THE VERDICT SO FAR ON E.P.L TEAMS How has your team faired ????

Leicester City

Verdict so far As good as it gets. Top of the league despite many pre-season predictions of doom, and playing with a thrilling style that helps give their home the most vibrant atmosphere in the league. Doubts remain about how long they can continue scoring more than they concede – no one in the top half has let in more goals so far and they have had to recover from going two down three times – but if they manage to do so between now and the end of the year, then even Claudio Ranieri will have to admit his team can finish much higher than just above relegation.

Squad depth Gokhan Inler has yet to make an impact but other summer recruits, notably Ngolo Kanté and Shinji Okazaki, have. The squad is good enough that Ranieri has been able to leave out players such as Riyah Mahrez and Jeff Schlupp occasionally but long-term losses to Mahrez or Vardy seriously deplete creativity. 

The central defenders Robert Huth and Wes Morgan and the midfielder Danny Drinkwater have given Leicester what solidity they have, featuring in every match so far, and their absences would cause concern. 

Next five Premier League fixtures Manchester United (h), Swansea (a), Chelsea (h), Everton (a), Liverpool (a)

Manchester United

Verdict so far The eight clean sheets offer a clue to why Louis van Gaal’s team are in second place and should be counted, at the moment, as favourites for the championship. United have conceded only nine times and have lost a game fewer than City’s three. A side lacking superstars (though Anthony Martial is on the way to becoming one) relies on the team ethos their manager constantly espouses, meaning injuries do not hurt United as much as, say, City. They need more goals, of course, so might Van Gal try a cheeky bid for Jamie Vardy in January? The last-gasp 2-1 win at Watford reminded many of a Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United side, but the performance in the 0-0 draw with PSV did the opposite.

There is no doubting Louis van Gaal has shored things up in the United defence, but at what cost? Jeers rang around Old Trafford on Wednesday, but on paper United are at least meeting, if not succeeding, Premier League expectations.

Jamie Vardy is looking to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in 10 consecutive Premier League games

To a man, Leicester are in the form of their lives, but will they face a wall of red shirts or contest a free-flowing, top-of-the-table clash on Saturday Night Football?

No neutrals saw this being first versus second in August, and no neutrals will want to see a stalemate. Of course, all eyes will be on Jamie Vardy as he looks to break Ruud van Nistelrooy's record of scoring in 10 consecutive Premier League games.

Player who must stay fit Martial. In a low-scoring outfit – only 19 thus far – the Frenchman’s pace stretches opposition, and he can also be lethal.

images by Getty

Squad depths United need a prolific striker and a jet-heeled forward.

Next five Premier League fixtures Leicester (a), West Ham (h), Bournemouth (a), Norwich (h), Stoke (a)

Manchester City

Verdict so far Despite a stellar squad led by Sergio Agüero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Joe Hart, there can be no confident prediction City will claim the title.Liverpool’s 4-1 rout of Manuel Pellegrini’s side before their own crowd was extraordinary but no real surprise. Three steps forward and one step back might be City’s motto. A prime factor is the injuries the big three of Kompany, Agüero and Silva can suffer. Southampton, Stoke, Swansea and Arsenal are all played before Christmas. All four could be won comfortably or vital points could be dropped.

Player who must stay fit Silva can run a match with ease, meaning the ball is kept away from City’s creaky rearguard.

Squad depth De Bruyne should be the natural Silva replacement but he is yet to fully settle and Wilfried Bony can be an unconvincing stand-in for Agüero. So, too, Eliaquim Mangala for Kompany. They all need to improve. JJ

Next five Premier League fixtures Southampton (h), Stoke (a), Swansea (h), Arsenal (a), Sunderland (h)

Arsenal

Verdict so far Petr Cech has been a boon, Mesut Özil has found his groove and, from his semi-permanent residence in the red zone, Alexis Sánchez has been freakishly remorseless. When things have clicked for Arsenal, as they did, for example, in the 3-0 destruction of Manchester United, they look like champions-in-waiting. But those lunges towards the self-destruct button continue to undermine them, and they have not been confined to the Champions League.

Arsenal have been unfortunate this season to lose so many players to injury, which has left them playing their seventh-choice right winger, Joel Campbell, for key matches. But there's nothing unlucky about the mess Arsenal now find themselves in after it emerged that Francis Coquelin will be out until at least the New Year. 

An injury to Coquelin has been something Arsenal fans have been dreading since it became clear that Arsene Wenger would not be signing another defensive midfielder this summer. Coquelin's improvement in the second half of last season was outstanding but to rely on Mikel Arteta and Mathieu Flamini as cover always looked like folly. The position Arsenal find themselves in is even more laughable given that a deal for Morgan Schneiderlin was reportedly all but completed until Wenger decided Coquelin's emergence meant he was no longer needed. Wenger now goes into a critical part of the season with a gaping hole in his team, and he only has himself to blame. Should the Gunners, currently fourth, lose to Norwich on Sunday, the knives will be out again.

