The Early Weeks of the New Football Season - How 2019-20 is shaping up so far

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August is only just drawing to a close, but the new Premier League season is already in full swing. The usual suspects in the Big Six are the teams that everyone wants to beat, while the arrivals from the Championship are starting to find their feet.

There's a general consensus that it usually takes a few weeks for things to fully shake out in a new season. As it goes, the first week contained few major surprises – you can take a look at bestbettingsites.uk's analysis for an in-depth view. But subsequently, there have been a few indicators that the season might have some unexpected twists and turns in store. Here's our own take on three lessons we can learn from the opening salvos.

The Big Six are ripe for disruption Even with Manchester United's disastrous start, there was still a visible gulf last year between the top six teams and the chasing pack. It was a little like the current situation in Formula One where there you see an ever growing amount of fresh air between the Mercedes, Ferraris and Red Bulls and all the rest as the race progresses. This year, though, two teams in particular could upset the apple cart and put in a genuine battle for a top spot and a Champions League berth.

Leicester have history on their side and showed that they are a match for anyone when they held Chelsea to a draw on 18 August. Wolves had a wonderful promotion year in 2018/19 and have added depth to go even better in this campaign. Meanwhile, United and Chelsea in particular have had the shakiest starts imaginable. The old order might just be crumbling.

The Blades can cut it at the highest level This year's trio of promoted teams were all very different. Aston Villa were seen as returning to their rightful home, while Norwich is a team that can delight and frustrate in equal measure. Both were seen as ones to watch for the season ahead. As for the third team – well, Sheffield United were warmly congratulated for achieving promotion, but this was the team all the bookies had as odds on to "do a Fulham" and yoyo straight back down.

Those who love to back an underdog will be delighted with the fight they have shown so far. The Blades slugged it out for a draw in their first Premier League game with Bournemouth, then got the better of Crystal Palace. They even looked a match for top-six hopefuls Leicester, and will have taken heart from that game despite ultimately coming out second best. Bookmakers have slashed the odds of them staying up to 10/11, but those who really believe might be tempted to back them for a top ten finish at 10/1. If so, grab those odds while you can.

The Golden Boot is coming home Last year, the battle to be top goal scorer went down to the wire, before ending in a remarkable three way tie between Aubmeyang, Mane and Salah. Tottenham fans will argue that this was only due to Harry Kane's absence through injury in the latter part of the season.

If it was any other player, you might dismiss that as hyperbole, but his record stands for itself. Two against Villa could easily have been more, and while it's doubtful whether Tottenham will be able to launch a season-long challenge to Manchester City, there's no question among the bookies that there's no better goal scorer than the England skipper. Even at this early stage in proceedings he is odds on to join Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in an exclusive club of three-time Golden Boot winners.