Three Surprise Packages From The Premier League This Season

The Premier League hasn’t always been predictable, you get two teams that more or less battle for the main prize and you had around 3-4 clubs trying to make it into the top 4. That all did change with the money being spent at Chelsea and Manchester City but this season has been a little different.

With eight games of the season gone, the top of the table does provide a familiar sight with City leading Arsenal and Manchester United but the next three teams certainly were not expected to be this high at this stage of the season.

We look at the three surprise packages from this season of the Premier League and hopefully they can continue to defy the odds till the end of the season.

Crystal Palace

When Alan Pardew took over the club a few months ago, not many would have expected the much vilified former Newcastle manager to have such a huge turnaround at the club. Pardew had played there for a number of years and was always supported and loved by the fans; he has been able to break away from the shadow of Tony Pulis, who did a great job at the club by keeping them in the league a few seasons ago.

Pardew though has made them an attractive side and one of the performances of the season was when they beat Chelsea away from home. The team sit fourth in the Premier League and they might be punching above their weight, but no one can grudge them their position in the league.

Leicester City

Starting a new season with a new manager is never a good idea, especially when you just about managed to stay in the league last season but getting a manager who has been away from the English game for a long time is certainly suicidal, isn’t it? Not for Leicester City, they not only signed Claudio Ranieri but also brought in a lot of decent signings from the Bundesliga.

Leicester might be fifth at the moment, but they were the last team to get beaten in the league, the 2-5 loss against Arsenal. The season for Leicester has been topsy turvy and has included a lot of comebacks and amazing performances. Leicester might not finish this high in the league, but they are one tough side to beat this season.

West Ham

While Leicester brought in someone who did have some experience in English football management, West Ham brought in someone who is a bit of a madcap. Slaven Bilic didn’t do all that well when West Ham were knocked out of the Europa League, but then he turned it around with a great win at the Emirates, Anfield and the Etihad.

West Ham have been a bit of a hit and miss but still are sixth in the league. They might have missed out on the main Europa league stages this season, but they could qualify for the same next season if they continue in this form.