For all of you out there that get depressed during the international break (not sure why that is), hopefully these rankings will help snap you out of that funk. But we have some business to take care of before we get to the rankings thanks to two individuals who committed serious diving offenses.
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Name: Luis Suarez
Club: Liverpool
Game: 10/7 v. Stoke
Offense: Possibly the worst diving attempt to draw a penalty in the box that the world has ever seen. This is bad even for a guy like Suarez who spends half his time on the ground. And he wonders why he doesn't draw fouls from referees.
Sergio Busquets Scale: ★★★★★★ (Let it be known this scale is out of 5)
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Name: Gareth Bale
Club: Tottenham
Game: 10/7 v. Aston Villa
Offense: Going down without even being touched by Villa keeper Brad Guzan. As great of a player that Bale is, incidents like this sure aren't helping his case for saying he isn't a diver.
Sergio Busquets Scale: ★★★★★
Antonio Valencia...your dive against Liverpool is all but forgotten after these two offenses. On to the rankings. Each team's previous ranking will be in parentheses.
1. Chelsea (1): Four points clear of the two Manchester clubs after the dismantling of Norwich City on Saturday. Even Frank Lampard found the back of the net from a place other than the penalty spot. The midfield trio of Mata, Oscar and Hazard are terrorizing opponents right now.
2. Manchester United (3): What a performance yesterday by the Red Devils. United finally woke up from their six-week slumber to thrash Newcastle 3-0 on the road. Nothing like a couple of goals from your backline to forget how poor it has been. Oh and I don't care what he says. There is no way Cleverley was going for goal on that "golazo".
3. Tottenham (8): Spurs kept their momentum rolling with a strong second half to dispose of Aston Villa on Sunday. Good for Aaron Lennon for not only getting on the scoresheet, but getting recalled to the England National Team.
4. Arsenal (4): Has there been a better player this season than Santi Cazorla? His goal against West Ham was pure class. The Gunners bounced back nicely after their loss to Chelsea and could have Jack Wilshere, Bacary Sagna and Abou Diaby back after the international break.
5. Manchester City (5): They looked better against Sunderland, but City still hasn't reached the level they were at last season. Although having a healthy Sergio Aguero back will sure help that cause. Still not sure what Mancini is going to do with Balotelli. He storms off after being subbed off and apparently flies to Italy a few hours after. Might be best served to keep the Italian riding the bench.
6. Everton (2): A draw at Wigan drops Everton a few spots in the rankings. They showed excellent resilience though to fight back and earn a draw. Leighton Banes is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. That says a lot since he plays at left back.
7. West Brom (6): The strong start continues for West Brom with a home win against lowly QPR. West Brom has taken all twelve points from their first four home matches. Their biggest test of the season will be after the international break when Manchester City visits the Hawthorns.
8. West Ham (10): Tough loss for the Hammers after scoring the first goal against Arsenal on Saturday. With the roster they have though a top half finish in the table is definitely possible. Even after Vaz Te's dislocated shoulder.
9. Fulham (9): What a wild finish Fulham had with Southampton on Sunday with both teams scoring in the final two minutes. Both teams deserved a point so it was fitting that it ended in a draw. Martin Jol better hope the rumors about Manchester United going after Brede Hangeland in January end up just being rumors.
10. Newcastle (7): As great as United looked yesterday, Newcastle looked just as poor. I'll give them a bit of a pass since Krul, Taylor and Coloccini missed the match due to injury, but no one should be that poor at marking cornerkicks.
11. Sunderland (11): I'm sticking with Sunderland at 11 despite their 3-0 defeat at Manchester City. After all, it was their first loss of the campaign. They need to start taking three points from matches instead of one to move up higher.
12. Stoke City (13): It's never pretty but it's somewhat effective. Stoke earned you guessed it, a scoreless draw at Anfield yesterday for another hard-earned point. Their inability to score consistently keeps them from the top half, but their stingy defense keeps them away from relegation.
13. Liverpool (15): Are they ever going to win at home? No seriously, are they? If Liverpool have any ambition of challenging for a place in the top four they have to start winning at Anfield. Oh and Luis Suarez needs to score against opponents other than Norwich City.
14. Wigan (16): Solid draw against Everton on Saturday although I'm sure Roberto Martinez is a bit bummed after yielding such a late equalizer. With the way some of the teams are playing so far in the EPL, Wigan should feel good about their chances at staying in the top flight.
15. Southampton (12): The anti-Stoke. A team that can score but can't stop their opponent from doing the same. Jose Fonte's stoppage time leveler against Fulham may prove to be monumental come April and May.
16. Swansea City (14): Boy did Swansea avoid a total meltdown by erasing a two-goal deficit at home to Reading. It feels like months ago that they won their first two matches of the season. It's very surprising that they are still 11th in the table.
17. Reading (17): Now to the team on the other side of the 2-2 draw with Swansea. Reading missed out on a golden opportunity to win their first match since being promoted. Keeper Adam Fedirici is playing much better than he did at the start of the campaign when he let in a couple howlers.
18. Aston Villa (18): Not sure why Paul Lambert doesn't start Darren Bent. He leads the team with two goals but Lambert insists on keeping him as a substitute. If it was me and my team was in a relegation battle, I'd probably play my best goalscorer.
19. Queens Park Rangers (19): Based on the talent that's on their roster, they avoid the bottom spot yet again. Can't quite understand why Mark Hughes has the job security he seems to have though. A managerial move might be just the thing to spark this lifeless squad.
20. Norwich City (20): Hey they scored first against Chelsea! Too bad that lead lasted about three minutes. Then the real Norwich City showed up as they surrendered four goals in a 4-1 loss. Doesn't get any easier as they host Arsenal after the international break.
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