One of several interesting stories, the Premier League’s two-horse race

For the first time in its history, the Premier League went on hiatus for an extended period of time while international football focused on the run-up to the World Cup. How will teams and managers navigate the start of the second mini-season? How will this forced break affect teams across the county?

After all, there are very few.

top does not change

As the start of the new mini-season took shape, it became clear that what was true before the World Cup remained true afterwards.

Leaders Arsenal continue to display impressive reliability, a consistency that defies the usual questions about an experienced and volatile Arsenal side who have recently fallen from the top.

The draw with Newcastle – an unexpected 1-3 matchup – was our first home goal of the season and underscored the fact that this is an Arsenal side to be taken seriously.

That night’s opponents reaffirmed their claims as top four contenders and kept Miguel Almiron’s scoring prowess. The Paraguayan winger has scored his ninth goal this season as Newcastle look to home among the league’s elite.

The league’s top scorer, Erling Haaland, continues to break records as he did a few weeks ago. The Manchester City Norwegian striker has already reached his 20-goal milestone for the reigning champions in just 14 games. The previous record was achieved at 21 games.

Without the Norwegian, we might hear more about Harry Kane’s impressive goalscoring tally. The England captain looks set to put his World Cup woes on the back burner and continue to drag Tottenham’s side into Champions League contention.

What’s frustrating for North London club fans is that their habit of conceding first has changed little since the restart. Will Kane’s goal be enough to bridge the crack in the rest of his five-month competition?

A return to the Premier League won’t stop three upstart teams.

Three of the strongest performers of the season – Fulham, Brighton and Brentford – continue to impress with a superb blend of sharp management and shrewd signings.

Brentford have proven once again that they can beat anyone. Their win against Liverpool adds to the scalp of the two Manchester clubs and shows how well the premier in his second season has adapted to life in the league.

Brighton were subjected to the league’s biggest management change before the break when Graham Potter left to take over the reins at Chelsea. Concerns that this would mark the beginning of the end for the club have been quelled by continued development under Roberto De Zerbi. Is it harsh to suggest that he even made them a more efficient and high-scoring team? Certainly not if you look at the stats.

Newly promoted Fulham Alexander Mitrovic has one of the strongest strikers in the league and is a must for any team looking to survive the step up. He and the rest of the team made the transition look much easier than previous attempts. Willian looks like a resurgent player, Tim Ream is having a handful of seasons, and Joao Parinha is one of the true breakout stars of the season so far.

‘Big Six’ clubs not reopening

Heavyweights Chelsea and Liverpool would have hoped for a change of form and fortunes post-interruption, but both are still succumbing to early season failures.

After doing all they could in all competitions last season, Liverpool continue to look like a team fighting fatigue, to re-energize and re-focus. A win without a win did not dispel fans’ anxiety until the defeat against Brentford was confirmed. There is also a general belief that the recent acquisition of Dutch forward Cody Gakpo has not fully addressed the team’s real concerns.

Manchester United’s strong form capitalized on Marcus Rashford’s abundant form veins to oust the Blues early in the season and secure a top four spot. Despite his constant presence at the World Cup, Harry Maguire seems to be further down in the pecking order, with Eric ten Hag ditching Luke Shaw than trusting the £80million man It’s a similar story for Jadon Sancho, who remains two of United’s greatest signings ever on the bench. How they react seems set to shape their future at the club.

new manager shakeup

How best would the owners roll the dice to determine which side chose to change management just before the break?

With Unai Emery and Julen Lopetegui, Aston Villa and Wolves have both opted for established continental managers who could easily find themselves at some of Europe’s more prestigious clubs. It seems like a good choice for the two Midland outfits.

The exact same cannot be said for Southampton and their decision to prioritize youth over experience by acquiring Nathan Jones. Time may be on his side, but he will have to deal with his team’s losing streak if he is to have any hope of keeping the club in the league.

His first chance to prove the skeptics wrong comes against Frank Lampard’s Everton.