agger at the back, they look very convincing but without him, we saw Swansea cause them a lot of problems last night. At the other end of the pitch, in Sturridge and Suarez (yes he's nearly back) they have two world class finishers and Coutinho is a real quality player. Victor Moses will also be a useful signing and they look very good so far.

Arsenal: It's impossible to write off Arsenal and they've been impressive since their opening day slip against Villa. They have quality attacking midfield players to spare, with Ozil coming in, Cazorla, Wilshere, Arteta and Rozicky all options and Aaron Ramsey looking better than he has in a long time. Their problems however, are multiple. They lack defensive and goalkeeping options and Koscielny looks a liability. Take Mertesacker out their back 5 and it looks very shaky indeed and they're going to have to outscore teams, which to be fair looks very possible. They also lack strength and defensive cover from their midfield, which enhances their problem. That said, they'll dominate the ball and make it hard for the opposition to get a chance to expose them, and if they can keep Giroud fit and firing, they'll score a mountain of goals.

Spurs: They've spent a lot of money on a lot of big players and so far it appears as though they're going to need time to let them settle. Their creative players haven't been firing on all cylinders yet, with 1-0 wins over Palace and Swansea due to penalties proving that, but in Soldado they have a real talent with a knack for scoring goals and their defence looks incredibly solid. Townsend looks a real gem and combine that with all the quality they've brought in, they have a very packed midfield. Paulinho, Eriksen and Dembele offer real strength and creativity in the middle of the park and they have what Arsenal don't, variety in that central area. Townsend and Lamela are quality wide players and when and if they all get on the same page and start producing, this could be an incredibly good year for Spurs.

The Best of the Rest

Without covering every team in excruciating detail, Stoke have looked a lot better under Mark Hughes, playing a much better style of football and getting some good early results. Everton have been unconvincing going forward but they got a cracking result against Chelsea and Barkley is one hell of a player. West Ham have been solid at the back but need goals from somewhere. Southampton have a wealth of quality players but need to learn to play together and get more goals. Swansea are very strong on the ball and in Bony and Michu have a stunning strike force but off the ball they need to be a lot tighter and Fulham need to tighten up in all areas of the pitch but should be alright. Aston Villa have way too much attacking firepower to go down and have done alright considering their tough start.

The Relegation Dogfight

Newcastle: Despite their good start, I still think Newcastle will be at the wrong end of the table come May. They have a very rocky defence and are yet to convince in any of their results. They were very fortunate against West Ham, who as mentioned have lacked goals and likewise against Fulham. However, in Ben Arfa and Cisse, they have quality in attack, which they'll be hoping will be enough to get them out of trouble.

Norwich: Like Newcastle, they have goals in them. Van Wolfswinkel, Elmander and Hooper are all quality strikers but the problem is getting service to them. Their midfield is lacking in creativity and defensively they look like they'll struggle. I haven't seen enough of them to judge but it could be a long season for Norwich.

West Brom: I wouldn't have thought West Brom would be relegation candidates after last season but their early form has been wretched. They don't look too bad at the back but getting goals will be a real problem for them. Victor Anichebe is a decent signing but they still have properly replaced the goals that Lukaku brought them last season and this has been evident so far this season, with their centre back scoring their only goal so far. They really need to get firing, and quick.

Cardiff: A mixed bag so far for Cardiff, but they'll be very happy with their start. Defensively they may have problems but Caulker is a great acquisition for them. They did very well to get all 3 points against City and still look like the best of the newly promoted sides. In Bellamy they have experience and Gunnarsson and Whittingham are both very good players. I think they'll hang on.

Hull: If you'd offered Hull 4 points at this stage, I think they'd have taken it. They didn't roll over against City or Chelsea but the lack of quality is obvious. Up front Danny Graham is having a wretched run of form and they don't look like scoring goals. They have made some decent signings in midfield and certainly have the character and grit, showed by holding onto three points against Norwich but I just think they're not going to score enough goals to stay up.

Crystal Palace: Like Hull and Cardiff, they certainly haven't disgraced themselves in this league but they do lack quality and crucially experience at the top level. They might be able to grab some goals through Chamakh and Gayle but as much as I like Palace and Holloway, I just don't think they'll have enough to keep themselves in it. They haven't kept a clean sheet yet and I worry if they'll be able to. They have some big games coming up against Swansea and Southampton but if they can't get a win out of either of those, they could quickly find themselves sliding down the table...

Sunderland: I am a massive fan of Paulo Di Canio but it's just not working for Sunderland. Like other sides down the bottom, you wonder where the goals are going to come from. On paper, they have a quality side and the likes of Johnson, Larsson and Sessegnon are very good but they're leaking goals, they're highly inconsistent and they're yet to record a win. West Brom v Sunderland at the weekend is going to be a big one and whichever side can't get three points (if not both) is going to be in real trouble.

And there we have it. I haven't changed my predictions from the start of the season too much, but I think Stoke will finish a lot higher than 15th and West Brom and Sunderland will be dragged down, maybe even into the bottom 3. I still think Hull and Palace will go down, but I have more faith in Newcastle staying up. As for the other end, I still think City have the best team but it's about how they perform and United still will make it tough for them. Spurs to edge out us and the Gunners to 4th for me as well.