Premier League mid season review: How have the teams fared near the halfway point of the season?

New Delhi: The 2024/25 Premier League season is almost at it’s halfway point of the season with 17 matches done and dusted. This league season has proved to be different than any of the others that we have seen till now with many clubs punching above their weights and many big clubs suffering a loss of form and going through a downfall. There were a lot of new faces coming into the league at the start of the season and the performances of some have shocked a lot of the viewers.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Leicester City, Brighton and and West Ham, all started the season with new managers at the helm but not all of them still have the same person in charge. Manchester United, Leicester City, Wolves and Southampton have all taken the tough call to axe their manager after undesirable results for them and have replaced them with newer options. The season has already seen a lot of ups and downs and we’re still two games short of the half-way point of the season. With that in mind, let’s take a look at how all 20 teams have fared till now.

1) Liverpool- 39 Points

Liverpool started the season with a lot of uncertainty regarding the club. Fan favourite manager Jurgen Klopp had left the club after nine successful years with the Reds and was replaced by Dutch manager Arne Slot. While Slot had earned his reputation in Dutch football, no one knew how well he would adapt to the Premier League. However, his tenure has gone better than what anyone could’ve imagined. Liverpool look better than ever before under Slot, with this transition being extremely smooth. He has the club sitting top of the Premier League table at Christmas and are on course for their second ever Premier League title.

2) Chelsea- 35 Points

Chelsea had a similar situation to Liverpool when the season started. Mauricio Pochettino had left and the club were searching for their third permanent manager in as many seasons. The man entrusted with the job was Pep Guardiola’s former assistant, Enzo Maresca who had just guided Leicester to the Championship title. The Italian didn’t have much of a reputation when he came to the club but has since transformed Chelsea and has gotten them back amongst the top of the Premier League table. The club are playing the best brand of football since they did under Thomas Tuchel and look on course for a top four finish this season, something that not everyone was expecting from the London club.

3) Arsenal- 33 Points

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side would be a little disappointed to find themselves behind their London rivals in the table after constantly challenging Manchester City for the title for the last two years. This was the year the Gunners expected to lift the title in the absence of Jurgen Klopp but have firmly fallen behind Liverpool in the title race as they sit six points behind the leaders, who have a game in hand. Their goalscoring woes without set pieces have dominated the headlines recently and Arteta’s side need to silence their critics on that front. Arsenal have a lot of ground to catch up on and without Liverpool experiencing a massive loss of form, it seems that Arsenal’s Premier League drought will continue.

4) Nottingham Forest- 31 Points

The surprise package of this Premier League season, Nottingham Forest have broken through the barrier and broken into the top four before Christmas. This is the same team that set the record for surviving the drop with the least points last season and are currently just one point behind the tally they accumulated in the previous campaign. They are the only team this season that haven inflicted a defeat on Liverpool and have taken points off Chelsea and Manchester United. Nuno Santo’s side are leading the pack for the European charge and will be disappointed if they finish the season without some sort of European football for the next one.

5) Bournemouth- 28 Points

Moving from the surprise package to the giant killers, Andoni Iraola has quietly been working wonders with his Bournemouth side. The Cherries have beaten a lot of the big sides that they’ve faced this season. Both Manchester and North London sides have fallen prey to the Cherries, leading them to fifth in the table. There were question marks over them going into the season with the sale of Dominic Solanke but Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo have stepped up since then. Their counter-attacking style and solid team chemistry have been key to their success. Iraola would want his side to finish in the European spots this season, after such a strong start.

6) Aston Villa- 28 Points

Unai Emery’s men were last season’s surprise package after finishing in the top four and have continued their good form this season. People expected Villa to struggle given the increased workload due to their UEFA Champions League commitments but Emery has managed his side well. Villa started the season in blistering fashion, buoyed by the emergence of Jhon Duran but tailed off in the middle, only to find their form back at the right time. They are once again set to challenge for Europe this season and could pip on of the sides that are currently above them given the experience in their ranks. They remain competitive but need more consistency to stay in the European hunt.

