Arsenal is exceeding expectations, but trouble below

Dutch striker Robin van Persie (center) and young Arsenal have won nine matches in a row and are undefeated through 12 games. Carl de Souza/AFP/Getty Images

MAILBAG Keep the banter flowing to The Limey. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Eight weeks into the English Premier League season, Professor Limey is preparing his mid-semester reports on the class of 2007-08. José Mourinho's departure from Chelsea rocked the Casbah (and the footballing world), but has it severely dented the Blues' title chances? And what about the other challengers?

Can Arsenal hold first place? Will Manchester United and Liverpool truly find top gear? And what about the race for the UEFA Cup qualifying spots? And, indeed, the battle to stave off relegation? We bring you all the latest news and views on the most exciting start to an EPL season this century.

Arsenal is on top of the EPL, top of its Champions League group and for the first time ever, sits atop SI.com's World Power Rankings. Unbeaten in 12 games with nine straight wins, Arsène Wenger is even suggesting his team can repeat the feat of the "Invincibles" of the '03-04 season.

When former talisman Thierry Henry left for Barcelona in June, most thought Arsenal's season would again be trophy-less. But with Wenger's young bucks now free to play sublime passing soccer as a collective unit rather than focusing their play around a star striker, their form has improved.

Can Arsenal maintain its great start? Last weekend's 1-0 win at West Ham -- a team it lost home and away to last season -- was a positive sign it can. But the Gunners haven't yet played any of the other "Big Four," and do they have the strength in depth to cope with the loss of Kolo Touré, Emmanuel Adebayor, Emmanuel Eboué and Alexandre Song for as many as six weeks for the African Cup of Nations tournament in January?

Following a summer that saw $100 of new signings paraded at Old Trafford, most thought the champions would move up a gear from last season. Although Manchester United suffered a slow start to the season, it has amassed six 1-0 victories in its 10 EPL and European games so far this season, the latest being this week's 1-0 Champions League win over AS Roma (a 7-2 mauling in the same fixture last season).

These statistics tell a tale. United's defense has been solid this season, keeping eight clean sheets, but with the sale of Alan Smith, the retirement of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the injury proneness of Louis Saha, United is lacking an out-and-out goal scorer. In Carlos Tévez and Wayne Rooney, it has two of the best strikers in the world, but both are deep-lying forwards, not true hitmen. How well they adapt to playing together is vital to the success of United's season.

Liverpool currently lies fourth and is not living up to our preseason expectations. Are we being too harsh on a team two points off second place with a game in hand? The short answer is no. Liverpool, through frustrating inconsistency, has failed to capitalize on Manchester United's early-season mishaps, and this week deservedly lost 1-0 at home to Marseille (fourth from last in Ligue 1) on the heels of scraping a 1-1 draw at FC Porto in its other European outing.

Steven Gerrard has been hampered by a niggling injury, while Daniel Agger and Xabi Alonso are stuck in the treatment room. Are Rafa Benítez's tactics also to blame? Liverpool's cautious early-game style has allowed teams like Birmingham and Marseille to settle and get into their stride, while Benítez's rotation policy is also questionable.

1 of 2