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Around 10 years ago, it used to be the 'Top 4': perennial winners Manchester United and Arsenal besides the nouveau-riche Chelsea and battling Liverpool.
Now, it could be argued that Tottenham and Manchester City have been included making it a 'Top 6' with these teams being far ahead of the rest of the league in terms of player quality, finances and resources.
Burnley are challenging this season while Leicester famously triumphed over them all in their unexpected 2015/2016 league win. However, the aforementioned 6 have over time proven to be the strongest and find themselves competing against each other for the league title and UCL.
The games between the teams get top billing by the TV networks as they have the biggest stars and the best managers.
They're not without their problems, though, and this slideshow will expose the defensive weak link in each of the 'Top 6' teams: the player that opposing teams try to exploit.
Fabian Delph (Manchester City)
It should be noted here that Delph is the weakest player in the regular Manchester City team through no fault of his own. He was brought into the side to cover for the unfortunate Benjamin Mendy who picked up an injury early in his debut season.
Delph has performed decently in an unusual left-back position. Naturally left-footed, he's ensured that City haven't felt new signing Mendy's loss too keenly. That being said, in a team as strong as City tactically, Delph was always going to be the weak link. Kyle Walker has been a commanding force on the right-hand side of the pitch, both in defence and attack, meaning teams know that their best chance of getting in behind City's defence is on the opposite side of the pitch.
Against the most skilful of attackers, he can appear flat-footed and hesitant, with City thankfully not being exposed too much in their sensational start to the season. It certainly helps to have a goalkeeper with the confidence levels of Ederson behind you.
Chris Smalling (Manchester United)
Long a figure of derision, Chris Smalling gets unfair criticism a lot of the time. He's been a mainstay of Manchester United's back line for 6 years now, something that doesn't happen if you have no talent. Comparing him to their other options in the centre-back positions, though, shows why he's the weakest defender.
Eric Bailly has been an excellent find, a powerful and confident defender whose struggled with injuries since arriving. Victor Lindelof was signed for a lot of money in the summer transfer window and looked clumsy, to begin with, but will surely find his feet soon. Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind offer the balance of being left-footed, while Phil Jones, despite his somewhat comical reputation in the media, has the commitment and fearlessness that Smalling lacks.
The impression one gets when watching him play is that a skilful defender in the mould of Rio Ferdinand but without the confidence to back it up. It always feels like a big mistake is lurking in Smalling's performance. That he's been the senior leader of the defence for much of the past few seasons speaks volumes of Manchester United's poor recruitment; why Jonny Evans was allowed to leave remains a mystery.
Dejan Lovren (Liverpool)
The most obvious selection in this slide show, Dejan Lovren has been turning in suspect performances for a few years now at Liverpool. He is, simply, too clumsy to be playing at such a high level. Time and again Liverpool have seen good team performances ruined by defensive errors by the Croatian.
That a team with such a potent attacking front three in Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mo Salah are punctured by such a poor defence is almost comical. Lovren has failed to form a solid partnership with any of the centre-backs he's played beside, seemingly lacking the necessary communication skills to marshal a defence. He's not expected to be a ball-player, passing out of defence to initiate attacks, but the skills expected of a man of his size - heading ability and strength - appear to be lacking too much of the time too.
The arrival of Virgil van Dijk this month from Lovren's old team Southampton should help Liverpool's performances immeasurably, and it would be expected that it will be Lovren himself to make way for him in the centre of defence.
Tiemoue Bakayoko (Chelsea)
There was excitement when Bakayoko arrived in the summer from the surprise French champions Monaco. His performances in their run to the Champions League semi-finals had caught the eye: full of power, he was a highly effective midfield defender and ball-carrier. The idea of pairing him with the tireless N'Golo Kante seemed like a perfect combination, the two Frenchmen providing the solid defensive platform for Eden Hazard and Willian to play freely in front of them.
It hasn't, surprisingly, worked out as planned. Bakayoko has looked and played like a man belying his huge stature. Offering no adequate cover and no attacking verve, his performances have led many fans to question allowing Nemanja Matic to join their rivals Manchester United in the summer (a move that has worked out tremendously for the Red Devils).
N'Golo Kante has been missing for much of the first half of the season, certainly, but that doesn't excuse the level Bakayoko has been playing at. Perhaps he needs more time to settle into his new surroundings but, as it stands, it doesn't seem like the player will be following the great Claude Makelele and Michael Essien as a successful Chelsea defensive midfield dynamo.
Eric Dier (Tottenham)
It's tough to call Eric Dier the weak link because Tottenham are a side renowned for their teamwork and tactical discipline with Mauricio Pochettino creating an extremely pleasing and effective side. Dier has been marshalling the midfield for both Tottenham and his national side England for a while now too, something which should rightfully be commended.
However, when considering the other 10 players around him for his club, he starts to appear as the weakest member of the side. Starting out in defence, Dier has absolutely no chance splitting up arguably the best centre-back partnership in Europe in Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen.
In their usual front four of Harry Kane, Heung-Min Son, Cristian Eriksen, and Dele Alli, Spurs have attackers completely in sync with one another. They're clearly a side strong in every department but Eric Dier just doesn't offer as much as the others. He's a capable defensive midfielder, certainly, but he lacks the athleticism required to truly be elite in the position.
There's the suspicion also that Spurs' other options for his position - Victor Wanyama, Mousa Dembele, and Harry Winks - provide something more respectively and will eventually move Eric Dier out of the first team. Dier is akin to a player like Jordan Henderson: competent, dependable, but lacking the extra ability to play for a title-winning team.
Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)
Once thought of extremely highly by Arsenal fans and pundits alike, Hector Bellerin's reputation has surprisingly plummeted lately. He's not performed this season anywhere near his best, perhaps indicative of his team's struggles as a whole. Compared to the power and solidity of new signing Sead Kolasinac on the left-hand side, Bellerin's defensive abilities, especially in one-on-one situations, is very weak.
He's definitely an athlete, perhaps the fastest defender in the league, but the idea of him being an athlete and an athlete only grows by the game (similar in this respect to another Arsenal underachiever Theo Walcott). His production levels in attack have been lacking, his involvement in link-up play poor; Bellerin just appears a little lost right now.
It should be noted that he is still young, young enough to improve and return to his best levels. For a club struggling to maintain their 'top 6' status as Arsenal are just now, though, they need a right back offering more cover defensively.
