The Premier League kicked off its season on Aug. 16, and five weeks in, the field, which consists of the 20 best teams in England, is already starting to take shape.
There are four competitive leagues below the Premier League which houses the rest of the English teams. Teams who play in the Premier League receive benefits including higher payouts, more recognition, and a chance to play in the world’s most prestigious league, the Champions League.
The Premier League began in 1992, before that it was called the English Football League which began in 1888, and Manchester United won the first Premier League. Since then, Manchester United has won the English title 20 times, Liverpool has won it 19 times, Arsenal has won it 13 times and Manchester City has won it 10 times.
The average match attendance in the Premier League between 2014 and 2024 ranges between 35,000 to 40,000. The broadcasting rights of the league range between 10 to 13 billion dollars, for both domestic and international rights between the years of 2016 to 2024.
Manchester City has won the last four Premier League titles, and are favorites to win it again. Their manager, Pep Guardiola, said his team would start their season slowly. Despite this, they won their first four games by large margins. The title holders tied 2-2 with Arsenal at home. The game involved a red card and a last-minute equalizer.
Manchester City’s forward, Erling Haaland, has 10 goals to his name already with two hat tricks. He ties Cristiano Ronaldo as the fastest player in the world to score 100 goals in 105 games.
Anders Kvale, a junior history major, has supported Manchester City since 2016. He watches other teams play often because he plays the Fantasy Premier League and loves the sport. “I love to watch other teams, especially Brentford because of the heavy Danish influence on the club,” said Kvale, who has family in Denmark.
Kvale finds himself bored when the Premier League isn’t on, like this past weekend, during the international break. Kvale said, “If the premier league were to be abruptly stopped, I would be quite sad.” He predicts that this season Brentford will finish in the top six teams.
Manchester United secured three wins in five games, which is a stumbling start. They have invested over $200 million this summer on expensive players, staff and new board members and need results to show for it.
Liverpool, with their new Dutch manager, Arne Slot, won four games out of five, losing to Forest at home. Elsewhere, Chelsea struggled to find the right rhythm in their squad under new manager, Enzo Maresca.
Brighton, with their new manager Fabian Hurzeler, stamped their presence in the league with two wins and three draws. Hurzeler, 31, is the youngest manager in the history of the league.
Arsenal has failed to win the Premier League in the last two years with fine margins but is in contention to finally win the Premier League. After their tough win against the Tottenham Hotspurs in the North London Derby and a draw at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City, without captain Martin Odegaard, they are heading in the right direction.
Brayden Joaquin, a third-year accounting major, has been a fan of the Tottenham Hotspurs for seven years. He said, “It started off as family tradition, and it kind of molded into my lifestyle. Depending on how they play that week, if they win or lose, it can set off the next week. If they lose, obviously, I’m gonna be in a steamy mood.” Joaquin predicts that the Spurs will attain sixth position in the league and Arsenal will get second due to bottling the league again.
Ipswich Town, owned by pop singer Ed Sheeran, won their first premier league points with their draw against Fulham, Brighton and Southampton. Coming up from the lower leagues after several years, Ipswich Town is expected to be relegated to a lower division this season.
A.F.C. Bournemouth, owned by Michael B. Jordan, is without their prime striker Dominik Solanke, who moved to the Spurs for $60 million this summer. The team fell to defeat against Chelsea and Liverpool, with one win and two draws to their name.
Everton, Southampton, and Wolves have one point to their name, and relegation to a lower league is already looming over their head.
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