Revealed: Premier League’s best performing club, data analysts reveal new league table format

It is said that the standings never lie, but what happens if they do?

The Premier League season has just begun, with Arsenal at the top of the table, and Wolves at the bottom of the table.

As Premier League teams have put down their swords for now, we’ve consulted with Opta to provide a catchy ‘top/bottom performance table’ calculated from ‘match result simulations based on individual shot xG’.

In other words, it shows which clubs are at the bottom of the standings and which clubs are at the top based on the underlying data.

The early Thomas Frank era certainly would have looked and felt a lot different had his team finished 13th, but that’s a credit to Kudus and co. This is because it has the effect of ensuring victory even when the statistics are unfavorable.

That was proven again against Leeds, where the Whites had more shots (16 to 9) and had more shots on target (4 to 3).

Spurs were also badly beaten in these categories against Bournemouth in August, with Andoni Iraola’s Cherries recording more shots on target (20-6) and more shots on target (6-1).

Will Spurs be able to continue their upward trajectory this season as play resumes, or will the data trend line come back to haunt them?

Manchester United fans also took another step forward into the international break following their team’s calm victory over Sunderland.

This is their first home league win of three consecutive games since August 2023, and they have moved into the top half.

Opta suggest they should currently be in the top four of the UEFA Champions League places, a nod to the underlying strong play of Ruben Amorim’s developing team, and things have only improved from there.

We’ll find out more about their return when they visit Liverpool on October 19, when PL action resumes.

Sitting second in the table is not a disaster, but Opta’s predicted position is four places down to sixth, hinting at some of the struggles they are facing this term.

Some of this is thought to be due to injuries. Right-back has been a problematic spot with Jeremy Frimpong and Conor Bradley both spending time on the sidelines, but there has also been significant personnel turnover, particularly in the attacking half.

Hugo Ekitike has started the season well but has only scored one goal since August 25, Florian Wirtz is yet to register a goal contribution for his new club and Alexander Isak is still working his way back to full fitness.

Getting the new forward fit and then letting him go will be at the top of manager Arne Slott’s wish list when he reconvenes after the international break.