We have reached the halfway point of the Premier League season and its been chalked full of drama. Each team enters the season with aspirations, many of which differ from club to club. Clubs like Manchester City and Liverpool undoubtedly expect to be challenging for the title, while clubs like Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town will be happy by simply avoiding relegation and securing Premier League football for another season.
In this blog post, I will analyze each of the 20 PL club's season thus far and offer them a grade based on their position in the table, their performances and any other important contributing factors.
Liverpool
Points: 51
Goals For: 43
Goals Against: 7
Top Scorer: Mohamed Salah (15 All Comps, 12 PL)
Other Key Player: Alisson
Grade: A+
For Liverpool to be leading the Premier League at Christmas is no small feat. Even more impressive is the fact that the Reds have not lost a match in the Premier League (16W, 3D) and are six points above their closest challengers. Liverpool's star-studded offense has survived from seasons past, featuring players such as Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. However, Jurgen Klopp has worked hard to strengthen the squad from front to back in order to make them a legitimate title contender. Klopp has brought in reinforcements in the form of Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabinho to help offer the team depth. The biggest signings Klopp has made have helped Liverpool become a defensive force, having conceded the fewest goals in the league by a significant portion. Center back Virgil Van Dijk has been instrumental in the transformation, and now is widely considered one of the best defenders in the world. Goalkeeper Alisson Becker was bought from AS Roma in the summer to address a weak spot in the Liverpool side, and he has exceeded all expectations. Having been at the time of his transfer the world's most expensive goalkeeper, he has proved his worth by securing 12 clean sheets in 19 attempts in the league, and making 45 saves on 52 shots on target. Liverpool also boast an impressive group of outside backs, headlined by Scotland international Andrew Robertson and youngster Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The quality of the players in the squad is one thing, but it is their performances that have earned them a perfect "A+" for this season. It's hard to argue with Liverpool's results in the league, as they have become the 4th team in Premier League history to be undefeated at the halfway point of the season. Liverpool's three draws have come against three traditional "big six" clubs (Chelsea, Man City, Arsenal). One may say that this takes away from the impressive nature of their season for they struggle to beat other top sides, but I take a different viewpoint on the situation. Liverpool have beaten every side that is lower than 5th in the table. That is the definition of taking care of business. Liverpool also secured their spot in the Champions League Round of 16 by beating Napoli on the final day of the group stage at Anfield. Although they did lose all three of their away matches in the group stage, they still advanced out of one of the toughest groups and got a win and clean sheet when they needed it most. They will certainly be tested in the R16 as they have been drawn against Bayern Munich.
Liverpool have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup following a 3rd Round defeat to Chelsea. However, this competition usually is not valued too highly, especially for teams that are involved in multiple competitions. Many know that Liverpool has a history of "bottling" the title away; in fact, Liverpool has never won the Premier League. With that said, I can only grade on what I have seen thus far, and they have not shown any evidence of that yet. One might say, how can a team that lost three matches in the Champions League still receive an "A+", but if Liverpool were to not receive the A+, no team really has a case to receive one.
Tottenham Hotspur
Points: 45
Goals for: 42
Goals against: 18
Top Scorer: Harry Kane (16 All Comps, 12 PL)
Other Key Player: Christian Eriksen
Grade: A
Mauricio Pochettino has Spurs firing on all cylinders, especially recently. Led by Harry Kane, Tottenham also boast an impressive attacking force of player. Dele Alli, Lucas Moura and Son Hueng-Min all challenge Christian Eriksen for that "other key player" role, as they all contribute to making Spurs an extremely dangerous team going forward. Despite being the other team in Europe's major five league to not purchase a single player in the summer transfer window, Pochettino has been able to develop other players into important role players, namely Harry Winks, Eric Dier and Moussa Sissiko, who is having a breakout season. Spurs add strength in the back through Toby Alderwield and Jan Vertonghen, as well as younger players Juan Foyth and Davidson Sanchez. Spurs definitely challenge Liverpool in the category of best outside backs in the Premier League, as they boast incredible depth at the position with Ben Davies, Kieran Trippier, Surge Aurier, Danny Rose, and Kyle Walker-Peters. It also doesn't hurt to have World Cup winner Hugo Lloris in between the pipes, and two capable back-ups in the form of Michel Vorm and Paulo Gazzaniga, who have both stepped in both in the league and in the Champions League.
Spurs 15 wins out of 19 is good enough for 2nd in the PL, and their depth of scoring has been pivotal in their high level of performance. While Kane leads the line, Spurs have five players with four or more goals in the league, and Christian Eriksen adds three goals while having provided seven assists. What really solidifies Spurs as having an "A-worthy" campaign thus far is their epic second-half turn-around in the Champions League group stage. After having gathered an embarrassing one point from the first three matches, Spurs were able to sneak by both PSV and then Inter Milan to give themselves a chance of advancing going into the final matchday. On that final day, Spurs mustered a draw against Barcelona to secure qualification to the Round of 16. In each of final three matches, Spurs scored the deciding goal in the 80' or later. Tottenham recently defeated rivals Arsenal to into the Carabao Cup semi-finals, avenging their earlier loss to the Gunners in the league.
