Premier League 2019/20: What we've learned after one month

The Premier League is the most popular league in the world, but this season it is also proving to be the most unpredictable. Seeing teams like Crystal Palace in fourth place, Tottenham in ninth place, Sheffield United in the top ten and Chelsea in the bottom half of the table seems more like something we would see in a FIFA (video game) career mode, not real life.

It is still early in the season and 34 matches still have to be played by every team, but what we have seen in the first month of league action tells us a lot about what we can expect this season. A few observations are more obvious than others, but here are some of the key takeaways from the first month of the season.

Title race

We all knew who would be fighting for the title this season, and after one month it is quite obvious that the title race will only involve Manchester City and Liverpool. Both clubs have been dominating their opponents in every possible category in the first four games of the season. According to Premier League statistics, Manchester City and Liverpool have already scored a combined total of 26 goals and have only conceded three goals each.

Sergio Aguero leads the league in scoring with six goals.

The offensive efficiency and defensive stability these teams displayed last season remains unchanged. Liverpool are the only team in the league to have claimed the maximum number of points (12) from the first four games of the season. Manchester City are still undefeated, but an exciting 2-2 draw against Tottenham, which sparked even more VAR controversy, created the two-point disparity between them and Liverpool in the table. There is simply no chance that any other team keeps up with their consistency and momentum this term.

Confidence among promoted clubs

This is the first time in recent years that all three promoted clubs began the Premier League campaign with such confidence. Sheffield United is the most surprising case of them all. The Blades last competed in the Premier League in 2006 and they played in League One for six consecutive seasons between 2011 and 2016.

This season, though, Sheffield United have occupied a place among the top ten with a victory over Crystal Palace and impressive draws on the road against Bournemouth and Chelsea.

Norwich City and Aston Villa are currently in the drop zone, but their confidence is reflected in their style of play. Both teams are playing attacking football and are refusing to park the bus in an attempt to steal a point against superior opponents. Their tactics will certainly change if they are still in the bottom three come January, but until then expect these teams to maintain their attacking style of play.

Chelsea and Manchester United struggle

Historically, playing Chelsea and Manchester United has been perceived as a daunting task for any team, but that is not the case this season. Both of these teams have been working too hard to earn positive results in matches they should have dominated, and they have also dropped points to unlikely opponents.

Chelsea get more of a pass due to having a new, inexperienced manager in Frank Lampard on the sideline. Let's not forget that they are also dealing with a transfer ban that was imposed by FIFA. Manchester United, however, should not have any excuses for their slow start.

A loss at home against Crystal Palace and a draw away at Southampton is generating optimism among other mid-table and bottom-half clubs. In other words, Chelsea and Manchester United will not be perceived as unbeatable giants this season. In all probability, their rough journey during this long campaign is only beginning.

Frank Lampard.