EPL 2017/18: What three weeks of Premier league football tell us about last season's top six 

The Premier League kicked off three weeks ago with an exhilarating 4-3 finish in Arsenal's favour at the Emirates Stadium and we have not looked back thus far. On the road thus far, we have seen the pretenders, the contenders and the challengers stake their claim to the English throne. While some have stumbled and even faltered, others have thrown up pleasant surprises that give us many points to ponder as we head into the international break.

While three weeks of football do not define what lies ahead in the nascent season but it does clarify statements of intent, especially from the ones who choose to set the precedent. The start of the races has seen a portion make a sprint while the remainder still look to find their stride. The 2 weeks ahead provide recovery and moments of reflection, in equal measure.

Manchester United

United's young guns have started firing from the get go this campaign

José Mourinho's side has laid down the gauntlet in José's 'second season'. A manager who is a serial success in his second season at clubs, José is relishing the opportunity to unleash his team in the Premier League. Back to back 4-0 victories against West Ham and Swansea City followed up with a 2-0 win versus Leicester have not only seen the Mancunian club rake a full 9 points from 3 games but have also seen the team score a flurry of goals whilst keeping clean sheets in all of its encounters.

Having put together missing blocks, Mourinho has erected an intimidating United side that is bustling with pace, power and aggression. New signings Matic and Lukaku have slotted in perfectly into a squad that offers varying dimensions - strong in the air, lethal on the counter attack and a new found ability to conjure goals from multiple outlets.

The heavy dependence on hitman Zlatan Ibrahimovic last season, as well as an impotence to score goals from across the park, meant United struggled to close out games. The stark contrast is all so evident from last campaign in which the Red Devils managed a meagre 54 goals in 38 games, almost a fifth of which has already been racked up in three games.

Apart from the United's attacking prowess, Mourinho's men have been stellar at the back. The centre-back pairing of Phil Jones and Eric Bailly has looked formidable, snuffing out any chances for the opposition. With David De Gea in goal, José's outfit has recorded three clean sheets in the first three games, a statistic not managed since the 2005-06 season.

For all their strengths, United are still to be sternly tested. The width in their attack is often limited by the lack of traditional wingers, with players often looking to cut back in. Mourinho could not have asked for a better start nonetheless but it remains to be seen whether we will continue to see a free flowing United against the bigger teams, especially away from home.

Liverpool

Mané has been instrumental in Klopp's scheme of things

Jürgen Klopp's heavy metal Liverpool go into the international break at the back of a 4-0 romp of Arsenal. Having tactfully dealt with the tricky Hoffenheim fixtures, Liverpool breathes a sigh of relief after a good few weeks on the pitch. A frenetic 3-3 draw on their opening day at Watford was followed up with a goal to the good against hapless Crystal Palace at Anfield.

But the best display thus far came when Arsenal visited this past weekend. A high press exhibition was on display as the Reds swept an Arsene Wenger side that was schooled from the first whistle. Turning defence into attack in a matter of seconds, Liverpool showed just how good it can be going forward.

A lot of The Reds' good work comes from their Senegalese sensation Sadio Mané. Strong in possession, Mané always seems to be efficient with the ball at his feet, running with a directness and purpose. Despite the negativity coming from Coutinho's request for a move away from Merseyside, Klopp has rallied his energetic troops to good effect while he still awaits the return of Adam Lallana.

The trio of Firmino, Mané and Salah has been supplemented by Henderson and Can in the middle of the park who look like a solid pairing. Klopp's one sore point is, of course, his side's defensive stability. With keepers Mignolet and Karius always willing to provide a scare, Klopp has to ensure that Liverpool can keep it together at the back for the remaining 35 games of the season.

A stern test at Manchester City awaits post the international break. And there is only so much heavy metal one can listen to. Game management and defensive shape become paramount over the course of the season, and Klopp's men will need to be astute if they are to mount a title challenge this campaign.

Chelsea

The Blues won't relinquish their title so easily. What crisis?

Champions Chelsea started off on a disastrous note. A 3-2 defeat at home to Burnley was only the start of a long list of problems for Antonio Conte. The Italian who saw two of his men sent off in the first game had to contend with an extensive injury list along with mercurial striker Diego Costa going AWOL.

