SOCCER PREMIER LEAGUE ARTICLES

West Ham United are starting to live up to their potential. The Hammers shelled out almost 100 million pounds this offseason, but a slow start set them back. They lost their first four games and were in the bottom of the table until turning things around in the middle of September. West Ham has now won three of its last four games overall and secured a big win over Manchester United last weekend. The Hammers will look to keep it rolling on the road against Brighton & Hove Albion this week. ... 

Jose Mourinho’s seat is scorching hot ahead of this week’s match with Newcastle United. The Manchester United manager has the Red Devils off to a dreadful start and his continued clashes with Paul Pogba have been the story of the first two months of the Premier League season. He is an overwhelming favorite to be the first manager sacked, and if Manchester United don’t pick up a win this Saturday, there’s a good chance he will be fired during the international break. ... 

Bournemouth continue to defy the expectations. The small club first broke into the Premier League four seasons ago, and they have managed to stay up despite a number of disadvantages. The Cherries don’t have the resources to even match the mid-table clubs and play in a stadium that holds just 11,000 people. Incredibly, they look like they will make it for another season and could even finish in the top half of the table. A win over Crystal Palace on Monday Night Football may eventually make that a reality. ... 

Burnley qualified for European play for the first time in over 50 years after finishing last season in seventh place. The Clarets made it through the first couple rounds, but they lost to Olympiakos with a spot in the Europa League Group Stage on the line. That was disappointing, but while the club was trying to advance in European play, their form in the Premier League took a nosedive. Now, Burnley are looking to move out from the bottom of the table. The Clarets have a good chance to get some needed points this week when they face Cardiff City. ... 

There’s no question when it comes to the Premier League game that people are most looking forward to this weekend. Liverpool are currently at the top of the table. They are the one team that has yet to drop a point, and they are looking like the team with the best chance of stopping Manchester City. The Reds will face a tough test this week though when they travel to take on Chelsea. The Blues are currently sitting in third and are one of three teams that has yet to lose. ... 

If you love drama, Manchester United are rife with it at the moment. Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho’s relationship saga continues to lead the tabloids, and it seems like the breaking point is near. Pogba had been the Red Devils’ alternate captain when skipper Antonio Valencia wasn’t in the lineup, but Mourinho reportedly told his star midfielder that he would never wear the captain’s armband again after he requested a transfer out of Old Trafford. Manchester United will look to put this behind them and come together this week for their match against West Ham United. ... 

Arsenal have turned things around after a tough start to the season. The Gunners began the year with back-to-back losses, but they have since rallied to win three in a row. This week, the plan is to keep the momentum going against Everton. The Toffees have been decimated by injury in recent weeks, and they have plummeted down the table. That gives Arsenal a good chance to win its fourth straight match and potentially move into the top four. ... 

The decision to replace Antonio Conte with Maurizio Sarri seems to have been an inspired one for Chelsea. Sarri has the Blues at the top of the Premier League table through the first five games of the season. They have won all five of their matches, and Chelsea are in a much better position than they were in last season when they finished outside the top four. Chelsea will aim to make it six in a row to start the year when they face fellow London club West Ham United. ... 

After a great start to the season, Watford finally stumbled. The Hornets were one of three teams that had won each of their first four Premier League matches to start the year, but they couldn’t keep it going against Manchester United last week. Although Watford fought valiantly, two Manchester United goals in the first half proved to be too much to overcome in a 2-1 loss. This week, they will look to get back on track when they face Fulham. ... 

It’s been a rough week for Tottenham Hotspur fans. Tottenham hosted Liverpool in a battle of top Premier League clubs last week, but they were unable to get a point. All they could muster was a measly Erik Lamela goal three minutes into injury time, and the outcome had been long decided by then. ... 

Monday night football will see a mid-table clash when the Southampton Saints host Brighton & Hove Albion this week. These teams both have four points and are sitting at the lower end of the table with a 1-1-2 record. However, Southampton have a slight edge on their opponents due to an even goal differential while Brighton is currently -2. A win would be huge for either team as these games can often be the difference between relegation and survival. ... 

Burnley have gotten off to an awful start in the Premier League this season. In the club’s quest to make it to the Europa League Group Stage for the first time in their history, they knew there would be trade-offs. It’s not easy to travel to far-flung locations across the continent and still be competitive in a league as tough as the Premier League, and they burned the candle at both ends. Unfortunately, their gamble didn’t pay off, and now the club finds itself near the bottom of the table and they weren’t able to qualify for the Europa League either. They will look to start righting the ship against Wolverhampton this week. ... 