7) Manchester City- 27 Points

A challenging season for City sees them fall to seventh, plagued by defensive issues and a lack of cutting edge in key matches. Losses to Liverpool, Manchester United, and Aston Villa highlight their struggles to maintain their usual dominance. THey started the season well but Rodri’s absence has hurt them harder than anyone could’ve imagined. Only one win in the last eight Premier League games has seen Pep Guardiola’s worst ever run as manager and they face an uphill battle now just to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, let alone defend their league title.

8) Newcastle United- 26 Points

Newcastle’s season has been a mix of highs and lows, but seem to be hitting form at the right time with emphatic wins over Leicester and Ipswich Town. Their attack, which hadn’t fired in the initial games of the season, has been on top form over the past few weeks with Alexander Isak leading the way. They have grinded out wins over both North London sides and have held both Manchester City and Liverpool to draws but now need to start getting successive wins to compete for European football once again. Eddie Howe is doing a brilliant job with a team that spent the entire summer without making any additions and arrivals in January could send them to the next level.

9) Fulham- 25 Points

Fulham under Marco Silva have firmly established themselves as a mid-table side ever since they returned to the league in 2022. Over the past two seasons, they have finished 10th and 13th in the league and are currently on course for another midtable finish this season. They have shown some grit and resilience in sneaking away draws from Tottenham, Arsenal, and Liverpool but have failed to win games that they should’ve, such as the ones against Wolves, Southampton, and Everton. The Cottagers have drawn too many games this season and if they find a way to turn those draws into wins, they can be in for a shout for a UEFA Conference League place.

10) Brighton and Hove Albion- 25 Points

Brighton have the same record as Fulham this season at this point, which is why whatever was said for Fulham, applies for the Seagulls as well. They started the season extremely well, and were even sat at the top of the league for a short while but too many draws has seen them fall to 10th. They have the youngest ever Premier League manager, Fabian Hürzeler at the helm who is doing a fantastic job given that he’s just 31-years-old and it’s his first season in any top flight, let alone the toughest one there is. They are winless in the last five games and need to start getting some wins from here if they are to continue in the top half of the table.

11) Tottenham Hotspur- 23 Points

The Robinhood of the Premier League have lived up to their tag this season as well. Their rollercoaster season sees them just outside the top ten owing to their patchy and inconsistent form. Spurs haven’t strung two consecutive wins in the league since the end of September and that has hurt them a lot. Fans are turning on manager Ange Postecoglou and the Australian’s frustration becomes more and more evident in every interview he gives. They just suffered a humiliating 6-3 defeat at home to Liverpool but are still the highest scorers of the league and that just about sums up how their season has been. Qualification for any sort of European football seems like a big ask for them at this time.

12) Brentford- 23 Points

If the Premier League only counted matches played at home, Brentford would’ve been winning the league this season. The Bees are the most inform home team with seven wins in nine games at the Gtech Community Stadium. They recently lost their unbeaten home record after Nottingham left their stadium with three points but their awful away record sees them in 12th position in the league. While they sit at the top of the home league table, they are sat at the bottom of the away table with no wins in eight games, having taken just one point on their travels. If they don’t change their away form, it’ll be another season in the mid-table muddle for the Bees.

13) Manchester United- 22 Points

A lot has already been said about Manchester United this season, however, what people might have forgotten is that the season began with a lot of positivity around the Red Devils. They had a new owner and new structure at the club and some exciting new signings entered the door as well. They won their first game against Fulham with new signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring the winner but things went all downhill from there and they sit in the bottom half of the table at Christmas for the first time in the Premier League. Manager Erik Ten Hag has since been sacked and replaced with Ruben Amorim but the problems still persist for the Red Devils and they face a huge battle to qualify for Europe once again.

14) West Ham United- 20 Points

West Ham’s fans were buzzing at the end of the transfer window after their side had brought in nine quality new signings at the club. David Moyes had left and been replaced with former Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui but the positivity ended there for them. Lopetegui’s appointment hasn’t aged well since then with most fans calling for the head of the Spaniard as his side has massively underperformed this season. He’s only still in charge of the club due to a win in the ‘El Sackico’ against Wolves and seems to be hanging by a thread at the London Stadium. The club expected to compete for European football this season but given their current standing, a place in the top half would be a massive finish for them.