Spurs have been drawn against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League R16, a match-up that Spurs will feel they have a great shot at. Spurs are in prime position to challenge for their first ever Premier League title and their first league title since 1961. Goals have been flying in recently, as they have scored at league five goals in their last two matches, both victories. Tottenham are the real deal.
Manchester City
Points: 44
Goals for: 51
Goals against: 15
Top Scorers: Raheem Sterling (10 All Comps, 9 PL); Sergio Aguero (10 All Comps, 8 PL)
Other Key Player: David Silva
Grade: B+
Last year's champions were on pace to have another season for the record books, until December came around. Pep Guardiola's men were unbeaten through their first 15 Premier League matches, until recently, when they have lost three out of their last four. With that said, City are still in decent shape, only seven points off of the league leaders, who they will host in less than a week on January 3rd. Many have coined this as the match that will decide the Premier League title race.
Despite City's recent struggles, we must be fair to them. Their season has still been massively successful. City handily won their Champions League group, even after a shock home loss to Olympique Lyon on matchday 1. They also received a favorable draw in the form of Schalke 04 for the R16. Furthermore, City triumphed over Leicester City in the Carabaro Cup quarterfinals in penalty kicks, booking their spot in the semis. Again, City received a favorable draw as they will host third tier club Burton Albion. Despite being held nil-nil by Liverpool early in the season, City didn't lose their first Premier League match until December 15 when they were shutout by Chelsea 2-0. After responding with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Everton, Guardiola's men seem to have allowed a level of complacency to enter their squad over the past two match weeks. After going ahead to Crystal Palace at home, they allowed the Eagles to score three unanswered goals, including one of the goals of the season from Andros Townsend to eventually derail them 3-2. Then, City again went ahead against Leciester City, but gave up the lead again, to eventually fall 2-1. To add insult to injury, Fabian Delph was sent off during that match, meaning he will be unavailable for their massive match against Liverpool.
Despite three losses in four, City are still only seven points adrift and have that massive six-point match against Liverpool coming up. They are by no means out of the title race, and both Liverpool and Tottenham have a bit of a history in blowing their chances at titles. City are led by attackers Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling, as well as Leroy Sane and Riyad Marhez. Guardiola has had to deal with some injuries, as Aguero missed some time as well as star midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who is just now returning to fitness. De Bruyne's reintroduction into the side will undoubtably be welcomed by Guardiola, as De Bruyne led the Premier League in assists last season. City will look to sure up their defense of recent, as they have conceded with the first shot on target in three of their last four matches. Star goalkeeper Ederson hasn't been terrible for City, but he has only registered 32 saves on 47 shots, a 68% save percentage in the league.
City really set such a high bar for themselves with their incredible performance front to back last season that it was always going to be difficult for them to live up to that same level. Furthermore, history has taught us that it is wildly difficult to win the PL in back-to-back seasons. For these reasons, we mustn't punish Guardiola and City too much for their recent dip in form. It was bound to come eventually. In the end, B+ is a fair grade.
Chelsea
Points: 40
Goals for: 37
Goals against: 16
Leading Scorer: Eden Hazard (12 All Comps, 10 PL)
Other Key Player: Cesar Azpilicueta
Grade: A-
Maurizio Sarri's first season in charge of Chelsea has gone according to plan thus far. Chelsea are being led from the front by Eden Hazard, who has contributed to more goals in the Premier League than any other player (10G, 9A). The Belgian international is having a career season, having just netted his 100th goal for the club in his last appearance. Sarri has certainly shown his ability to get the best out of his player. He has asked Premier League champion N'golo Kante to play in a more advanced position, and Kante has thrived. New signing Jorgihno has completed the second-most passes in the PL (1,628) and has completed 528 more than the next best player who is not a defender. David Luiz has made his return to the side and slotted in flawlessly in the heart of defense. New goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, brought in to replace Thibaut Courtois as he departed for Real Madrid, was made the world's most expensive goalkeeper soon after Alisson was purchased by Liverpool. Kepa has performed admirably for the Blues, producing some of the saves of the season.
Chelsea are in position to qualify for the Champions League which, after missing out last year, was likely Sarri's primary target. They sit 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, and as previously mentioned, were the first team to beat Manchester City on the season. Chelsea have also had success in their own European campaign, as they won their group in the European League with ease. They have been drawn against Swedish side Malmo in the R32 in that tournament. They have dropped points from winning position, headlined by when they were beating Wolves and ended up losing by two goals to one. A recent loss to Leicester can also be seen as a missed opportunity.
Chelsea are also into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, which will offer them an opportunity for some silverware under Sarri. Keeping in mind that Champions League football is definitely the target for the season, and the fact that they look to be amongst the favorites to win the Europa League, Chelsea earn a solid A- thus far.
Arsenal
Points: 38
Goals for: 41
Goals against: 25
Top Scorer: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (15 All Comps, 13 PL)
Other Key Player: Alexandre Lacazette
Grade: B+
Arsenal currently sit in the Europa League qualifying spot in Unai Emery's first season in charge after taking over for legendary Arsene Wenger. Arsenal started out the season slowly with loses to both Manchester City and Chelsea, which led to initial questions about whether Emery was the correct choice as successor for Wenger. However, it must be said, this is a very difficult start to a season. Following the two loses, the Gunners put together an impressive run of 22 straight games unbeaten, until a recent loss to Southampton.
Despite their undefeated run, they really haven't been able to catch fire in the league in order to challenge the real top teams. Four league draws were mixed into the undefeated streak, and one more was added to their PL record last time out against Brighton. The Gunners did take care of business in the Europa League, as they won their group with relative ease. They will face Belarusian club BATE Borisav in the R32.
Arsenal have gotten back to their attacking style of old under Emery, as Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 13 goals leads the Premier League. His strike partner, Alexandre Lacazette, has also registered six goals and five assists. Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been a welcomed addition since joining from Manchester United, and he has added four goals to the Gunners' totals. The problems have been on the defensive end of the pitch and specially with the goalkeeping. Premier League veteran Petr Cech began the season with the starting job, but after a less-than-convincing string of matches, new arrival Bernd Leno was given his chance. Leno has made some impressive saves but has also made three mistakes leading directly to goals and has been criticized for his lack of ability to deal with the physicality of the Premier League. His ability to deal with crosses and balls in the air has been highlighted specifically.
As Unai Emery took over for an extremely successful and historic manager in Arsene Wenger, one would expect that it would take some time for his influence to be seen. With that said, Emery has done a nice job thus far and all things considered, has the club in a good position. Right now they are only two points outside of a Champions League spot.
Manchester United
Points: 32
Goals for: 37
Goals against: 31
Top Scorer: Anthony Martial (9 All Comps, 8 PL)
Other Key Player: David De Gea
Grade: C-
It must be said that Manchester United have had a wildly underwhelming season. Sitting in sixth in the league, currently outside of the European qualifying positions (although sixth will more than likely end up being good enough for Europa League), United have struggled to both score goals and defend this season. The struggles have been so immense that manager Jose Mourinho was sacked after a comprehensive loss to league leaders Liverpool two weeks ago.
Before Mourinho's firing, United had scored 29 goals and conceded 29, good enough for seven wins, five draws and five loses in the league. The 29 goals conceded were already more than in the entirety of last season, in which United's defensive record was extremely impressive. Even with arguably the world's best goalkeeper in the form of David De Gea, United has only managed two clean sheets on 19 attempts, which is only better than Fulham.
Jose Mourinho's side did manage to advance to the Champions League Round of 16 as runners-up in Group H. This will be regarded as a success, although this was not one of the stronger groups in the competition.
Long-time United player Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been appointed as the caretaker manager for the remainder of the season. Solskjaer's injection seems to have had a position affect, as United has won his two games in charge by a combined score of 8-2. Solskjaer's first match in charge was a 5-1 trouncing of Cardiff City, which marked the first time a United team had scored five goals in a match since the reign of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Solskjaer will look to continue the momentum and see if he can't make a push for the Champions League spots, of which United are currently eight points adrift. It's been a bad season by United's usual standards, but still being in the Champions League and being in sixth in the league isn't bad all things considered.
Leicester City
Points for: 28
Goals for: 24
Goals against: 22
Leading Scorer: Jamie Vardy (6 PL)
Other Key Player: James Maddison
Grade: A-
After shocking the footballing world by winning the Premier League title in 2016, it was always going to be difficult for Leicester City football club to go anywhere but down. After winning the title, N'golo Kante and Riyad Mahrez eventually departed, but the management did a great job hanging on to the majority of key contributors to the from the title winning campaign which allowed the club to gain a foothold as a solid Premier League side.
And Leicester are continuing to show themselves as a difficult team to go up against in the league. Currently in seventh, Leicester find themselves leading "the best of the rest," the none-big-six clubs. Star striker Jamie Vardy, won holds the record for most consecutive PL matches scored in (11), has always excelled when facing the big six clubs. His team has rode that momentum in their recent matches, knocking off Chelsea and Manchester City. New signing James Maddison has slotted into the team well, notching five goals and registering three assists. Nigerian international Wilfred Ndidi has established himself as a viable replacement for N'golo Kante in the holding midfield position. Title-winning goalkeeper and club captain Kasper Schmeichel has been solid in between the pipes as usual, capturing six clean sheets in the league.
The club's season has been hampered by the tragic passing of former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who was amongst five people killed in the crashing of a helicopter that was departing from the King Power Stadium after a home match. Manager Claude Puel has the side performing well and they sit in a position that, before the season, would probably be considered impressive.
