Aston Villa – A
Premier League title challengers? That’s probably a stretch, but Villa’s resurgence after a terrible start to the season has been remarkable.
After their worst league start in 28 years with just one win in their opening six games, Villa beat Manchester City 1-0 in October and haven’t looked back since then, winning ten consecutive matches.
Within touching distance of leaders Arsenal, Villa’s thin squad could eventually scupper any hopes of mounting a real push for the league but a top-four finish looks likely right now.
Arsenal – A-
Top of the Premier League and Champions League standings, Arsenal are exactly where they and their very vocal fans believe they should be, but yet there’s still nagging doubts.
Manager Mikel Arteta always seems to be on the verge of a dodgy penalty decision away from a meltdown and that nervousness translates to the players as well as the Emirates crowd. Squad injuries and a €73.5m Viktor Gyokeres who has yet to find his feet in the league also remain concerns.
The festive period and a busy January may well prove decisive for Arsenal’s title hopes, but if they can go into February still top of the table, you’d fancy them to stay there.
Bournemouth – C
After their best ever start to a top-flight season, Bournemouth’s form has plummeted and they’re a team in desperate need of a win.
Having sold three of their first-choice back four before the season started, Bournemouth confounded early expectations with Antoine Semenyo, in particular, lighting up the Vitality Stadium. However, they are now eight games without a win and have dropped to 15th in the league as defensive problems have been laid bare.
Three consecutive draws in their last three games give reasons for hope, but Semenyo is available for sale with a buyout clause of €75m in January and with plenty of teams are circling, losing him would be another blow the Cherries have to bounce back from.
Brentford manager Keith Andrews
Brentford – C+
The Keith Andrews gamble appears to be paying off.
Replacing Thomas Frank was always going to be a tough ask but after overcoming some early season hiccups, the former Republic of Ireland midfielder is trucking along nicely with the Bees who are sitting comfortably midtable.
Clever summer signings likes Caoimhín Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and Igor Thiago have all settled in quickly and a side that many tipped to be fighting a relegation battle are punching above their weight.
Brighton and Hove Albion – C+
Doubts surrounded Brighton going into the season with Fabian Hurzeler, the youngest manager in the league, taking charge of his first full season.
However early wins over Chelsea and Manchester City helped to instil some real belief into the squad and they’ve added further scalps along the way, beating Newcastle and Brentford to leave them sitting in the top half of the table.
A recent stutter has seen them go four games without a win in December as the goals appear to have dried up with Danny Wellbeck going off the boil after a strong start to the campaign and Georginio Rutter looking lost up front.
A much speculated return for Evan Ferguson could help reignite the Brighton attack and if they start scoring again, they’ll be pushing for a European place.
Burnley – D
Increasingly cut adrift in the relegation zone, Burnley look destined for an immediate return to the Championship, having come up with a 100-point total, after they finished second behind Leeds on goal difference.
They got off to an encouraging start with a win over Sunderland, but since then results have largely gone against them, exposing some serious defensive frailties.
Back-to-back victories over Leeds and Wolves in October sparked some brief hope but since then they’ve taken just one point from eight games and with a tough run of festive games, there’s little respite on the horizon.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca
Chelsea – C
A team who are seemingly constantly on the verge of become real title contenders, Chelsea continue to excite and confuse supporters in equal measure.
Their policy of buying the best young talent on the market is showing signs of paying off as those players develop and mature under manager Enzo Maresca. Their midfield in particular is as strong as any side in Europe – good enough to dominate most teams – but there’s still some glaring holes in their squad.
A goalkeeper is their obvious priority, while there are issues up front despite all the money spent, but Maresca himself could be looking over his shoulder, particularly after he described the two days leading up to a 2-0 victory Everton as the “worst 48 hours” as a manager without elaborating further.
Crystal Palace – B
Crystal Palace are not the first team to struggle to get to grips with the Thursday to Sunday rhythm of European football, but their first involvement in UEFA competition since 1999 has hit them hard.
Winning just one game off the back of a Conference League fixture all season, Palace boss Oliver Glasner has admitted that making the adjustment to two games a week has been tough.
For all that though, his side are just three points off the Champions League places and only Arsenal have a better away record this season. If Palace can get used to the hectic demands of their calendar and improve on their home form, they’ll be battling for European football again.
Everton – C
Midtable and comfortable may not be the most exciting place to be, but for Everton, who have flirted with relegation over the last few seasons, it will do nicely for now.
Moving into a new stadium has historically brought challenges but the returning David Moyes has helped them navigate those waters and having finished in the bottom half of the Premier League for the last four seasons, they can start to look upwards.
Having tightened up at the back significantly, their main problem is a lack of goals and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s purple patch at Leeds has some supporters looking wistfully towards their former striker. However if Moyes can bring in a new striker in January and add goals to his side, they can continue to feel positive.
Fulham are exactly where people thought the would be
Fulham – C+
Meeting expectations is exactly where Fulham are at the moment.
Comfortably clear of the relegation zone and showing signs of both improvement and resilience under Marco Silva, Fulham will be looking up the table going into Christmas, just hoping they can put together a run of victories.
Marco Silva’s side tend to beat the teams they’re expected to beat and lose to anyone above them. With a record of seven wins, eight defeats and two draws, they haven’t been able to put together more than two consecutives wins. If they can crack that, they’ll start moving up the table.
Leeds United – C
Six points clear of the relegation zone and hitting some real form, things are looking bright for Leeds heading into the Christmas crunch.
Daniel Farke was considered one of the most at risk managers before the season started with reports that the club had given serious consideration to replacing him after promotion from the Championship was secured.
