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The new season of the 2023-24 Premier League is just around the corner and the 'Big Six' are on the verge of completing their respective pre-seasons. The 'Big Six' refers to the top six clubs in the English top flight namely Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur.
Each season, these six clubs rival each other for the top position in the league. The success and performance of a team can be attributed to the quality of its players and the level of cohesion within the team. The transfer market and pre-season provide clubs the opportunity to beef up and asses their squad, as well as foster team bonding ahead of a new season.
A club's performance in the summer friendlies can sometimes be an indicator of how prepared and ready they are for the challenges that lay ahead in the new campaign. Thus, this article will rank the top six clubs of the Premier League based on their pre-season performances so far.
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#6 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur has been involved in just two pre-season games so far this summer. New manager Ange Postecoglou was handed a defeat in his first game in charge against West Ham United.
Spurs lost 3-2 to the 2023 Europa Conference League winners. The Lilywhites were scheduled to take on Leicester City and AS Roma, but both games were called off due to weather conditions and financial issues respectively.
The north London club then faced Lion City Sailors, defeating the Sigaporean club 5-1 to lift the Tiger Cup. Harry Kane scored four in Spurs most-recent pre-season game where they thumped Ukranan side Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1. They will wrap up the pre-season with an exciting tie against Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy final on August 8.
Postecoglou will be handed his first competitive game when his side faces Brentford in a tough Premier League London derby on August 13.
#5 Manchester United
Erik ten Hag's side has had a mixed level of performance so far in pre-season Despite starting the off-season on a high note, their performance in terms of results sufferd a dip towards the tail end.
The Red Devils began the pre-season with successive victories over Leeds United, Lyon, and Arsenal. They saw off the Yorkshire club 2-0 and recorded a 1-0 victory over the Ligue 1 side. They displayed dominance over Arsenal, beating the Gunners in regular time (2-0) and on penalty shootouts (5-3).
However, they lined up an inexperienced side against Wrexham and lost 3-1. United also fell short against Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, losing 2-0 and 3-2 respectively to the Spanish and German clubs.
They also played RC Lens and Athletic Bilbao, securing a 3-1 victory over the French side, and settling for 1-1 draw with the La Liga outfit. Manchester United will kick off their Premier League camapign against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on August 14.
#4 Manchester City
Defending Premier League champions Manchester City went on tour in Asia for their pre-season games. Pep Guardiola's side began the summer with an enthralling comeback win over Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos. The Cityzens came down from two goals to secure a 5-3 victory over their Asian counterparts. Norwegian striker Erling Haaland bagged a brace in the victory.
City then faced Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid. They edged the German champions 2-1 but lost by the same scoreline to Diego Simeone's team. The Sky Blues then wrapped up the pre-season with the FA Community Shield, where they lost 4-1 on penalties to eventual winners Arsenal.
They will begin the defence of their Premier League title against newly-promoted Burnley at the Etihad on August 11.
#3 Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp's side have been quite decent in pre-season. The 2020 Premier League winners have played four games thus far, recording two wins, one loss, and a draw. They thrashed 2.Bundesliga side Karlsruher 4-2 in their first pre-season game but were held to a 4-4 draw by Greuther Furth.
A resounding performance in their next game led to a 4-0 thrashing of Leicester City. However, they couldn't wrap up another win when they faced Bayern Munich, narrowly losing 4-3 to Thomas Tuchel's side.
Liverpool results so far show how proficient and ruthless they can be in attack. Forwards Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Luiz Diaz, and Mohammed Salah have all been terrific in pre-season netting a combined 13 goals so far.
However, there seems to be a lack of cohesion in their defensive unit, as they have also shipped in 10 goals in the process. Klopp must work on this deficiency if they are to contend vigorously against the other top clubs in the league.
They have one more pre-season game against 2.Budesliga club Darmstadt on August 7, before their first game of the new season against Chelsea on August 13.
#2 Arsenal
After missing out on the Premier League title last term, Arsenal will be looking to prove that their last season's performance was not a fluke. They have beefed up their squad with new talents namely Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, and Jurrien Timber, and their pre-season performance has been quite impressive.
Asides from the defeat to Manchester United, Mikel Arteta's side has delivered positive results in pre-season. They played out a 1-1 draw with Nuremberg and blew off MLS All-Stars 5-0.
They also showed their quality and toughness when they defeated Barcelona 5-3 in a mouth-watering encounter in the United States of America (USA). The Gunners also defeated AS Monaco 5-4 on penalties (after 1-1 in regular time) to lift the Emirates Cup.
Arsenal wrapped up the pre-season with a confidence boosting win in the FA Community Sheild. They defeated Manchester City 4-2 on peanalties (after 1-1 in regular time) to lift the charity inspired tournament.
Up next for the Gunners is a home league game against Nottingham Forest on August 12.
#1 Chelsea
The Blues have been the most impressive team in pre-season among the top six clubs. Mauricio Pochettino's side looked sharp in pre-season, recording three wins and two draws from five games.
They defeated Wrexham 5-0 in their first pre-season encounter. Chelsea also showed dominance in the Premier League Summer Series by winning the inaugural edition of the pre-season tournament.
They played a 1-1 draw with Newcastle, overcame Brighton & Hove Albion 4-3, and defeated Fulham 2-0. The Blues recently wrapped up their tour to the United States of America with a 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund.
Newly recruits Chrriatopher Nkuknku and Nicolas Jackson seemed to have bonded well with the team. The former RB Leipzig forward netted three goals, while the Senegalese scored two goals and provided three assists during their tour in the USA.
It is now left to be seen if the Blues can replicate this form in the season proper. They begin their 2023-24 campaign with a crunchy Premier League tie against Liverpool on August 13.