Everton
Points: 27
Goals for: 31
Goals for: 29
Top Scorer: Richarlison (9 PL)
Other Key Player: Gylfi Sigurdsson
Grade: B-
Everton currently sit in 8th in the Premier League, on 27 points. The Toffees have always been a side that is expected to finish in the top half of the table and have had aspirations to push for European football in the recent past.
This season seems to be more of the same for Everton, as they have managed to handle the sides below them but have struggled mightily against the sides above them in the table. Everton have taken one point out of a possible eighteen against the current top six. Losses against the big six account for five of the Toffees' six losses on the season, the other coming against West Ham United. This is a double edged sword. On one hand, they cannot beat the big boys; but on the other, they are beating the teams they should beat. When it's all said and done, it's difficult to be disappointed in 8th halfway through the season.
Marco Silva has been able to get the best out of 21-year-old midfielder Richarlison, who Silva had when they were both at Watford last season. Icelandic star Gylfi Sigurdsson has been reinvigorated under Silva as well, scoring eight goals and assisting another three. New signings like Brazilian midfielder Bernard, World Cup star Yerry Mina and free-scoring outside back Lucas Digne have all just started to catch form recently. Bernard has recently found a consistant place in the starting XI and has delivered three assists. Yerry Mina scored once and Lucas Digne scored twice in what was a man-of-the-match performance in the 5-1 thrashing of Burnley at the weekend.
Everton will look to continue to build on their success, and the next step will be to offer a bigger challenge to those team above them in the table.
West Ham United
Points: 27
Goals for: 27
Goals against: 28
Top Scorer: Felipe Anderson (8 PL)
Other Key Player: Declan Rice
Grade: B
West Ham United, in their first season under former title winning manager Manuel Pellegrini, have hit their stride of late. The Hammers struggled out of the gate, losing each of their first four matches. Since then, they have accumulated all 27 of their points, averaging almost two points per game during that span (1.8).
Pellegrini has looked to transform West Ham into an entertaining team to watch, a team that plays proper football. Part of the reason they struggled early in the season may have been because some pundits believe that Pellegrini does not have the proper personnel to play the style of football that he desires to play. However, as any good manager would, over time, he has been able to piece things together and the results have begun to show it. December has been a historic month for West Ham, as they have picked up 15 of the available 18 points, a new club record for most points ever picked up in a month. And they still have one game remaining.
The lines are being led by Brazilian midfielder Felipe Anderson, who has been scoring goals for fun recently. Anderson has netted seven goals in his last nine matches, including a brace last time out at Southampton. He is supported the dangerous left-footed winger Robert Snodgrass and clever attacker Lucas Perez. Young talent Declan Rice, who joined Anderson as a man-of-the-match performer against Southampton, just signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until at least 2024. Goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski has been immense for the Hammers, playing every minute of the season thus far and is second in the league in saves (73).
Perhaps the most impressive thing about The Hammers' success in December has been their ability to overcome injuries. In the match against Southampton, Pellegrini was forced to name a six-man bench due to the lack of healthy first-teamers. Important pieces in West Pellegrini's long-term plans are currently missing, including goalscorers Marco Arnautovic and Chicharito Hernandez, as well as defenders Pablo Zabeleta and Fabian Balbuena.
Watford
Points: 27
Goals for: 26
Goals against: 27
Top Scorer: Roberto Pereyra (6 PL)
Other Key Player: Abdoulaye Doucoure
Grade: B-
Watford have established themselves as a consistent Premier League side over the past few season. A side that is known for its foreign flair and inability to maintain a manager for an significant period of time, they have found a system that is working for them and has allowed them to play an entertaining brand of football.
Watford's struggles often come against the Premier League's top sides. Five of Watford's eight loses this season have come against clubs currently in the top six. The Hornets have had success on the road during this campaign, winning three matches and drawing another three (3L). This means that they have split at home as well (5W, 5L). Javi Garcia's is one of those that can turn up on any day or also have a massive let down. This is evidenced by the fact that they were able to travel to the London Stadium and keep West Ham from winning their fifth match in row earlier this month, but lost 0-4 at home to Bournemouth earlier this season.