Player who must stay fit Sánchez gives the team their cutting edge and a go-to outlet. A player who makes things happen on his own terms.

Squad depth It is possible to paint Arsenal themselves as the biggest obstacle to a title triumph and that takes in their tendency to carry seven or eight injuries. Any team would struggle to cope with their casualty rates. How Arsène Wenger must pine for a clean bill of health. DH

Next five Premier League fixtures Norwich (a), Sunderland (h), Aston Villa (h), Manchester City (h), Southampton (a)

Tottenham Hotspur

Verdict so far The top four was not supposed to be within reach – few Tottenham supporters thought it would be – and particularly not when the club exited the summer transfer window with only one recognized striker in Harry Kane. But optimism is overflowing because Mauricio Pochettino has shaped an energetic team who are playing high-tempo, pressing football, and it is getting results. Unbeaten since the opening day, there is steel and a collective sense of purpose.

After last Sunday's emphatic 4-1 win against West Ham, Mauricio Pochettino told his Tottenham players they were good enough to qualify for the Champions League.

 And with Harry Kane taking his tally to eight goals in five games, Spurs' win lifted them to fifth in the Premier League and, after going unbeaten since the opening day of the season, they are now only four points off the top. Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal will most likely occupy three of the four Champions League spots. Chelsea would normally fill the remaining place, but the Blues are having a mare. In fact, some pundits are (somewhat prematurely) claiming that should Chelsea lose to Spurs their hopes of finishing in the top four would suffer a terminal blow.

 Tottenham have never had a better chance to sit at Europe's top table.

Player who must stay fit An injury to Kane remains unthinkable.

Squad depth Pochettino has two players for every position, apart from striker, although he maintains that Son Heung-min or Clinton Njie can play there but the Europa League is a notorious stretcher of resources. The good news is the fitness regime Pochettino has overseen has helped to keep injuries to a minimum.

Next five Premier League fixtures Chelsea (h), West Brom (a), Newcastle (h), Southampton (a), Norwich (h)

Liverpool

Verdict so far Pre-Klopp: drifting aimlessly. Post-Klopp: back on course and developing nicely. The new manager has improved Liverpool’s confidence, team spirit and defensive solidity rather than adopting a radical tactical overhaul since replacing Brendan Rodgers. Last Saturday’s emphatic 4-1 win at Manchester City was the clearest indication yet that Liverpool’s players are on board with Klopp’s instructions, although that devastating form has not been replicated at Anfield so far. Liverpool have won four of their past five games in all competitions and do not face an opponent in the top 11 of the Premier League until Boxing Day.

The highlights of Klopp's colourful tenure at Liverpool so far are without doubt the away wins at Chelsea and Manchester City, but their home form will be a concern.

The Reds have won just twice in the league at home all season, scoring seven goals, and face a Swansea side with just one win since late August.

The return of Daniel Sturridge is a boost, as Liverpool's attacking armoury begins to take devastating shape, but with Swansea conceding eight of their 18 goals this season from set pieces, Klopp must decide whether Christian Benteke's aerial prowess is the way to see off Garry Monk's side

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Another side in the mid-table clump, a win could lift Liverpool to within three points of the top four come end of play on Sunday.

Player who must stay fit Philippe Coutinho.

Squad depth It has been stretched this season, particularly at the start of Klopp’s reign when he was left with only Divock Origi in attack, but results in the Capital One Cup and Europa League reflect well on the back-up options. 

Next five Premier League fixtures Swansea (h), Newcastle (a), West Brom (h), Watford (a), Leicester (h).

CHELSEA

 Can Mourinho rely on Costa?

Diego Costa, such an integral figure to the Chelsea team that won their first Premier League title for five years, has cut an increasingly agitated figure over recent weeks.

The 27-year-old's relationship with Jose Mourinho had been extremely strong - most notably over the two costly retrospective bans incurred by the forward since February - but it is showing signs of fracture, with the pair embroiled in an ugly disagreement as the teams left the pitch at half-time in Tuesday's comfortable 4-0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Although Costa, who scored 20 goals in his first season in England but only three over the last four months of this season, played the whole of the second half in Haifa, his body language at half-time had been that of someone who no longer wanted to be on the pitch. Chelsea, currently 15th in the league, need him to focus because Mourinho's only alternatives are Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao.

The Special One has a dilema: pick a proven goalscorer with the hump, or two strikers just itching to play but who couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo.