Premier League Top 10 Ratings: 7/2 Liverpool one of three bets as we analyse the season so far

• Summaries and ratings for the top 10 teams in the table

• 7/24.50 Liverpool worth considering to win the title

• Tough games ahead for Magpies but can Forest kick on?

• Read Mike's analysis of the bottom half of the table here

1. Liverpool (18 pts)

Jackpot start for Slot's Reds machine

- Premier League Winner: 7/24.50
- Top 4 Finish: 1/121.08

Jurgen who? Top of the Premier League table, two wins out of two in the Champions League, and a thumping 5-1 win over West Ham in the EFL Cup. Could it have gone any better for new Liverpool boss Arne Slot? Well actually it could have. Despite becoming the first Liverpool manager in history to win nine out of his first 10 games in charge, Slot's only reversal was a home defeat to Nottingham Forest. It really could, and probably should, have been 10 wins out of 10 to start the new season.

With six clean sheets in those 10 games Liverpool look very strong defensively, while in midfield Ryan Gravenberch has had a magnificent start to the season alongside Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai. Mo Salah looks as fit as a flea, Luis Diaz has been the team's star man, and Diego Jota is one of the best finishers in the Premier League. And Liverpool's bench isn't too bad either. What's not to like?

- Rating: 9/10

The Bet

While all that attention appears to be on Arsenal and Man City in terms of winning the title, Liverpool just keep winning games. I don't see a huge difference in squad depth between the three title favourites so right now, with a slim advantage at the top of the table, Liverpool have to be the bet as the outsiders of the trio.

2. Manchester City (17 pts)

Solid without being spectacular

- Premier League Winner: 7/42.75
- Top 4 Finish: 1/91.11

Manchester City's 3-2 win over Fulham in their last Premier League game means Pep Guardiola's men have created a new club record of 30 league games without defeat. They're second in the table, unbeaten in 10 games in all competitions, and as per usual, they're scoring plenty of goals. On the face of it the Citizens have enjoyed a rock solid start to the new season. But there's a few buts.

One is the absence of star midfielder Rodri for the rest of the season due to an ACL injury, and the other is City's inability to regularly keep clean sheets. Guardiola's men have conceded in all five domestic games at the Etihad this term, falling behind in all four Premier League games. Personnel wise, their defence is no different, they just don't have that Rodri protection. The gut feeling is that a few games that City would normally win comfortably might just end up being draws.

On the plus side Kevin de Bruyne will soon return from injury, Phil Foden is fresh after recovering from illness, and new signing Savinho looks an excellent acquisition. Oh, and Erling Haaland just scores goals for fun.

- Rating 8/10

3. Arsenal (17 pts)

Gunners not firing at full power

- Premier League Winner: 13/102.30
- Top 4 Finish: 1/251.04

Arsenal's start to the season has been identical to Man City's. Both clubs are W5-D2 in the Premier League, W1-D1 in the Champions League, and both are through to the next round of the EFL Cup. Performance wise the two clubs have been similar also. Mikel Arteta's men are playing well in the main, but they've had a few scares, especially in recent weeks when they needed stoppage time goals to beat Leicester before having to come from behind to beat struggling Southampton.

After conceding just one goal in their first five games they've now conceded in all of their last four domestic games including two at home to newly-promoted Leicester. They do however look superb at set pieces and Bukayo Saka has started the season very well with nine goal involvements in seven games. Kai Havertz has really found his feet too, while Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have already chipped in with a few goals each.

- Rating 8/10

The Bet

I honestly can't split Manchester City and Arsenal and who finishes above who may well boil down to injuries and suspensions. One thing is for certain however, and that is that one of them won't win the Premier League title. And I do worry about the Gunners if they have some major injury set-backs.

4. Chelsea (14 pts)

Blues flattering to deceive

- Premier League Winner: 22/123.00
- Top 4 Finish: 10/111.91

First things first, Chelsea have been better than they were for large parts of last season. They've had a decent start in fact, sitting fourth in the table, making smooth progress in the Europa Conference League, and they're through to the next round of the EFL Cup. But have they been brilliant? Far from it. They were held to draws at home to Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest, needed an 86th minute winner to beat Bournemouth, and their victories over Wolves and Brighton were down to Cole Palmer masterclasses.

Although the Blues recorded back-to-back clean sheets at West Ham and Bournemouth the big concern is their defence. They've conceded in all four league games at Stamford Bridge, conceded two against rock bottom Wolves, and they even conceded two at home to Gent last week. Of course, not only is Palmer Chelsea's star man he's arguably the Premier League's star man right now, while Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson have also enjoyed fine starts

- Rating: 7/10

5. Aston Villa (14 pts)

Another good start for Emery's men

- Top 4 Finish: 5/16.00
- Top 6 Finish: 11/102.11

Back-to-back Premier League draws against Ipswich and Manchester United has put a little dampener on Aston Villa's start to the new campaign but the fact remains that they are firmly in the hunt for a top four finish having lost just once - to Arsenal - all season. They've won two out of two in the Champions League and they're through to the next round of the EFL Cup, so all thing considered it's been a very good start for Unai Emery's men.

But having watched Sunday's drab goalless draw at home to United two big questions remain. How will Villa cope with injuries and how will they deal with following European nights with domestic action? Villa were without key midfielders John McGinn, Amadou Onana and Jacob Ramsey for the game against United and it showed. They were pretty awful if truth be told, this coming just days after their stunning 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

- Rating: 7.5/10

6. Brighton (12 pts)

Seagulls continue to fly high

- Top 4 Finish: 9/110.00
- Top 6 Finish: 9/43.25

What's not to like about Brighton? They buy players for peanuts - or at least they used to - turn them into super stars, sell them for massive amounts, but they still win games by playing some great attacking football. They spent big this season, almost £200m in fact, but they're reaping the rewards with a fine start to the campaign that sees them sixth in the table following their brilliant come-from-behind win over Tottenham on Sunday, and they're into the next round of the EFL Cup.

Perhaps the Seagulls' brightest spark has been their new boss Fabian Hurzeler, who at 31-years-old is the youngest permanent manager in Premier League history. Yankuba Minteh looks an excellent signing while Georginio Rutter is starting to show why Brighton splashed out £40m for his signature at the start of the season. Brighton appear to be just a solid reliable team, and with a bit of luck they could easily finish in the top six this season.

- Rating: 7/10

7. Newcastle (12 pts)

More than what they've deserved

- Top 4 Finish: 5/16.00
- Top 6 Finish: 11/102.11

Newcastle have already had a few chances to go top of the table, courtesy of playing their game before the teams above them. They blew both chances and are now down to seventh in the table, yet even that feels like a false position based on how they've performed. Apart from the 1-1 at home to Man City Eddie Howe's men just haven't played well, and when you consider they've played the likes of Southampton, Bournemouth, Wolves, Fulham and Everton then they really should be doing better.

The problem I see with Newcastle is that, Anthony Gordon apart, they just don't have any stars who can grab games by the scruff of the neck and turn them in the Magpies' favour. The likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak are very good, but would they, or any other Newcastle player for that matter, walk into an Arsenal, Liverpool or Man City side? Absolutely not would be my answer.

- Rating: 5/10

The Bet

Newcastle have enjoyed a decent start to the season but they've had a very kind set of fixtures and I can only see them sliding down the table from here. Brighton are up next before away games at Chelsea and Arsenal so perhap now is the time to lay them in the Top 10 Finish market at anything around 1.251/4

8. Fulham (11 pts)

Damn those Manchester clubs

- Top 6 Finish: 12/113.00
- Top 10 Finish: 6/42.50

Things appear to be going well in West London for Marco Silva's men despite the loss of their star man Joao Palhinha to Bayern Munich. The Cottagers' only league defeats have been by single-goal margins at both of the Manchester clubs, while they've won three and drawn two of their other five games to sit eighth in the table. They'll be disappointed with a penalty shoot-out defeat to Preston in the EFL Cup but I dare say if you'd have offered Fulham this start before a ball was kicked this term they'd have taken it.

The signings of Joachim Andersen and especially Emile Smith Rowe are already looking like very smart moves, and when you look at the quality in this Fulham squad - the likes of Antonee Robinson, Andreas Pereira, Raul Jimenez for example - then it's no surprise that they're a tough team to beat. I like this Fulham side, and I like their manager even more. A price of 6/42.50 for a Top 10 Finish is very tempting.

- Rating: 7.5/10

9. Tottenham (10 pts)

Inconsistent but hint at big season to come

- Top 4 Finish: 3/14.00
- Top 6 Finish: 7/101.70

Seven Premier League games have yielded three wins, a draw and three losses. The latest of those saw Spurs give up a two-nil halftime lead at Brighton in a 3-2 defeat to end a five-game winning streak in all competitions. That result is in keeping with a season that has shown so much promise while perhaps not delivering the results it should have done, a pattern that was set in the 1-1 season opener at Leicester. On Sunday, after 45 minutes at the Amex, the Spurs fanbase would have been looking up to Chelsea and Aston Villa in the top four, instead it is midtable with Newcastle, Fulham and Brighton between them and the elite.

But while the defeat at Brighton will leave a sour taste there is plenty of promise in this Spurs team who have signed a reliable goalscorer in Dominic Solanke as well as some handy and youthful depth across the defence and midfield to support a first XI that can compete with every team in the league. The five-game winning streak, which included victories in domestic and European cup competitions, hints at what this team can deliver. Cut out the inconsistencies and Ange, the players and fanbase could well be celebrating some sort of silverware in the 2024-25 campaign.

- Rating: 7/10

10. Nottingham Forest (10 pts)

Surprise of the season

- Top 10 Finish: 4/15.00
- Relegation: 7/18.00

I doubt many people would have had Nottingham Forest in the top half of the table after seven games played, especially when you consider the opposition they've faced. They won at Liverpool and avoided defeat against Brighton and Chelsea, which is an excellent set of results for a club that is still prominent in the relegation market. Nuno Espirito Santo is doing a brilliant job and with four of Forest's next six games being on home soil, including games against Crystal Palace and Ipswich, this is a big chance for the Tricky Trees to establish themselves as genuine top 10 contenders.

But perhaps there in lies the problem. Forest's home form! They are yet to win at the City Ground this season and it's hard to say that they've had a tough start in front of their own fans having to face Bournemouth, Wolves and Fulham. They took just two points from a possible nine in those three games so their excellent start to the season really could have been better. They deserve a high rating for the start they've had to the campaign, but I'm fascinated to see how they perform on home soil in the coming weeks.

- Rating: 7.5/10

Now read Lewis Jones' piece on how he thinks would could profit from a Rodri-less Man City this season!