Premier League top six preview: Alex Keble looks at why Arsenal, Chelsea & Man Utd could all miss out on a top six finish

But all of a sudden their dominance is under threat. Mismanagement at Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal has made each club vulnerable to slipping out of the top six, while Leicester City, Everton, and Wolverhampton Wanderers all look ready to step up.

The clubs at risk

Man Utd

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s run of nine points from the final eight games of the 2018/19 season suggests his apparent tactical acumen during late winter was a false dawn. In short, the club possess an inexperienced and frankly unqualified manager presiding over the worst Man Utd squad of the Premier League era. They still don’t have a director of football and, with transfer sagas still rumbling on while Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku look for an exit, United appear to be in a worse position than at the start of their ill-fated 2013/14 season under David Moyes.

But we don’t need to go that far back to see the club are in crisis. Ander Herrera’s ability to stitch the lines together was always critically under-valued at the club, and his exit along with dressing-room leaders Antonio Valencia, Pogba, and Lukaku will leave United notably weaker than this time a year ago, when Jose Mourinho was denied Harry Maguire – a player Ed Woodward is now embarrassingly pursuing at a much higher price. Repeating last year’s sixth-place finish and 66-point haul, then, will be very difficult, and that’s before taking into account that United actually over-achieved in 2018/19.

Taking out the ‘manager bounce’ 12-match run shortly after Solskjaer’s appointment United won 34 points from 26 matches. That is nowhere near good enough for the top six. A similar run of positive results to the one in January and February is unlikely, too, given that it was mostly reliant on want-away Pogba’s 16 goals and assists – and because, according to understat.com, United actually won eight ‘unexpected points’ during this sequence.

The clouds are gathering over Old Trafford for a full-scale disaster in 2019/20.

Chelsea

Frank Lampard’s appointment was a romantic choice, not a pragmatic one, even if Chelsea’s transfer ban means younger players will be needed more than usual in 2019/20. The likes of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham might be talented, but they aren’t Big Six players just yet, leaving Chelsea with a squad low on quality.

With Eden Hazard in Madrid, Chelsea have lost the fulcrum of their attack. Their players must re-learn how to play without relying on a touch of genius on the left, without Hazard’s 31 league goals and assists (49% of their total last season). To do so without a goalscoring striker will be particularly difficult, especially given that Christian Pulisic will need time to adapt to English football. It is easy to envisage a string of low-scoring matches in which the wheels fall off for Chelsea’s inexperienced manager.

Chelsea may indeed have enough quality in defence and midfield to make Stamford Bridge a tough place to visit (restoring N’Golo Kante to defensive midfield will be transformative), leading to a top six finish, but it certainly isn’t guaranteed. Appointing a legendary player from the Mourinho era does not mean Roman Abramovich has given up on attempting to change Chelsea’s playing style; Lampard’s possession football and high pressing does not suit the squad at his disposal.

The last head coach met huge resistance, and while fans will be infinitely more patient with Lampard he does not have Hazard to bail him out when things get tough; when the schedule becomes gruelling; and when Chelsea’s dearth of attacking talent emboldens opponents to get creative.

Arsenal

Signing a highly-rated young winger for £72 million might be exciting news for Arsenal supporters, but it should worry them that, following the lengthy attempt to prise Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace, the club hierarchy are prioritising attack over defence. Certainly the Gunners could do with an upgrade on Alex Iwobi, but of greater concern should be central defence, left-back, and central midfield. Unless they find players in these three positions – and considering the entire budget has been blown on Nicolas Pepe, they surely won’t – Arsenal could be set for an implosion.

Laurent Koscielny’s tantrum has seriously upset the Arsenal dressing room, the club captain causing damage that Unai Emery may not be able to repair. Losing Aaron Ramsey had already significantly weakened the Arsenal first 11, and so Koscielny’s imminent departure could mean crisis for a squad already seriously lacking leadership.

The clubs ready to gate-crash

Leicester City

In the 11 Premier League matches since Brendan Rodgers’ appointment Leicester amassed 20 points, the fifth most in the division and just one point off fourth. Following an uninterrupted summer of Rodgers’ tactical coaching they are undoubtedly top four contenders, boasting a young and talented first 11 that is arguably better, man-for-man, than Man Utd’s or Arsenal’s.

Youri Tielemans has been signed permanently from AS Monaco, an obvious coup, but potentially of equal importance is Ayoze Perez’s arrival from Newcastle. His versatility across the front and his goalscoring ability (12 last season) makes him ideal for Rodgers’ high-energy possession football, and makes him an ideal foil for Jamie Vardy.