Getting off to a decent start, pressure came on Farke again when Leeds went through November without picking up a point but going unbeaten in December as they beat Leeds and Crystal Palace, along with a draw against Liverpool, has raised expectations again.
Home form will be crucial to their survival hopes and with just one win on the road, the Elland Road factor is what will keep Leeds up.
Liverpool – D
The Premier League champions spent the summer throwing around silly money as they bought up the best attacking and creative players in Europe, what could go wrong?
Quite a lot as it happens. The arrivals of Aleksander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike and the rest were supposed to take Liverpool to the next level but instead, they’ve gone backwards. Still struggling to adjust to the loss of Diego Jota along with the exits of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz, Liverpool are a team in transition.
Last year’s league title masked problems in an aging squad that have come to the fore now, including what to do with Mo Salah, but there’s also an element of patience and understanding from the fans that Arne Slot is in the middle of a big rebuild.
A top-four finish and a decent European run should buy him another season.
Erling Haaland carries City’s hopes
Manchester City – A
They’re starting to look ominous. Sitting just on the shoulder of Arteta’s Arsenal and outscoring everyone around them, Manchester City look poised to take advantage of any slip-ups from the Gunners.
With many expecting this to Pep Guardiola’s swansong season at the Etihad, they’ve closed the gap on Arsenal to two points and look like they’re currently building towards one of their new year runs of form that blow other teams out of the water.
The only note of caution remains their over-reliance on Erling Haaland’s extraordinary talents in front of goal, but if he stays fit and keeps scoring, City look to be favourites.
Manchester United – C+
Part of Manchester United and Ruben Amorim’s biggest problem is how they’re currently being judged by outside observers.
Alex Ferguson’s shadow still looms large over Old Trafford and despite it getting on to 13 years since Fergie left, there are many who still measure the current United side against those lofty standards.
Amorim’s United side are miles off that level, but they are a side that’s improving. Having finished 15th last season, they’re firmly in the top half of the table and are at least currently, in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Signings like Mathias Cunha and Brian Mbuemo have hit the ground running and Amorim has had success in clearing out the dressing room. Last season looks to have been rock bottom and United are, currently at least, on the up.
Newcastle United – D
After a tricky summer where they lost Aleksander Isak and seemed to be second or third choice for the majority or their transfer targets, Newcastle still look nothing like the ‘richest club in the world’ their fans often sing about.
Profit and sustainability rules have prevented the Saudi Public Investment Fund from throwing around the kind of money that fans had initially hoped but even without wild spending, they’re still not hitting the heights that should.
Sitting in the bottom half of the table and really struggling on the road with just one win away from home. Newcastle need to find some form in the second half of the season or Eddie Howe will come under pressure.
Sean Dyche is the man charged with saving Forest
Nottingham Forest – D
Three managers into the season and Nottingham Forest are just about hovering about the relegation zone.
Nuno Espirito Santo led Forest into Europe for the first time in 30 years but a row with owner Evangelos Marinakis saw him sacked after just three games. Ange Postecoglou came in to replace him but lasted just eight games before he got the elbow and the Bat-Signal went up for Sean Dyche.
Any team appointing Dyche knows what they’re going to get and what they’re hoping to achieve. Dyche has helped to tighten up the defence and if Forest finish 17th – where they currently sit – that will be considered a success.
Sunderland – A
Starting the season as odd-on favourites for an immediate return to the Championship, Sunderland are defying all the expectations in what had been, so far, a remarkable campaign.
Coming into the Premier League via the playoffs after a dreadful end to the season that saw them lose their final five league games, Sunderland were busy in the summer transfer window and signings like Brian Brobbey, Enzo Le Fee and Granit Xhaka have been transformative.
Xhaka, in particular, has been one of the stand-out performers in the league this season, giving them a solidity in midfield that they’ve built their success on.
Currently five wins away from the 40-point mark that would surely see them stay in the league, Sunderland are aiming much higher now.
Tottenham Hotspur – D
Spurs are currently just about on course to surpass their points total of 38 from last season and are trucking along well in the Champions League, but there’s not a whole lot more for their supporters to be optimistic about.
A club that seemingly lurches from one style of manager to the opposite with every appointment, they’re currently in a Thomas Frank defensive phase, having pulled down the curtain of ‘no defenders, mate’ Angeball.
Frank’s defensive instincts may have helped Spurs tighten things up at the back but the brand of football isn’t what supporters want to see. Results aren’t there yet and questions about discipline – no other team has more yellow cards this season – means that a poor Christmas period could really see pressure on the manager.
Nuno Espirito Santo
West Ham United – F
They’ve been circling the drain since getting rid of David Moyes for the second time and they look to be a long way from safety this season.
Graham Potter was sacked in September having won just one of West Ham’s opening five league and things have scarcely improved since the arrival of Nuno Espirito Santo, with just two wins from 12 games.
Defeat to fellow relegation strugglers Leeds last time out felt like a decisive result that opened up real daylight between the Hammers and with only bottom side Wolves conceding more goals, the Championship currently beckons.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – F
On course to eclipse Derby County’s lowest ever Premier League points total of 11 and with just two draws from the 17 games that they’ve played this season, Wolves look like a team that accepted relegation before the start of the season.
Their summer transfer business didn’t help. Losing Matheus Cunha, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Fabio Silva for a combined €135million and bringing in a couple of players from Celta Vigo and Genk to replace them, had the look of a team throwing in the towel.
Manager Vitor Perriera was gone at the start of November and his replacement Rob Edwards looks to be on borrowed time already. The big problem is, when he does go, who would want to come to take the job?