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Why Coventry, Tottenham and Aston Villa should not panic about their slow starts

1 min read Rewritten in plain language

Premier LeagueFootballCoventry CityAston VillaFulham

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  • Coventry have no points, Spurs have no goals and Villa have dipped again.
  • A 1-0 defeat at home to fellow promoted side Hull and a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton on Sunday have brought realisation that the Premier League is a tricky business.
  • Coventry are the eighth promoted team to lose their first four games of a Premier League season.
  • For Coventry, look no further than Crystal Palace from the 2017-18 season.
  • Norwich lost their first six in the 2021-22 season and finished bottom on 22 points, while a further three teams have lost their first five in the Premier League: Southampton in 1998-99, Sunderland in 2005-06, and Wolves last season.

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Coventry have no points, Spurs have no goals and Villa have dipped again.

We’re only in mid-September, but that early optimism has melted away and been replaced by anxiety for some fans.

Coventry had every reason to look forward to the season, their first in the Premier League since 2001.

A 1-0 defeat at home to fellow promoted side Hull and a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Brighton on Sunday have brought realisation that the Premier League is a tricky business. Taiwo Awoniyi’s red card in the second half against Brighton did not help, but they were already 2-0 down by then.

Coventry are the eighth promoted team to lose their first four games of a Premier League season. Only one avoided relegation: Southampton in 2012-13.

Looking at all the teams that have lost their first four game in a Premier League campaign, it is a little more comforting. Eighteen did that before Coventry and eight of them stayed up, the most recent of which was Everton in 2024-25.

For Coventry, look no further than Crystal Palace from the 2017-18 season.

The other joint-longest run at the start of a Premier League season without a point belongs to Portsmouth, who failed to win their first seven in 2009-10.

Norwich lost their first six in the 2021-22 season and finished bottom on 22 points, while a further three teams have lost their first five in the Premier League: Southampton in 1998-99, Sunderland in 2005-06, and Wolves last season.

As well as the aforementioned Palace campaign, there was Sheffield Wednesday in 1994-95, Newcastle in 2005-06, Swansea in 2011-12, and Aston Villa last season.

Shortened to 1 minute of reading, this version reads 10.9 on the Niral Score.

You are reading our version, not theirs. This is The Guardian Australia (Sport)'s report shortened to its most important sentences, in plainer words, with verdicts and loaded words taken out. Plain description stays, and so do adjectives that carry a fact, such as "former" or "federal". The reporting, the facts and the quotations are theirs — quotations are never edited — and the indicators beside it measure this version. Hover or tap Adjectives to see every one left in the text.

How this outlet filed it, and how we rewrote it

No other newsroom we read has filed on this event, so there is nothing to compare it with yet.

Outlet Niral ScoreAdjectivesSentimentHappiness
The Guardian Australia (Sport)as they published this story 21.4 21 0.2 43.3
Mundane Readneutralized from The Guardian Australia (Sport) 14.9 18 0.3 52.1

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