It’s time to start thinking about the Premier League again now that the September/October international break is wrapping up. After 5 Matchdays, it’s time to project the teams that will make it to the Champions League from the English top flight next season by finishing in the top 5. And with the way the season has gone thus far and how poorly a few of the big clubs have been, it’s not easy to predict who is Champions League bound for the 2027/28 campaign.
5. Manchester United
Why they could be this high: We can’t forget that Manchester United finished third in the Premier League last season and showed real improvement in terms of how they created chances and played with the ball under Michael Carrick, who was a great midfielder himself. When everyone is healthy, Man United are above average at all levels of the team, and while this may seem like a weak argument, they are better than Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur within the Big Six – and it is entirely fair to wonder whether or not a top five performance is sustainable at all for clubs like Brentford and Leeds United.
Why they could fall lower: Manchester United could easily fall lower because, well, they are currently lower in the table. The Red Devils sit in 12th in the Premier League, and they have quite a few players in the squad who should have been moved on years ago, let alone starting games in the 2026/27 season. There are depth issues, and the midfield isn’t anything to write home about, even with Kobbie Mainoo showing improvements again.
What’s left to prove: The Red Devils need to prove that they can keep up with the other top teams in the Premier League offensively. They need a healthy Benjamin Sesko, they need Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha to actually play to their talent level every week, and they need their players behind them to make better decisions with the ball so that Man United can control games from start to finish like they did last season under Carrick.
4. Brighton
Why they could be this high: Right now, Brighton are third in the Premier League, and with the best goal difference, by far, of +11, it doesn’t look like a fluke either. Because despite clearly leading the league with 16 goals scored, Brighton have also been stout defensively with just 5 allowed in 5 games, buoyed by a new center back partnership that is almost the ideal mix of young and old in Lewis Dunk and Luka Vuskovic. Brighton have so much talent in their attack and midfield, and they are not afraid to keep the ball and push it up the pitch relentlessly in pursuit of scoring opportunities. There is not a scent of cowardice, and this is a better evolution of the style of football that Roberto De Zerbi initially brought to Brighton.
Why they could fall lower: It’s just so tough to sustain this level of performance beyond five games, especially since Brighton don’t have the same number of established players who can provide end product as, say, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. Right now, Brighton are fighting with these giants at the top, but they are relying on an aging Pascal Gross, who leads the team with three goals and three assists. And as anyone who watched the Bundesliga can tell you last season, Gross can just as easily fall off a cliff.
What’s left to prove: Brighton need their actual forwards to prove that they can consistently find the back of the net, and they need more of their role players to prove that they can step up to the task. Because not to jinx them or anything, but the Premier League season is a long and grueling one, and as Manchester City and Arsenal have taught us in the recent past, the team that wins the league is often the one with the depth to last. Brighton just don’t have enough defensive depth nor enough end product off the bench in attack.
3. Liverpool
Why they could be this high: Liverpool are still in the same place they were last season, sixth, but when you actually watch them play, they are a better side under Andoni Iraola. Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak have gone from two of the biggest disappointments in the Premier League to two of the top flight’s best attackers again, while Jeremy Jacquet has been a special find as Ibrahima Konate’s replacement; he looks like the heir to Virgil van Dijk at the back and is already outplaying the Dutch legend. And once everything fully clicks under Iraola, you have to think that Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, and this talented on paper midfield will be flying high.
Why they could fall lower: But Liverpool still don’t look like one of the best teams in the Premier League. They look good and better than they did last year, but they just don’t have the same fluidity, control of games, or quality as an entire XI as even what Brentford and Brighton are showing as underdogs. The Reds are too reliant on Isak and Gakpo for end product right now, too, and putting them into the title race involves a lot of projection of what the midfield could and should be, rather than how they have actually played over the past year.
What’s left to prove: The main thing for Liverpool is that the midfield has to prove that they are really as good as they were in the 2024/25 season when they won the Premier League under Arne Slot. They have a lot of talent and experience on paper, but they are struggling to progress the ball or show quality in the final third, which, again, is putting a lot of pressure on Gakpo and Isak to be perfect. And then the defense is better with Jacquet and Ronald Araujo, but Milos Kerkez is still suspect when trying to defend the best right wingers in England.
2. Manchester City
Why they could be this high: Manchester City have the most talent in the Premier League on paper. You are automatically going to be a title contender when you have players like Erling Haaland, Rayan Cherki, Jeremy Doku, and Antoine Semenyo in your attack and then Marc Guehi and Josko Gvardiol in front of the best pure shot-stopper in the league in Gianluigi Donnarumma when it comes to the defense. And you really have to say that Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez have been massive upgrades and the unique profiles Man City needed to rebuild a midfield that looked washed the last two seasons. Honestly, second place is like the bare minimum to expect from a Manchester City team, and they are currently in first and the only winners of all five of their games.
Why they could fall lower: Despite how well Manchester City are playing, it almost feels like the arrow is pointing downwards on the Citizens in spite of how well they are playing because of the off the field stuff with the 114 charges. We have no idea yet how it is going to impact the team, but the Citizens will obviously fall if there are tangible short-term punishments. And even if there are not, Man City somehow have an even target on their back from the rest of the Premier League, and that is going to get harder and harder to cope with pressure wise as the season goes on.
What’s left to prove: The main thing for Manchester City to prove is that they have the right midfield depth when it comes to stuff on the pitch, but the biggest issue is, of course, that Man City have to prove they can deal with the negativity, the media attention, and the overall fallout of a scandal that really should rock the football world – and really should carry the heaviest consequences possible for their blatant cheating.
1. Arsenal
Why they could be this high: Arsenal finally captured the Premier League title last season, and they are second in the league already, looking honestly more dangerous in possession and in the attack after making two big signings in the midfield and forward line in defensive midfielder Bruno Guimaraes and left winger Christos Tzolis. The Gunners have the best defense and midfield in the Premier League, and I don’t think both are particularly close. They just don’t give you an inch defensively even without superstar man William Saliba, and once Bruno G. is 100 percent fit and integrated, I don’t think anyone can touch them on the ball in the middle of the park either.
Why they could fall lower: There is still conjecture when it comes to projecting the Arsenal midfield, since we have yet to see Guimaraes at his best in London Red. And then the attack has only gotten off eight goals in five games, which is well below the rest of the current top five in the Premier League. Offensively, you can argue that Arsenal have less depth now without Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, even if Tzolis is the better and more effectual player than both. Arsenal still need to see a bigger star impact from Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard, and the rest of their supporting cast, besides Kai Havertz and Tzolis, barely exists, to be honest.
What’s left to prove: So that’s the main thing for Arsenal to prove. They need their best players to actually be at their best and in the Premier League Player of the Season discussion again, and they need the depth pieces of the attack and midfield to prove to Mikel Arteta that he can rely on them if he has to call upon their numbers this season.
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THE TRIVELA EFFECT
Purveyor of footy since the 90s. Favor the Premier League and old school Serie A with a touch of Bundesliga. More than a touch. Professional writer for 20 years, covering every sport but now focused on the Premier League and world football. You won’t be able to guess my favorite team.