Watford is led by midfielder Roberto Pereyra, who has a flair for the spectacular. Pereyra has scored six goals, including a world-class volley against Chelsea. The Hornets have four more players with three league goals, including club captain and long-time Hornet Troy Deeney. Former Everton and Barcelona man Gerard Deulofeu has been a revelation for Javi Garcia, scoring thrice and assisting twice. This season has been a coming out party for fiesty defender Jose Holebas as well. Normally known for his aggressive style of play and accumulation of yellow cards, the outside back has become an attacking threat almost out of nowhere. The Greek has scored three times and has provided a joint-team-high five assists. The return of formerly-on-loan goalkeeper Ben Foster has provided a formidable option in between the pipes as well. The Hornets will look to push on and challenge for a top-half finish to the campaign.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Points: 26
Goals for: 20
Goals against: 22
Top Scorer: Raul Jimenez (5 PL)
Other Key Player: Conor Coady
Grade: B-
After winning The Championship last season pretty handily, Wolverhampton Wanderers took an aggressive approach upon their return to the Premier League. With an influx of money that began the season before while still playing in the Championship, Wolves continued to explore a pipeline of Portuguese talent who are eager to play for Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
Portuguese attackers Ivan Cavaleiro, Ruben Neves, Diego Jota and Joao Moutinho have all netted in the Premier League this season, but the biggest Portuguese signing of all has arguably been Rui Patricio in the Wolves goal. Patricio has made an impressive 57 saves and kept five clean sheets, and the total of 22 goals conceded is tied for fifth best in the league. But not all the credit can be given to Patricio. The defense, the majority of which remains from last season, has done well for themselves at this new level. Willy Boly, Jonny Otto, and Michael Bennett have shown well, but its club captain Conor Coady who is having a career season. The center back has had no trouble adapting to the Premier League, and is showing his class week in and week out. Northern Ireland international Matthew Doherty, playing as a converted wing back, has scored three times and assisted another three. The most important signing of the summer is not a Portuguese player, thought; its actually a Mexican international. Raul Jimenez almost immediately adjusted to the Premier League, and has played a part in half of the team's goals (6G, 4A).
To be frank, with the amount of money Wolves have spent, midtable is where they should sit. Before the season began, no one predicted Wolves being involved in the relegation battle. However, we have seen expensive projects like this go horribly wrong in the past. For that reason, Wolves earn the respectable grade of B-.
AFC Bournemouth
Points: 26
Goals for: 27
Goals against: 33
Top Scorer: Callum Wilson (9 All Comps, 8 PL)
Other Key Player: Ryan Fraser
Grade: B-
When Bournemouth came up to the Premier League in 2015, no one expected them to stay up. In four short season, Bournemouth have established themselves as a true and proper Premier League side.
Eddie Howe, widely regarded as one of the great young managers in world football, has Bournemouth playing an exciting brand of football. The Cherries flew out of the gates this season, only losing two of their first ten matches in the Premier League, winning six and drawing the other two. This impressive run of form had Bournemouth hanging around the top six for the first quarter of the season. However, a bad run of form has seen Bournemouth lose seven of their last nine (2W, 7L).
Despite the difficult run of form, countless attacking players have flourished under Eddie Howe's management. Callum Wilson, who has had to battle through injuries in past seasons, has found the back of the net an impressive eight times this season. Bournemouth's all-time Premier League leading scorer Josh King has netted five times, as has promising youngster David Brooks. It is Scotland international Ryan Fraser who is truly having a career season. The outside midfielder has scored four times and assisted eight goals, which is good enough for second in the league. Nathan Ake has been a mainstay at the back, playing every minute so far this season for the Cherries. Club captain Simon Francis, who has been with the club all throughout it's rise from League One to the Premier League, ruptured his ACL against Tottenham last time out and will miss the remainder of the season for the Cherries.
Even though Bournemouth have experienced a recent decline in form, their point total is still good enough for 12th and they are a comfortable 14 points clear of the relegation zone at the halfway point of the season. Twenty-six points puts the Cherries equidistant from a Europa League spot and the relegation zone, which is a good measurement of the club's success.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Points: 22
Goals for: 21
Goals against: 27
Top Scorer: Glenn Murray (8 PL)
Other Key Player: Maty Ryan
Grade: B-
Brighton and Hove Albion did the job last season when they scathed off relegation. It so often happens that a club is able to avoid the drop at the first attempt due to the immense adrenaline and passion surrounding the first season in the top flight. Going into this season, some saw Brighton as a favorite to go down after their second ever Premier League season.
Manager Chris Hughton has proved to be the right man for the job, establishing a pretty well-settled side for the year-and-a-half that the Seagulls have been in the Premier League. No player has exemplified this more than goalkeeper Maty Ryan. Ryan played a vital role in Brighton's push to safety last season, registering 124 saves last season and an additional 60 so far this term. Ryan has played in every single Premier League match for the Seagulls, but a new goalkeeper will surely see action against Everton next time out as Ryan has departed to represent his country at the 2019 Asian Cup. Solly March has been impressive this season creating chances for his teammates, and Glenn Murray has withstood the test of time, as they 35-year-old has netted a team-leading eight goals. Center-back partners Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy established themselves as formidable Premier League defenders last season, and have continued the trend this year. Duffy has scored three goals and Dunk has scored two, but its been a struggle of late for the both of them. Duffy only returned to the pitch last time out after serving a three match ban for a red card, and Dunk was forced to miss the Arsenal match due to a red card (second yellow card) of his own. Brighton failed to win any of the four matches that one of their mainstay center backs did not play in (1D, 3L).
Being 10 points clear of the relegation zone at the halfway point of the season cannot be understated for the Seagulls. They did not have this much of a gap going into the later months of the season last season and were able to stay up. With the quality they already have, as well as new players like Jurgen Locadia and Florin Andone starting pitch in with the goals of their own, Brighton are in a solid position and one that they probably willed for before the season began. Thus they get an admirable "B-".
