As the Premier League plot begins to take shape, fans will be assessing what kind of season might be in store for their team. There is still plenty of time for struggling clubs such as Liverpool to recover and successful ones such as Arsenal to fade. So how worried should you be? Here is our Worry Index, where a mark of 10 translates to blind alarm down to 1, which means absolutely no cause for concern.
Liverpool, 9 – Jurgen Klopp’s team are probably already out of the title race — 11 points off the leaders Arsenal. Hard to pinpoint the reasons why, but there has been a lack of the old intensity, with even major players like Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah looking shadows of their normal selves. You would think a squad with so much quality has to bounce back soon, but there is a suspicion that last season’s agonising near-misses in the Premier and Champions League have left a few players a little burned out, emotionally as well as physically. Now they face a battle to even make the top four.
Nottingham Forest, 9 – Rock bottom after a 4-0 drubbing from local rivals Leicester. Impossible to get the blend and harmony right with 23 new faces. Manager Steve Cooper worked wonders to get Forest promoted. It is part of football’s madness that he may be fired five months after promotion, but don’t rule it out. Sad that the party has turned sour so quickly.
Southampton, 8 – The Saints have lost 14 of their past 20 Premier League games including the past three against Wolves, Aston Villa and Everton. They’re yet to keep a clean sheet and lack a reliable regular goal scorer. James Ward-Prowse’s leadership and quality will be vital, but too many others seem to go in and out of a flaky team.
