Premiership Power Rankings

The football calendar has only just been removed from its packaging but already judgements are being handed down. Far be it from me not to jump on the bandwagon and produce an immature, fairly unthought through and untrustworthy report of the teams strengths and weaknesses; People, I give you the power rankings.

1. Chelsea (played 3, points 9) - Maximum points so far and Burnley the visitors this weekend. Scolari's Chelsea started off well too...

2. Manchester United (p 3, pts 6) - A game against an open and naive Wigan team was just the tonic for the Reds last week. Arsenal will provide a far sterner test.

3. Arsenal (p 2, pts 6) - Their excellent results may have embellished a few weaknesses. We will know more about them after a trip to Old Trafford but the loss of Fabregas and the Eduardo diving saga will not help their focus.

4. Tottenham Hotspur (p 3, pts 9) - Only North London rivals Arsenal have scored more goals and Jermain Defoe, the league's most in-form striker, could add to his early tally against Birmingham at the Lane.

5. Liverpool (p 3, pts 3) - Last season: 38 games, 2 defeats. This season: 3 games, 2 defeats. Liverpool can hardly afford to drop a point over the next few weeks if they are to stay in touch with the leaders but surely they can't play as poorly as they did against Villa again.

6. Manchester City (p 2, pts 6) - They've won twice without playing all that well which is a dangerous sign for the teams above them. The only team yet to concede and with £24million 'worth' of Joleon Lescott added to the ranks this week.

7. Aston Villa (p 2, pts 3) - Getting knocked out of Europe may be a blessing in disguise for this small squad but Martin O'Neill can't be thrilled with his team's inconsistent opening to a year in which they hoped to push their way into the top-4

8. Sunderland (p 3, pts 6) - Steve Bruce has had a decent start and appears to have bought well. Michael Turner could be a member of the Black Cats as they travel to Stoke on Saturday.

9. Everton (p 2, pts 0) - No points but also, now no Lescott. Distin and Bilyaletdinov will strengthen the ranks but it is the returning Yakubu that could be most pivotal in turning their season around.

10. Fulham (p 2, pts 3) - Fulham have been busy in the late summer in bolstering their midfield but will find it difficult to replace the injured Andrew Johnson. Just as difficult will be the game at Villa Park that lies ahead after a long journey back from Russia.

11. Stoke (p 3, pts 4) - Huth and Tuncay add another towering defensive presence and some much needed guile in attack. The loss of Beattie will hurt but there is a lot to like about the way the Potters have built the team over the last year. Even Dave Kitson scored in midweek.

12. West Ham (p 2, pts 6) - Good enough to survive, not good enough to do a whole lot more. They might be better served employing a physio as manager considering the numerous injury-plagued players in their squad. On the plus side, new £6m forward Diamanti could be a Di Canio-esque figure. N.B. Could be.

13. Burnley (p 3, pts 6) - No team may have ever had such a surprising, impactful beginning to their Premiership lives as the Clarets. Their home form will be key to their survival bid, as will early season starlets Wade Elliot and Robbie Blake.

14. Blackburn Rovers (p 2, pts 0) - Rovers are hardly in crisis mode, despite two defeats to open the season, but a victory at home to West Ham would ease the pressure. Nikola Kalinic can not be as bad as he has looked so far (although Jason Robert's facial expressions after each and every miss are priceless).

15. Hull City (p 3, pts 3) - Altidore and Ghilas as a feared front two? Who knew? Wolves away this Saturday in a 'if it were late in the year it would be a big game but right now it's sports page filler' kinda fixture.

16. Birmingham City (p 3, pts 4) - Predictably lost away to Man Utd, predictably beat Portsmouth at home and were predictably held by Stoke last time out. Now a visit to Spurs. Can you predict the result?

17. Wigan (p 3, pts 3) - Their impressive victory over Aston Villa on opening day is a distant memory after their struggles in both the league and League cup since that game. Martinez will have to develop more steel in their lineup if they are to avoid the drop.

18. Wolves (p 3, pts 3) - They performed admirably at the City of Manchester Stadium, almost stealing a draw, but their upcoming game against Hull is far more important. A lack of cutting edge may see Mick McCarthy lean towards Sylvain Ebanks-Blake a little more in the coming weeks.

19. Bolton (p 2, pts 0) - Might be slightly harsh to have them this low but defeats to Sunderland and Hull without any goals do not bode well. A motivated Liverpool team will not make a first point or goal an easy task this weekend.

20. Portsmouth (p 3, pts 0) - Amazing how quickly the FA Cup final squad has been dismantled and, unfortunately for the devout Pompey fans, the quality just doesn't seem to be there. A busy few final days in the transfer window are a must.