CHANGING OF THE GUARD: Farke and Leeds leading charge of clubs who can upset Premier League applecart after impressive starts to new top-flight season

For those keeping a close eye on Daniel Farke in the immediate aftermath of a wonderful win over Newcastle United, it will come as no surprise to find the German is one of Pep Guardiola’s closer managerial friends.

And Farke is also one of Guardiola’s multitude of disciples, which might explain why he was frowning over and talking about a late error rather than instantly celebrating what felt like a landmark victory.

It was quintessential Pep. Leeds United’s performance in the rout of Newcastle was one that Guardiola would have admired, that is for sure.

And he will be pleased that Farke can enjoy some time in the limelight. Leeds sit third in the table ahead of a home game against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

There is every chance they will stay in that position when the Premier League breaks for an international window. The table is, of course, in its very formative stages.

If you need reminding of the folly of reading too much into an early-season table, Spurs were third at this stage of last season. But you cannot deny that the presence of Leeds, Hull and Brighton in third, fourth and fifth places respectively is eye-catching. As are their performances.

Between them, they scored eleven goals in the last round of fixtures. Hull contributed only two, but those two were at Stamford Bridge.

Leeds and Hull are undefeated while Brighton’s only loss came at Chelsea, where they were beaten 4-3 despite enjoying over 74 percent possession and looking the better team for long periods of the contest. Brighton’s manager, Fabian Hurzeler, now has more than two years of Premier League experience.

Farke is in his fifth season as a Premier League manager, although one of them was curtailed when he was sacked by Norwich in November, 2021. They are both well aware of the demands.

At Hull, Sergej Jakirovic is in his first Premier League season but already has a Manager of the Month award in his locker. It will remain a major challenge for Jakirovic to even keep his side in the top half of the Premier League table but there is no doubt a summer outlay of £150million helped his cause.

Leeds did not spend as much as Hull but James Trafford might well have been the signing of the summer and centre-half Tarik Muharemovic - despite the late mistake against Newcastle that sent Farke into Pep mode - looks a great acquisition. As usual, Brighton made a profit in the transfer window but still reinvested £150million.

These clubs are embracing the challenge. Brighton’s challenge is to continue making their mark, Leeds’ challenge is to improve significantly on last season and Hull’s is to show they are not in the competition to make up the numbers.

And what gives them genuine hope of maintaining their promising starts to the season? Here's what - the fact that below Arsenal and Manchester City, no group looks as though it might separate itself from the rest.

You might think teams such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Aston Villa and even Chelsea could form a second tier but there are absolutely no signs of that happening right now. There are certainly serious reservations about any of those sides being able to mount a sustained title run.