While Costa seems to have no way back, Conte does. A Wembley clash with London rivals Spurs saw Conte pragmatically outmanoeuvre his counterpart Pochettino with limited resources. Having to do a lot of work without the ball, Chelsea wrestled three points away from Wembley with two Marcos Alonso goals.

A tricky fixture with Everton followed at the Bridge but Chelsea made easy work of Koeman's men. In cruise control throughout the game, Chelsea showed just why any reasons to brush them aside as title contenders are unfounded. An under pressure Conte, who has had unnecessary noises to contend with off the pitch, has maintained Chelsea's presence on the pitch. New signing Alvaro Morata has shown himself to be worthy although a lot more may be needed from him especially in the big games.

With the Belgian wizard Eden Hazard still to make a return to the first team, not all is doom and gloom at the Bridge, is it?

Manchester City

Sterling ensured no spoils were shared over at Bournemouth

Pep Guardiola has been a firm favourite to be the winning manager this campaign. His owners at City have loosened their purse strings to assemble a side that Pep deems fit to challenge in the English top tier as well in Europe. After an inevitable victory against newcomers Brighton, a firm test against Everton on Matchday 2 saw City play out a draw.

Guardiola's frustration was almost compounded when his side at Bournemouth was staring at another draw only to be quelled by Raheem Sterling in the dying embers of the game. While possession based football has again been the mantra for the former Barcelona manager, his side is still to kick into top gear.

Gabriel Jesus seems to be the first choice striker to play ahead of a stacked midfield of Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, David Silva et al. With enough firepower up front, Pep will hope that his insurance policy in Vincent Kompany does not lapse through injury.

A side that has had significant changes in personnel will take time to click but Pep's unflinching belief has been rewarded in the past and it might not be any different this time around. It remains to be seen though as to how much and to what extent that belief will be tested over the course of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur

Kane is yet to score in the new campaign

Mauricio Pochettino is having to contend with a host of hoodoos. After his side dispatched Newcastle in the opening week of the season, the curse of Wembley seems to haunt Spurs again. A move away from White Hart Lane (mandated by the need for a new stadium which is currently being built) to the national stadium, where Spurs have managed just two wins from 11 games since 2007, has proven to be daunting.

A mouthwatering clash against Chelsea in the second week saw Spurs huff and puff only to be dispatched by two classy Marcos Alonso goals.

A regathered Pochettino side was dealt further misery against Burnley who snatched an injury time equaliser in Spurs' new home. Not as if the demons at Wembley weren't enough, Spurs have had to contend with their talisman Harry Kane still being unable to score in the month of August in the Premier League.

Spurs might yet shrug off the superstitions and come into their own as the season progresses but Pochettino's men have got to stop dropping points considering they always seem to fall short in their title pursuit.

Having sealed the signing of highly rated defender Davinson Sánchez from Ajax, Pochettino has spoken of making further additions to his side that lost right-back Kyle Walker over the summer. New inclusions will give the Lillywhites much-needed depth but they need to hit the ground running fast.

Another season of 'coming close' to the title will be a superstition that Pochettino's men might not be able to contend with.

Arsenal

Arsene Wenger with more to ponder over the international break

If there ever was an amusement park for clubs, Arsenal and its fans would often ride the rollercoaster for the sake of familiarity. An enthralling 4-3 win on opening day saw a pumped Emirates beaming with hope at the dawn of the new season. Lacazette wrote the headlines for the Gunners who made a buoyant come back to get the better of a spirited Leicester.

However, much of the opening day euphoria perished after Stoke's new signing Jesé Rodriguez won the game for The Potters through his calm finish a week later.

With Alexis Sanchez back in the mix, Arsene Wenger's men travelled to Liverpool with resurging hope. But, like the case in recent years, the Arsenal did not show up, once again. A shaky defence experimented with a three man defensive formation and received an absolute hammering at the hands of Liverpool.

Raising more eyebrows, Wenger made the baffling decision to bench his star striker Lacazette who has shown promising signs in the past few games.

The results on the pitch are only a subsidiary of the problems that have been brewing at the club. Contracts of star players are running into the final year and adequate replacements have not been made in the hope that the lure of football at the Emirates will be sufficient to keep hold of the current crop.

With players' heads dropping and voices rising in decibel count against him, Wenger yet again finds himself in familiar territory, albeit in a new campaign. His decisions have been cornering him and with his back against the wall, what will he conjure this time around?