15) Everton- 16 Points

Everton’s campaign has been marred by a lack of attacking output, though their defense has kept them afloat. Goalless draws with Chelsea, Arsenal, Brentford and West Ham have kept them away from the relegation zone for a while now, but they need reinforcements to avoid further trouble. With the Friedkin Group’s takeover now finally complete, they can hope for some injection of funds that will help the Toffees overcome their attacking issues. Sean Dyche has done a decent job of not letting them fall into the relegation dogfight till now but without their attack coming good, it doesn’t look like the ‘Ginger Mourinho’ can keep them afloat for long. Reinforcements in January could see them make a late push up the table.

16) Crystal Palace- 16 Points

Crystal Palace’s start to this season has been a complete contrast to how they ended the previous one under Oliver Glasner. 24 points from their last 13 games saw the Eagles faithful fall in love with the Austrian manager but in 17 games this season, he hasn’t reached close to that number till now. Palace were hurt massively by the departure of Michael Olise in the summer and they didn’t replace the Frenchman well enough which has been evident in their performances this season. They have constantly been in the relegation fight this season and it seems like they will continue to be in one till the end of the season. Pressure is surely growing on Glasner now, following a 5-1 drubbing by Arsenal at home.

17) Leicester City- 14 Points

Leicester City find themselves in a relegation battle just after returning to the Premier League this season. One of the three promoted sides, they lost manager Enzo Maresca when Chelsea came calling in the off season. They then replaced him with an underwhelming Steve Cooper to start the season and he was then gone after just 12 games in charge of the Foxes. They replaced him with former Manchester United interim manager Ruud Van Nistelrooy but their defensive issues still remain. Nistelrooy is still in the early part of his journey as a manager but needs to address the club’s defensive issues if they are to avoid the drop this season. They’ve conceded the second most goals till now and face a tough task to maintain their status as a top flight club.

18) Wolverhampton Wanderers- 12 Points

One of the two clubs that have the freshest managers in the league this season, Wolves finally got rid of Gary O’Neil, who seemed to have no clue regarding what he was doing at the club this season. Replacing him with Vitor Pereira was an off-beat choice for sure but the Portuguese manager got his career off to a great start following his side’s 3-0 win over Leicester City. He made a bold claim after the game, stating that they will avoid the drop this season and given the quality the squad boasts, they can achieve that. The club needs to add some defensive reinforcements in the January window to give all the help to the new manager and increase their odds of survival.

19) Ipswich Town- 12 Points

Ipswich Town are unlucky to find themselves in the place that they are but such is the nature of the Premier League. The Tractor Boys haven’t been half as bad as their position makes them out to be but they just haven’t been clinical in their games till now. Manager Kieran McKenna has drawn a lot of the games that they should’ve won and if he can address that issue in the second half of the season, Ipswich can still hold on to their Premier League status. The club was widely expected to struggle this season and in a way that have and haven’t at the same time. They’ve produced some memorable results like a draw against Manchester United and a win over Tottenham. If they can find consistency in their performances, they can still get out of the relegation battle.

20) Southampton- 6 Points

Currently the worst placed team in the league, Southampton have just changed their manager and gotten in former AS Roma coach Ivan Juric. They have had the worst start to the season this year with just one win in their opening 17 games and are the lowest scorers in the league with just 11 goals scored. For context, Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have both individually scored more than the whole team till now. While Juric has a good record with smaller teams of Italy, he failed miserably during his short spell in charge of AS Roma earlier in the season. With there being a vast points difference between the Saints and the others, they really are in the need of a Christmas miracle to avoid the drop this year.

 The 2024/25 Premier League season is almost at it’s halfway point of the season with 17 matches done and dusted. Let’s take a look at all 20 teams and how they’ve performed till now!  Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today