It’s time to press the panic button if you’re West Ham United. You don’t usually say that just a month into the season, but West Ham are all alone in last place with no points through the first four games of the year. They will look to grab their first result after the international break when they head on the road to take on Everton. The Toffees have yet to lose and are sitting in seventh-place, but they are not the favorites you might expect as they have been bit hard by the injury bug. ... 

You haven’t had much to be excited about if you’re a Manchester United fan this year. The Red Devils are sitting in the middle of the table with a 2-0-2 record through four games, and there is plenty of speculation that Jose Mourinho might not be long for Old Trafford if things don’t turn around soon. ... 

This will be the first test for Liverpool all season. The Reds entered the first international break at the top of the table, with their goal differential giving them the edge over unbeaten Chelsea and Watford. However, they have largely gotten fat off of mid-table and bottom of the table teams, and they have yet to face one of the other Premier League contenders. That will change when they travel to the national stadium to take on Tottenham Hotspur. ... 

Tottenham Hotspur are loving life through the first three matches of the season. They have probably played the toughest schedule of any of the four undefeated teams, yet they are undefeated coming into their pivotal match against Watford this week. It’s been a dream start for Watford too this season. Watford were not expected to be undefeated through the first three games of the season, but the Hornets are tied with Tottenham, Liverpool, and Chelsea at the top of the table. ... 

Through the first three weeks of this Premier League campaign, only one team have failed to score. Cardiff City have yet to put a ball into the back of an opponent’s net, and that’s not a good thing considering the club’s schedule thus far. The Bluebirds have yet to face any of the top teams in England, but they have still failed to create many real chances and opportunities for themselves. This week, they will look to break that streak when Arsenal come to town. ... 

Manchester City finds themselves in a somewhat unfamiliar position coming into this Saturday. After dominating the Premier League from start to finish last year, the Citizens are currently looking up at four teams. They haven’t been playing poorly, but they dropped points in a 1-1 draw to Wolverhampton last week, and that has led to them being overtaken by other teams. City will look to get back on track against Newcastle United this week. ... 

Liverpool are exactly where they want to be three games into the season. The Reds are sitting atop the Premier League table after three straight wins to start the campaign, and they have yet to concede a goal. That’s a far cry from what we saw from them last year, as the defense was something of an issue during stretches of the season. Liverpool have yet to play one of the other top teams in England, but they will have their toughest test yet when they travel to face Leicester City this Saturday. ... 

Watford have gotten off to a great start this season. The club is one of just six to be 2-0 through its first two matches, and the Hornets have a decent chance to keep it that way this week against Crystal Palace. However, Crystal Palace have proven themselves to be a pesky foe and they have already picked up one road victory this season. Grabbing their second would make Eagles fans elated heading into a relatively light part of their schedule. ... 

Many of the experts believe that if Manchester City fails to repeat as Premier League champions this season, it will be due to Liverpool. Liverpool have looked great through the first two games of the campaign, and they have yet to concede a goal. The Reds improved more than any other Premier League heavyweight during the Summer transfer window, and they will look to keep that strong start going when they take on Brighton this Saturday. ... 

Arsenal and West Ham are both still searching for their first win of the Premier League campaign. These are two of the four clubs to have started the season 0-2, and each side would love to grab three points here. However, while West Ham would be tickled pink with a victory, Arsenal expects one. The Gunners are looking to make it back into the top four in order to qualify for the Champions League, but they know they can’t dig too much of a hole for themselves in the early going. That makes a win here all the more important. ... 

This is exactly the start Chelsea were hoping for under new manager Maurizio Sarri. Sarri has brought offense back to the Blues, and the fans are delighted to this team open it up again. Gone are the days of defense first under Antonio Conte, with Sarri encouraging his players to play open, creative, attacking football in order to win games. Chelsea are hoping to move to 3-0-0 on the year this weekend when they head north to take on Newcastle United. ... 

Manchester United have their backs against the wall heading into a pivotal Monday night clash against Tottenham Hotspur. The Red Devils have not gotten off to a strong start this season. They easily could have lost to Leicester City in the opener and were soundly defeated by Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend. Now, Tottenham comes to town hungry for three points and a loss at Old Trafford might be the beginning of the end of the Jose Mourinho era. Mourinho knows how important this match is and will do everything he can to win it. ... 

Can Manchester City be stopped? That’s one of the big questions heading into the third week of the Premier League. City are picking up right where they left off last season. They easily beat Chelsea to win the FA Community Shield in the first week of August, and they kicked off their Premier League campaign with wins over Arsenal and Huddersfield Town. Given their performance so far, it’s no surprise they are massive favorites against Wolverhampton this weekend. ...