Crystal Palace
Points: 19
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 25
Top Scorer: Luka Milivojevic (5 PL)
Other Key Player: Wilfred Zaha
Grade: C
At this time last year, it looked like Crystal Palace may be playing this season in The Championship. However, with the appointment of Roy Hodgson has come a "whole new" Palace.
Palace have lost more than half the games they have played (19P, 10L), but have been able to open up a bit of space between themselves and the relegation zone over the past few weeks. Palace have not lost in their last three matches, and were able to pull out one of the results of the season, an away 3-2 victory against defending champions Manchester City. This result came on the back of an impressive 1-0 victory at home to Leicester City.
Palace sometimes struggle to score goals. When they saw off potential suiters for the services of Wilfred Zaha last season, it gave them the confidence to go on and build around him. Zaha has scored three goals this season. Palace's leading goal scorer is Serbian center midfielder Luka Milivojevic, who has established himself as a valuable Premier League player over the past two seasons. The captain is their penalty taker and leagues by example, and has the ability to strike a ball as evidenced by his brilliant game-winner against Leicester. Strike partner Andros Townsend has netted three times on the season, the best of the lot easily being his goal-of-the-season nominee against Man City. Goalkeeper Vicente Guaita was given his Premier League debut against Leicester City, in which he kept a clean sheet and produced an impressive save against forward Jamie Vardy. Palace went on to win against Man City and secure another clean sheet against Cardiff in Guaita's subsequent starts. Despite the change in goalkeepers, Palace has kept an impressive seven clean sheets on the season, which is the best of any team outside of the top four.
As long as Palace continue to be organized and not concede a lot of goals, they will be able to secure safety and remain in the Premier League for the sixth consecutive season. Although teams that struggle to score goals often struggle in a relegation battle, Palace have enough quality that they should be able to avoid the drop. Right now they are seven points clear of the drop zone, but if a couple results go against them, they could find themselves right back in the thick of it.
Newcastle United
Points: 17
Goals for: 14
Goals against: 26
Top Scorer: Salomon Rondon
Other Key Player: Jamaal Lascelles
Grade: D+
Despite being five points clear of the drop zone, it has not been an ideal campaign for Rafa Benitez's side thus far. The Toon Army fended off relegation last season, but Benitez has stated that he will need additional funds in order to bring in new players if the club wishes to be successful in the future.
Newcastle's main struggle is that for goals. The Magpies will be thankful that Salomon Rondon has found his goalscoring boots recently. The Venezuelan leads the club with four goals, while striking partners Joselu and Ayoze Perez both have only registered two thus far. The Tyneside club has struggled mightily against the bigger clubs, losing all six matches against the top clubs. One of the low points of the season has to be Newcastle's visit to Old Trafford, in which they became the first away team to ever score two goals in the opening 10 minutes of a Premier League match. However, the Magpies were unable to hold on for even a point, as Man United battled back to win all three points by a score of three goals to two. Newcastle have only scored more than one goal in a match twice this season (1W, 1L).
United's defense is what is keeping them afloat. Center backs Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark and captain Jamaal Lascelles have done well to keep opposing offensives and protect their goalkeeper. Lascelles has registered 109 clearances thus far this season and Fernandez has added 89 himself. Clark has contributed two goals on the offensive end. Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has done well in the net, making 55 saves on 81 shots (68%) and keeping six clean sheets.
An air of negativity surrounded the club entering the season as the higher-ups seem unwilling to provide Rafa Benitez the funds he needs to better the squad. With these detriments, things really could be worse than they are. It remains to be seen whether Benitez will be allowed to shop the transfer market in January and whether they will be able to stay above the dreaded black line as the season pushes on.
Southampton
Points: 15
Goals for: 20
Goals against: 35
Top Scorer: Danny Ings (7 PL)
Other Key Player: Nathan Redmond
Grade: D+
After nearly going down last season, Mark Hughes was able to keep the Saints up. This season, though, Mark Hughes proved to be utterly ineffective and he was relieved of his duties with Southampton floundering in the relegation zone.
When Ralph Hussenhuttl took over as Saints' boss, Southampton were the only team in the Premier League to have only won one match. Hussenhuttl's influence has immediately had an effect on the squad, as Southampton won his first two games in charge, lifting themselves out of the relegation zone. Hussenhuttl was undoubtably helped by the return to full fitness of leading goalscorer Danny Ings. The Austrian's first match in charge was marked with an impressive performance which saw Ings hit the double and Charlie Austin finish in the 85' to knock off high-flying Arsenal 3-2. Ings continued his hot form against Huddersfield Town in what was a vital match at the bottom of the table. This match also saw midfielder Nathan Redmond score his first league goal of the season. Redmond made it two in two in their most recent 2-1 loss against West Ham. Hussenhuttl will be looking to Stuart Armstrong and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to contribute going forward in the future as well. The Saints do have some injury concerns, with both first choice outside backs Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand out. Youngsters Matt Targett and Yan Valery are being asked to fill in as of now.
