With 11 rounds of Premier League matches played and international football put to bed until March, a relegation battle is now firmly shaping up.
Although Sunderland and Swansea City are struggling, Hull City's 2-1 win last time out against Southampton lifted them to 10 points, which kept five teams within two points of 18th.
Stoke City and West Brom are only a further point above that, but Stoke's recent revival of 10 points from 12, and Tony Pulis' record of having never been relegated means they are not yet entered into the equation.;
ESPN FC examines those currently staring a relegation battle in the face.
20th: Sunderland, five points
What sends them down?
It might already be too late to save Sunderland, who suffered the worst 10-game start in Premier League history, with just two points and a goal difference of -13. Manager David Moyes was seemingly hapless in turning the season around. So far, he is struggling to replace the popular Sam Allardyce.
What keeps them up?
Winning 2-1 at Bournemouth on Nov. 5 was the Black Cats' first victory of the season, but they are not unfamiliar with waking up late. Last season, they did not win a match until Oct. 25. At least they have relegation battle experience on their side.
Key man:
Jermain Defoe has scored six goals thus far this season, which makes him the highest scoring Englishman in the division.
Survival rating: 3/10
19th: Swansea City, five points
What sends them down?
A previously unified club is now wracked by factions, with supporters unhappy at the club's sale to two American investors and their appointment of compatriot Bob Bradley to replace Francesco Guidolin in October. Bradley, with a single point from four matches, has struggled in English football and was barracked at the Liberty Stadium.
What keeps them up?
Bradley is insistent that hard work is Swansea's escape route, and he has experimented with his lineup each match. If he can get the best from attacking playmaker Gylfi Sigurdsson and winger Modou Barrow, then perhaps the Swans can start picking up results.
Key man:
Ki Sung-yueng possesses genuine midfield class if given space to play. Bradley must find someone to protect him in the centre.
Survival rating: 3/10
18th: Hull City, 10 points
What sends them down?
Hull have the scantest resources in the Premier League, after a summer of turmoil left them short of recruits. Previous manager Steve Bruce, who led promotion via last season's Championship playoffs, quit after transfer disputes with owners the Allam Family, who were waiting on a Chinese consortium to take over. That deal collapsed.
What keeps them up?
Mike Phelan, stepping in for old pal Bruce, fired a team spirit that won the first two matches of the campaign.
After six consecutive defeats, that Nov. 6 2-1 win over Southampton suggests it had not been extinguished. The Allams need to back Phelan, who was given the job permanently in October, in January's transfer window to keep hopes alive.
Key man:
If anyone embodies Hull's spirit, it is Sam Clucas, who is playing his first season of Premier League football and impressing in midfield.
Survival rating: 4/10
17th: West Ham United, 11 points
What sends them down?
Moving to the London Stadium is the most discussed factor in West Ham's slide from European qualifiers to relegation candidates, but that cannot be fully blamed. The Hammers have lost four from five away matches, and manager Slaven Bilic has been unable to inspire his squad as he did last season. Too often, his team have looked unprepared for matches and far too loose.
What keeps them up?
There is definite quality within the squad, and in each department save for striker, where perhaps Andre Ayew is the answer, after the £20.5 million, record signing from Swansea got injured as soon as he arrived. Any team featuring the skills of Manuel Lanzini and Dimitri Payet has the tools to win matches.
Key man:
Payet is the obvious star, but Michail Antonio has been the leading man, as he has scored five goals despite often playing as a right wing-back or full-back. He offers an energy that has otherwise been lacking in Bilic's team.
Survival rating: 6/10
16th: Crystal Palace, 11 points
What sends them down?
Alan Pardew is a manager whose teams have crested and slumped throughout his career. His Palace tenure, though, is beginning to resemble a long-term slump. Palace have won just five Premier League matches from 29 in 2016, with the last four lost in succession. The defence has not kept a clean sheet all season.
What keeps them up?
When £27 million has been paid for a striker, then it must be expected that Christian Benteke scores enough to save Palace. He has four goals so far but needs superior service do better than that.
Key man:
Winger Wilfried Zaha is much improved from last season and has kept his head down after being linked with Tottenham in the summer. He and new signing Andros Townsend have to replace the impact of the departed Yannick Bolasie.
Survival rating: 5/10
15th: Middlesbrough, 11 points
What sends them down?
Manager Aitor Karanka is inexperienced in the Premier League, having returned Boro there after seven years away, but he appears to be finding his feet after impressive recent draws at Arsenal and against Manchester City. Scoring goals, though, is a problem, with just 10 notched so far, and Alvaro Negredo has just a single strike from 11 matches.
What keeps them up?
Karanka has built up a squad of Championship graduates mixed with imports from Spanish football. It is a combination that has made Boro hard to beat, with George Friend and Ben Gibson, a Football League journeyman and youth product respectively, outstanding.
Key man:
Dutchman Martin de Roon, a £12 million signing from Atalanta in the summer, was brought in to do the midfield graft that Boro require if they are to fight for survival. His late equaliser at City was perhaps his club's moment of the season so far.
Survival rating: 6/10
14th: Leicester City, 12 points
What sends them down?
Complacency and distraction have surely hampered last season's champions. The Champions League, in which they have just two fewer points than in the Premier League, has been the understandable focus, but with potentially perilous consequences. N'Golo Kante is sorely missed, but so are the goals of Jamie Vardy, who has not scored in 12 matches over all competitions.
What keeps them up?
Once the Champions League group stage has been negotiated, surely Claudio Ranieri must find better from his team. If nothing else, then the likes of Riyad Mahrez need to convince that they are more than one-season wonders.
Key man:
If Kante has been missed in midfield, then Danny Drinkwater has at least maintained his high standards. He has performed at a level to suggest he will be targeted by grander concerns.
Survival rating: 8/10
13th: Bournemouth, 12 points
What sends them down?
Eddie Howe currently enjoys a vocal groundswell of support to be a future England manager. He cannot afford to have a relegation on his CV if that is his ambition, and consecutive losses to Middlesbrough and then Sunderland have dragged Bournemouth into the conversation. Goals are a problem, with only 13 scored in total. At the other end, faith in a back four of Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith, survivors from the lower divisions, is being tested.
What keeps them up?
Howe's single-minded approach to playing passing, attacking football means that Bournemouth can be capable of winning matches if they can improve their defensive performances. Jack Wilshere, on loan from Arsenal, has been a qualified success so far in midfield, and there is surely improvement to come if he avoids injury and gains further match sharpness.
Key man:
As the Irish national team have found out lately in World Cup qualifying, Harry Arter is a midfielder who can mix the physical side of the game with creativity. His continuing availability is probably more important than Wilshere's.
Survival rating: 6/10