The new year of soccer kicked off and the results have shown fans that the future of the premier league is entering a new era in which teams dominate the table.

   At the top of the table, Arsenal is sat 5 points clear and a game behind Manchester City. This is the first time the gunners have topped the league since their 2003/04 miracle season where they won the league title. The 2019/20 league winners Liverpool who have finished top three every year since 2018 and have been a dominant club in the past decade sit ninth and 19 points behind Arsenal.

   “At the start of the season, Arsenal simply wanted to finish in the top four and return to the Champions League for the first time since 2017,” ESPN writer Mark Ogden said. “But the Gunners are now aiming much higher, and having opened an eight-point lead at the top of the table, Mikel Arteta’s team are now favorites to win the title for the first time since 2004.”    

   According to CNN, after a nail biting 3-2 win over Manchester United on Sunday, Jan. 22, with an incredible 90th-minute flick from star striker Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal reached a staggering 50 points from 19 league games, a feat never reached by Arsenal in its long history. Along with Arsenal which has had an outstanding start to the season their fellow reds Manchester United have started surprisingly strong under new coach Erik ten Hag and have held the third and fourth positions and have swapped with Newcastle week after week.

  According to BBC Sport, “We want to be the number one but not if we make mistakes. That is clear and what I told them,” Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said.

   Maybe the two biggest shocks of the 2022/23 season so far have been Chelsea and Newcastle. Chelsea is one of the teams in the “Big 6” and was champions of club soccer in 2020 when they won the Champions League for the second time in club history. Coach at the time Thomas Tuchel was loved by the fans and players and won games and placed Chelsea in the top four every year under management. However, under new owners due to Roman Abramovich’s release because of the Ukrainian War; Tuchel was fired after one tough loss in the Champions League to Dinamo Zagreb.

   “We’ve got super Thomas Tuchel, He knows exactly what we need, Thiago at the back, Timo in attack, Chelsea gonna win the Champion League,” Chelsea fans said.

   These fans chant in protest to the club’s decisions in the past. This is because Chelsea sit at 10th place and have spent over 500 million pounds on signings and still have managed a measly 29 points through 20 games. Chelsea woes called for Newcastle cheers as Newcastle sit in third place after they finished 13th, 12th, and 11th in the previous three years. Stars Kieran Trippier and Miguel Almirón have led the way and only allowed 11 goals through 20 games.

   “What has changed is manager Eddie Howe has the personnel he wants, and he has them playing a style of football that is exciting yet sound defensively,” World Soccer Talk writer Bruce Gottesman said. The reason for this is a philosophy akin to total football, as almost every player has offensive and defensive responsibilities.”

   It is safe to say that in the years to come the Champions League is fit to see some new teams come from the Premier League as new signings bring new life to the top of the table.