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Rounding up the EPL: Top 10 & Their Top Performers

Let's take a look at how the top 8 shape up and who the best fantasy options on those teams are..

Andre opens up his EPL account
Andre opens up his EPL account
Shaun Botterill

Every team has now played 10 games. Let's take a look at some surprises and what to expect going forward.

Arsenal are sitting pretty, 5 points clear in first place. After a relatively slow start, the Gunners have found a fantastic run of form, largely due to the acquisition of Mesut Ozil, the torrid form of Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud finally finding the back of the net on a regular basis.

Despite Chelsea's recent 2-0 loss to Newcastle they are still in second place, and their 3-0 win over Schalke in the Champions League gives them hope that they could still challenge for several trophies. The fact that they beat Schalke 3-0 without Eden Hazard and without Juan Mata should strike fear into every other team. The depth this team has is simply ridiculous.

Liverpool sit in third place, with the same amount of points as Chelsea but with lower goal advantage. Liverpool have played wonderfully this season and the Suarez and Sturridge combination has been nearly unstoppable.

Tottenham round out the top four, again with the same amount of points as both Liverpool and Chelsea but their low goal difference is the reason they are in fourth.

Manchester City are on a fantastic run, and many people are saying they are the best team in the league. Even though they currently sit in 5th place with 19 points, their talent is undeniable. They have recently dispatched Norwich with ease by a whopping 7-0 and took advantage of CSKA Moscow in the Champions League 5-2. Despite losing to Chelsea 2-1, losing to Aston Villa 3-2, and losing to Cardiff 3-2, there has still been talk (just recently from an SB Nation soccer writer) that Manchester City are the best team in the league. They very well could end up winning it all because there is no question they have the talent to do so and the run of form Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo are on is absolutely remarkable. However, one cannot deny nor forget those defeats they suffered, especially the ones against far inferior competition.

Southampton, the surprise of the bunch, sit in 6th place, also with 19 points. It's going to be very hard for the Saints to crack the top 4-5 but the fact that they currently tied on points with Manchester City is outstanding. Mauricio Pochettino deserves all the praise in the world for what he has managed to accomplish with this team and I truly hope they can continue shocking the world.

Everton are in 7th, also with 19 points, and the addition of Romelu Lukaku has turned them into a team with a lethal striker. They have other pieces such as Kevin Mirallas, Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines, all of whom aid Lukaku in being the best he can be.

Manchester United. Hahahahahahaha. Sorry, that was the Chelsea fan in me. Manchester United are sitting in 8th place under new manager David Moyes. For a club like Manchester United, that is unacceptable, I don't care who your manager is. Manchester United should never be in this position. Ever. The fact that they are, is hilarious to me.

Newcastle United sit in 9th place after defeating a lackluster Chelsea squad 2-0 last weekend. It was certainly a blemish on the Chelsea team but a remarkable result for the Magpies. Yoann Gouffran opened up the scoring in the 69th minute and red-hot Loic Remy sealed the victory in the 89th minute to send the Blues home feeling sick to their stomach. Even though Chelsea dominated possesion, they failed to make anything out of it and only managed 2 shots on target, while 10 of their shots went off the mark. Loic Remy is tied with Aaron Ramsey for 3rd in the EPL with 6 goals to his name so far.

Newly promoted Hull City are holding their own in the Premier League and sit in 10th place, quite safe from the relegation zone so far. They defeated Sunderland 1-0 over the weekend and almost knocked out Tottenham in the League Cup but lost out on penalties. It's going to be a hard fought mission for the Tigers to stay afloat and avoid relegation for the rest of the season.

I do expect Manchester United to climb up the table, they will not finish 8th, I would bet my life on that. Unfortunately, Southampton will likely drop a few spots. It was cute while it lasted, but they can't keep this form up for the entire season. Sorry Arsenal fans (and Piers Morgan especially, you annoying, annoying little man), your time in 1st will not last all season. You will not win a trophy (once again), so enjoy it, don't be a douche like Piers Morgan and just let it ride. You're gonna fall eventually. Manchester City will claw themselves back into championship contention and could very well win it all. If Tottenham don't start scoring goals and continue to rely on penalty kicks to win games then they will be in deep trouble. Right now, gun to my head, here is how I would predict the top 4 at the end of the season:

1. Manchester City

2. Chelsea

3. Arsenal

4. Liverpool

United might sneak in past Liverpool but I can't see the future and whether or not they will get their act together, so based on current play, that's what I would think would happen. Even though it pains me to see City at top again and not Chelsea. We'll revisit these ranking once 20 games have passed. Let's take a look at the best players from each top 10 team.

Arsenal: Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Olivier Girioud, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Wojciech Szczseny

Szczesny
Szczesny

Chelsea: John Terry, Oscar, Petr Cech, Juan Mata, Andre Schurrle, Samuel Eto'o, Fernando Torres, Willian, Eden Hazard

Liverpool: Simon Mignolet, Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge, Jose Enrique, Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard

Tottenham: Jan Vertonghen, Roberto Soldado, Hugo Lloris, Andros Townsend, Kyle Walker, Michael Dawson

Manchester City: Sergio Aguero, Alvaro Negredo, Yaya Toure, David Silva, Samir Nasri

Southampton: Artur Boruc, Ricky Lambert, Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw, Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Jay Rodriguez

Everton: Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas, Leighton Baines, Leon Osman, Ross Barkley, Tim Howard, Phil Jagielka, Seamus Coleman

Manchester United: Wayne Rooney, Robin Van Persie, Adnan Januzaj

Newcastle United: Loic Remy, Mathieu Debuchy, Davide Santon, Yoann Gouffran, Hatem Ben Arfa, Yohan Cabaye

Hull City: Robert Brady

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