Southampton are a club that are known for producing great young players who go on to play for some of the biggest clubs in the world. Ever since Southampton's return to the Premier League in 2012, the club has seen itself finish in 8th, 7th and 6th in the league on various occasions and compete in European competition. After struggling mightily last year and escaping relegation on the final day, fans will hope Ralph Hussenhuttl can help the club shoot up the table and return Premier League stability. The D+ is solely for the positivity shown within the last three matches, with an air of confidence amongst the team under the new manager. It's been poor over the past year and a half, but they look to be going in the right direction.
Cardiff City
Points: 15
Goals for: 18
Goals against: 38
Top Scorer: Callum Paterson (4 PL)
Other Key Player: Aron Gunnarson
Grade: C+
Cardiff City are this season what Huddersfield Town were last season: an odds-on favor to go directly back down. Nobody, and I mean nobody, favored Cardiff to stay up at the beginning of the season.
Neil Warnock's men have done well with what they have, though. The Welsh side have done well to make their home stadium a fortress. All four of their wins on the season have come at The Cardiff City stadium and their home form alone would be enough to have them above the relegation zone (4W, 1D, 4L—13pts). Cardiff have been abysmal on the road, though. They have taken a total of two points from a possible 30, each coming on respective nil-nil draws. Cardiff seem to be very aware of the fact that they stand very little chance against the bigger clubs, and have turned their focus on competing with the clubs that are directly around them in the table. Cardiff have lost all six matches against the top six by an aggregate score of 22-5; However, they have taken nine points off of the other six teams closest to the bottom of the table with them (2W, 3D, 1L).
Cardiff have managed to keep four clean sheets on the season, of which Filipino goalkeeper Neil Etheridge is largely responsible. The first-ever Filipino to play in the Premier League has managed 71 saves and 2 penalty saves in between the sticks for Cardiff and his play undoubtably earned valuable points for his side. Scoring goals was always going to be the problem for Cardiff. Scottish defender-turned-forward Callum Paterson has done more than could possibly have been expected of him before the season, netting four goals for the Bluebirds. Winger Josh Murphy has added three, and Canadian Junior Holiett has supplied two—each of which were brilliant curling strikes. Cardiff have largely stuck to the defense that brought them up from the Championship, and players like Sol Bamba and Bruno Ecuele Manga have adapted to the Premier quite well. Bamba is second in the league with 128 clearances, and Cardiff are the only team in the league to have two players with multiple clearances off of the goal line. Ecuele Manga has played every minute of the season for the Bluebirds.
Cardiff, contrary to Wolverhampton, made next to no signings upon return to the Premier League. Paying consideration to the fact that almost everyone saw them going down dead bottom of the league, being three points clear of the drop at the halfway point can only be deemed a success for the Bluebirds.
Burnley
Points: 12
Goals for: 14
Goals against: 41
Top Scorers: Ashley Barnes (4 All Comps, 3 PL); Sam Vokes (4 All Comps, 3 PL)
Other Key Player: Ben Mee
Grade: F
This is a sad story. It really is painful to see Burnley struggling like this, especially after the historic season that they had under Sean Dyche last year. Burnley finished a Premier League record 7th last season and secured a berth to the Europa League. Burnley lost in the final qualification round for the Europa League, falling just short of getting into the tournament proper. It appears that the season went down hill from there.
Burnley have already lost more games this season (13) than they did last season (12). Burnley's 13 games lost is the joint-most in the league this season, and since the start of November Burnley have gathered an abysmal four points from a possible 27 (1W, 1D, 7L).
Last season, Burnley prided themselves on defending well. They conceded a total of 39 goals in the 38 games, averaging just over a goal per game. This season, they have conceded the second-most goals in the league, and average 2.15 goals conceded per game. Its confusing on exactly why Burnley have had a complete 180, especially with quality defenders James Tarkowski and Ben Mee playing in the center of the defense. Dyche also brought Ben Gibson, who was one of the only bright spots in Middlesbrough's lone Premier League campaign during the 2016-2017 season. All three of these center backs were getting consideration for the national team when they were playing at their highest level, and now they cannot figure out how to keep the ball out of the back of the net. They also brought in former England international Joe Hart in the summer, who has started all 19 Premier League matches for them this campaign. Tom Heaton's stellar performance last season was a big part of Burnley's push toward European football, but Joe Hart has not done terribly this season. He leads the league with 77 saves and faced a total of 118 shots on target, the most conceded by any Premier League side this season.
Scoring goals has been an issue as well. Both Ashley Barnes and Sam Vokes have only managed three goals in the league. Strikers Chris Wood and Matej Vydra have each only contributed a goal a piece. Burnley will not only need to sort out their defensive struggles, but also get a steady supply of goals from somewhere as they push on in this relegation battle.
There is a theory that says that European football can have a detrimental effect on a team's domestic performance. Even though Burnley made an early exit to the Europa League, it appears they have been sucked into the curse of European football. Right now, Burnley are three points adrift of safety. They will look to the experience of their players and their manager during the second half of the season to see if they can't muster an escape and avoid the drop.
