Shock team pips Manchester United to top in pre-lockdown form guide

First the Bundesliga was back, then LaLiga returned, and next up is the Premier League. On Wednesday night, over three months since the last Premier League game, action from England's top tier returns to our screens. 

Aston Villa and Leicester were the last two Premier League sides in action and it's the former who come full circle with the Villans kicking off the league's resumption with the welcome of Sheffield United. That's followed up by Manchester City's clash with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium to bring every team on to 29 league matches. 

Villa will be hoping to improve upon their relegation form to secure their Premier League safety when the Blades make the trip to Villa Park. Indeed, Villa's WhoScored rating from their six matches pre-lockdown was a lowly 6.42, that the worst in England's top tier. The team form rankings are based on a six-game run, chronologically weighted so the most recent result carries the greatest impact, and Villa have a game in hand, which is a boost, but Dean Smith's side needs to up their game over the coming weeks if they are to beat the drop. 

Everton (6.60) and Newcastle (6.64) make up the bottom three in the Premier League form table, while at the other end of the standings; it's not Liverpool, Manchester City or Leicester who occupy top spot. 

Burnley are the only Premier League whose WhoScored rating ranks above a 7.00 with the Clarets yielding a 7.02 from their last six league outings. Now unbeaten in seven league matches - only Arsenal (8) are on a longer current unbeaten streak - Burnley have surged away from the relegation zone and into 10th in England's top tier, yet they are currently showing title winning form according to WhoScored's rating system. 

Burnley aren't the only side to be playing above their league position with each team in the top four all boasting better WhoScored ratings than their league standing suggests, with Manchester United, Wolves and Arsenal making up the form table Champions League spots. 

Champions-elect Liverpool currently boast a form rating of 6.88, that the seventh best in the Premier League, with the Reds losing their first game of the season in the penultimate round of games prior to the league's suspension, and they didn't look particularly solid in wins over West Ham, Bournemouth or Norwich in their last six, which explains the drop down the leaderboard. 

For defending champions City, the form guide makes for worse reading with Pep Guardiola's side down in 10th with a WhoScored rating of 6.76 following a run of two defeats from their last four. For top-four chasing Tottenham, they sit a spot below City with a WhoScored rating of 6.74. 

In fact every side has swapped position in the form guide table compared to their actual league position, save for Watford, whose form mirrors their league standing of 17th. The relegation candidates have a form rating of 6.64, just 0.01 above their seasonal average, with the Hornets winning just one of their last six, that at home to league leaders Liverpool. As far as the relegation threatened sides are concerned, it's West Ham who were in the best form pre-lockdown, recording a WhoScored rating of 6.73 before football's suspension to put them 12th and just 0.01 behind rivals Tottenham.