Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and Brighton are all within four points of perfect Man City… but can any of them really stay the course in the title race and halt Pep Guardiola’s winning machine? 

• Man City have won all six of their games this season to move top of the table
• Liverpool, Brighton, Tottenham and Arsenal are still in touch with them for now
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here

Manchester City have made an ominous start to the Premier League season to prove they are, once again, the team to beat.

Last term they were forced to chase down Arsenal, eventually overtaking the Gunners in the final weeks of the campaign, but this time they have flown out the blocks.

Pep Guardiola’s men have won their first six league games, scoring 16 goals and conceding just three times. They have set their stall out early for a sixth title in seven years.

But they are not away and over the hills yet. After a disappointing 2022-23 season, Liverpool have bounced back to take 16 points from their opening six outings, Brighton have picked up 15, while north London rivals Tottenham and Arsenal are just a point further back.

Four teams are within four points of City, but can they stay the course? Mail Sport assesses their chances of keeping pace with City and potentially pipping them to the league.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City have won the league in five of the last six seasons

They have been perfect so far this season, winning all six of their league matches

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Liverpool 

The Reds have proven they can go toe-to-toe with City in the past, taking the title race to the final day in 2018-19 and 2021-22, while they finished 18 points clear of Guardiola’s side to secure their first Premier League title in 2019-20.

Jurgen Klopp would rather forget about last season, but his side appear to be finding their feet again.

They have picked up five successive wins to move up to second, and there have been plenty of positives to take from their campaign already.

Darwin Nunez looks to be finally settling into life at Anfield, summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai has caught the eye with his classy displays in midfield, and Mohamed Salah remains one of the league’s standout forwards.

The Merseyside outfit have the firepower up front to challenge City, with Klopp able to call on Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo to play alongside Nunez and Salah.

But there remain some doubts over whether the team are strong enough defensively. 

The club did not sign an out-and-out holding midfielder this summer to replace Fabinho, leaving them vulnerable to the counter-attack at times. Alexis Mac Allister has filled this role on several occasions, but has tended to play higher up the pitch for most of his career and is still adjusting to the position.

The team also have a tendency to start games slowly, having fallen behind against Bournemouth, Newcastle and Wolves already this season. They have come back to win all three games, highlighting the battling qualities of the squad, but Klopp’s team cannot afford to keep giving their opponents a head-start.

Liverpool look significantly better than last season, but will know they need to be almost perfect to have a chance of chasing down City. 

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool look to be returning to their best after a difficult 2022-23 season

Mohamed Salah (left) and Darwin Nunez (right) have started the season in stunning form

Brighton  

The Seagulls enjoyed their best top flight season ever last year, and could be set to do even better this season.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side have picked up where they left off, despite losing Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo over the summer.

They remain one of the best teams to watch in the league, and have scored 18 goals in their six games to date – no team has found the net more often.

Kaoru Mitoma is developing into one of the best wingers in England, and there is huge excitement over teenage striker Evan Ferguson following his hat-trick against Newcastle earlier this month.

Brighton’s biggest test is likely to be dealing with playing in Europe for the first time. The south coast club do not have the biggest squad, and playing three times a week is bound to be a difficult challenge.

Brighton have shown they can compete with any team on their day, yet they can throw in a below-par performance from time to time, as we saw when they lost 3-1 at home to West Ham.

City rarely have such slip-ups, and that is why they have been so dominant over the years.

These dips will stop Brighton from sticking with City across a 38-game campaign, but they have shown more than enough to suggest they could seal a place in Europe again this season, and potentially even challenge for a Champions League berth.

Roberto De Zerbi has been a revelation at Brighton, but the Seagulls have extra game in Europe to contend with this season

Tottenham  

Spurs have arguably been the surprise package of the season so far. 

There were some who were unconvinced by the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as manager, while losing Harry Kane to Bayern Munich on the eve of the season looked to be a major blow.

But Tottenham have proved their doubters wrong in the opening weeks of the season.

They are unbeaten in the league under the Australian coach, and playing a brand of attacking football that has got the fans firmly back on side after dismal campaigns in recent years under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.

A further sign of their improvement came on Sunday when they took the game to Arsenal in the north London derby, coming from behind twice to earn a 2-2 draw.

This followed on from them scoring twice in added time the previous week to pick up a dramatic 2-1 win against Sheffield United.

James Maddison believes the team are starting to show the grit needed to lose their ‘Spursy’ tag, and Postecoglou appears to have added a fighting spirit to the squad that was previously missing.

Spurs also have the advantage of not playing in Europe this season, allowing them to fully focus on their league matches.

Postecoglou has assembled a young squad, and inexperience can lead to inconsistency, meaning there may be ups and downs this season. Tottenham also lack depth in certain areas of the team, and will need some luck with injuries to keep their early-season momentum going.

It could also be argued that this is just a ‘honeymoon phase’ for Postecoglou, but this seems unlikely given the tests they have already overcome.

Realistically, it is almost certainly too early in this team’s development under Postecoglou for them to leapfrog City, but a top-four finish looks to be an achievable target.

Ange Postecoglou has transformed Tottenham’s fortunes since joining the club this summer

Arsenal  

The Gunners nearly got the better of City last season, but fell away badly when it mattered most in the run-in.

They haven’t lost any of their first six games in 2023-24, but are yet to click into top gear.

Declan Rice looks to be a fine addition to the squad, and Arsenal fans will be thankful his back complaint does not appear to be too serious, but Jurrien Timber is expected to miss most of the season through injury and Kai Havertz has looked lost in midfield at times.

Mikel Arteta tinkered with his starting XI at the start of the season by playing Thomas Partey as an inverted right back – an experiment that didn’t really work.

The team now looks more settled with Ben White returning to full back and Gabriel partnering William Saliba at the heart of the defence. Performances are steadily improving, and the side proved how deadly they can be on their return to the Champions League last week when they dismantled PSV Eindhoven 4-0 at the Emirates.

Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard are the heartbeat of the team, while Saliba is up there with the best defenders in the league right now.

However, Arsenal have already been involved in two 2-2 draws this season at home to Fulham and Tottenham, indicating they can be vulnerable when put under pressure.

Arteta also has to try and keep both his goalkeepers happy after dropping Aaron Ramsdale for David Raya, and there are concerns over whether Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah can score enough goals to take Arsenal to the title.

Ex-Gunners star Paul Merson has urged the club to sign Ivan Toney in January, and he could be the player to take Arsenal to the next level.

Arsenal are not far from everything falling into place, and they can be relatively pleased with their start to the season, but they cannot keep dropping silly points if they want to win the league for the first time in two decades.

Mikel Arteta wants his side to go one better after they finished second to City last season

There are doubts over whether Gabriel Jesus (left) and Eddie Nketiah (right) can score enough goals for Arsenal to mount a title challenge

Verdict 

Of the four teams hoping to give City a run for their money, Liverpool and Arsenal appear best placed to take the title race to the wire.

Liverpool have done it before and have rediscovered their swagger after a difficult 12 months. 

Tough tests lie ahead as they face Tottenham and Brighton in their next two league fixtures. We should then have a better understanding of exactly how good this current team is.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been building over the last four years under Arteta, and this season feels like a huge one for them.

Was last year their best chance to beat City, or have they got another level they can reach?

That question still needs to be answered, but fans have every right to be optimistic that the team can do something special this year.

Challenging for the title is likely to be a step too far for Brighton and Spurs, yet we all saw what happened with Leicester in 2016 so a bid for glory cannot be completely ruled out.

But, make no mistake, City are the clear favourites to retain their crown, and it will take a monumental effort from one of their rivals to stop them. 

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