Fulham
Points: 11
Goals for: 17
Goals against: 43
Top Scorer: Aleksandar Mitrovic (7 PL)
Other Key Player: Ryan Sessegnon
Grade: F
After winning promotion via the Playoff, Fulham made a splash in the summer transfer window. Known as a team that plays smooth, flowing football, many were eager to see what the Cottagers could do on their return to the top flight.
Its all been pretty underwhelming from the London club. Despite splashing heavily in the transfer market, there really hasn't been much to show for it. Aleksandar Mitrovic, a player that helped the team to promotion last season, leads the line with seven goals and has really been the only consistent goal threat. Andre Schurrle was brought in during the summer. Although he has scored five goals, it really doesn't feel like he has hit form yet. Aboubakar Kamara and Ryan Sessegnon, two players who were present last season, have both scored two goals and have both looked more lively recently for the Cottagers.
The defending has been the problem for Fulham. Its actually been historically bad. The 2007-2008 Derby County team conceded a Premier League record 89 goals. If Fulham continue at their current pace, they would leak 86 goals on the season. Fulham have elected to go with an overwhelmingly similar back line to that which played in the Championship last season, with the exception of Alfie Mawsom. Alfie Mawson was relegated with Swansea City last season, a team that struggled to defend as well. Tim Ream, Denis Odoi and Mawson have been unable to figure out an effective system in the middle of the defense for the Cottagers at all. It certainly hasn't helped that Fulham are one of only two teams to have featured three different goalkeepers in the Premier League season. Fabri began the season as the starter, and was almost immediately dropped after conceding five goals in his first two games. Marcus Bettinelli, who played the majority of matches in the Championship last season, was restored as the starter at that point for seven matches. Bettinelli helped Fulham to their first win of the season—a 4-2 triumph over Burnley—and then secured draws in two of the next three matches. Bettinelli made way after conceding 12 goals in the space of three matches, and Sergio Rico took the reigns and has maintained the starting position. No matter the goalkeeper, Fulham has continued to leak goals.
Slavisa Jokanovic was fired 12 matches into the season after a 2-0 loss to Liverpool. He was replaced by former Leicester City manager and Premier League champion Claudio Ranieri. Fulham secured their second win of the season in his first match in charge, 3-2 over Southampton. Since that match, Fulham have not won any of their six matches, drawing three and losing three. Fulham drew Wolverhampton Wanderers last time, but they led within the final ten minutes of the match. If they are going to stay up, they must take three points from matches like that.
If Fulham have anything going for them, its the fact that they have goal scorers in the team. We hear so often that in order to avoid relegation, a team must score goals. To me, Fulham's issues run too deep to salvage. The Cottagers are four points from safety with the worst goal difference in the league (-26).
Huddersfield Town
Points: 10
Goals for: 12
Goals against: 34
Top Scorer: Matias Jorgensen (3 PL)
Other Key Player: Aaron Mooy
Grade: D
Huddersfield Town did the impossible last season. After gaining promotion without scoring a goal from open play in three matches in the Playoffs three two seasons ago, Huddersfield set out to do the impossible: avoid relegation in their first-ever Premier League season. As I said while comparing them to the Cardiff City of this season, nobody, and I mean nobody, thought Huddersfield stood a chance to stay up.
And stay up they did. Huddersfield secured safety by securing a dramatic draw away at Chelsea late in the season, in which goalkeeper Jonas Lossl made an iconic save when he tipped a header onto the top and out. Huddersfield's securing of safety has to be one of the most impressive and unlikely examples of a newly promoted fending off relegation in Premier League history.
Its a new season, though, and Huddersfield are not firing on all cylinders like they were last season when they were battling for their lives. The Terries have lost each of their last six matches, and are in absolutely dyer need of a goal scorer. Huddersfield are the leagues low scorers, scoring only 12 goals in 19 matches. Amazingly, Huddersfield have not had a single goal scored by a forward the entire season. That's zero goals scored by strikers, wingers or forwards. Defender Matias Jorgensen is the teams leading goal scorer with three, and other defenders have provided three more. Aaron Mooy and Phillip Billing have each contributed two goals, but the team absolutely needs some sort contribution from their forwards if they have any hope of staying up. Or they will have to look to the transfer market in order to acquire new players.
Manager David Wagner is known for how he brought Huddersfield up when no one expected them to compete for promotion and how he kept the team in the top tier last season, but it remains to be seen if he can pull off an unlikely turn-around this season. Although Huddersfield technically were not bottom at Christmas, this would be one of the greatest escapes of all time if Wagner can take this squad to safety. If they wish to do the unlikely, they will have to focus on taking points off of teams that are close to them in the table. Huddersfield face Fulham in what is a gigantic match at the bottom of the table. They match offers essentially a six-point swing, and if either team loses this one, they will begin the second half of the season in the biggest hole they've seen yet.
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