The best and worst of the English top tier.
SEE ALSO: best Premier League players 2014/15
After three matches the 2014/15 Premier League season is taking a short break for international friendlies and qualifiers, so CaughtOffside chose this opportunity to bring you the five biggest winners and losers so far this term.
Losers
Louis van Gaal
It’s too early to judge the 63-year-old just yet, but draws with Sunderland and Burnley and a home defeat to Swansea City can never be considered a good start for a man who is meant to be turning the club’s fortunes around.
Van Gaal has an impressive CV and has spent big this summer so we can’t see this form sticking, but for now the Dutchman has to be considered a flop.
QPR’s defence
Admittedly the Hoops kept a clean-sheet in their last outing against the Black Cats, but a back line that contains both Richard Dunne and Rio Ferdinand looks horribly immobile and vulnerable.
Harry Redknapp likes to rely on expensive and established players, but this tactic can be catastrophic for a club if it doesn’t work out and the West Londoners will do well to avoid relegation this term.
Malky Mackay and Iain Moody
On the cusp of taking charge at Crystal Palace following the sudden departure of Tony Pulis as boss, Mackay’s reputation would be plunged to new lows after text messages between himself and Eagles sporting director Moody were leaked to the FA.
The two men were alleged to be sending texts to each other that were homophobic, sexist and racist, which saw Moody resign from his position at Selhurst Park and leave Mackay without a job for the foreseeable future.
Petr Cech
It’s perhaps a little harsh to include the Czech Republic international as a loser as he has done little wrong, other than perhaps not being the most promising young goalkeeper in world football.
After more than a decade between the sticks for Chelsea the 32-year-old has lost his place to the young pretender – Thibaut Courtois – who’s early performances suggest Cech’s time at Stamford Bridge could well be over.
Burnley’s transfer dealings
As many big spending promoted clubs have found out in the past, sanctioning lots of money doesn’t necessarily guarantee survival – but it doesn’t hurt either.
There’s a lot to admire about the Clarets, with a likable manager in Sean Dyche and a tradition in the game, but their signings over the summer will have inspired few at Turf Moor and the Championship looks to beckon already.
Winners
Diego Costa
Signed from Atletico Madrid for his release clause of £32m in the summer there were some doubts over whether the Spain international could cut it in England.
Yet four league goals later and there are few critics remaining, as Costa’s physical style and eye for goal appears to be the perfect combination and the missing link in Jose Mourinho’s success story.
Garry Monk
The controversy that surrounded Michael Laudrup’s dismissal as Swans manager somewhat overshadowed the fact that the inexperienced Monk was taking charge.
In fact that was the 35-year-old’s first role in a dugout, which was made permanent in the summer and despite some questioning whether that was a good idea, maximum points so far suggests otherwise.
Aston Villa’s defence
Marshalled by the reinvigorated Ron Vlaar the Birmingham side have the joint best defensive record in the division currently having conceded just once.
Whether or not Paul Lambert’s men can maintain this form is another matter, but clearly a decent World Cup campaign did wonders for Vlaar’s confidence and it’s rubbing off on those around him.
Raheem Sterling
Brendan Rodgers really has done wonders for this 19-year-old’s career, who has now honed his raw talent to become a formidable presence and arguably the best teenager in world football currently.
Sterling has already scored two league goals and looks to simply get better and better as the campaign goes on, which could be key to Liverpool’s success in the absence of Luis Suarez.
Ronald Koeman
It looked as if the wheels had fallen off at Southampton this summer as no fewer than five of their key players left and their manager Mauricio Pochettino was poached by Tottenham Hotspur.
The appointment of the highly regarded Koeman only lifted moods slightly and his influx of unknown figures in English football barely raised an eyebrow, but the Dutchman has the Saints playing equally as attractive football as they were in 2013/14.
SEE ALSO: All the Premier League done deals.