We are exactly at the halfway point of the Premier League's season with the completion of all the Boxing Day fixtures, but still have a couple more for each team around this festive season. All twenty sides have shown some good and some bad, and with every team playing every team once this season, it's enough to get a look at the sides. I go in detail on every side in the top half of the table, then I give ten words (or less) on each team in the bottom half. Let's get started!
1. Liverpool - 51 points:
The Good: Quite a lot. Liverpool remain unbeaten in the league and six points clear of any side in the league, and seven clear of preseason front-runners Manchester City. They are in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and Virgil van Dijk is winning widespread critical acclaim for his play, a rarity with defenders. Mo Salah is back in form with twelve goals this season, second in the Golden Boot race, tied with Harry Kane, and the front three has been boosted by super summer signing Xherdan Shaqiri. The depth is rounding into form as well as Liverpool are boosted by five players who can play central midfield. The club have also been able to harness luck on their side: a wacky Merseyside Derby goal to take three points, Riyad Mahrez blazing a penalty kick over the bar to hold a draw at home with Manchester City, and a brilliant bit of skill in the 89th minute at Stamford Bridge to take a point thanks to Daniel Sturridge. Things are going well for Liverpool at the moment.
The Bad: Injuries are a concern still. Joe Gomez remains out for the side as does Joel Matip, leaving the Reds with two fit center backs in the first team and desperately needing Gomez back fit for the first game of the knockout stages of the UCL with van Dijk suspended. There is also the fear that, of course, some luck could run out. Things would look different in terms of points on the table if Liverpool dropped points in the aforementioned three games. The main question regarding Liverpool seems to be if they can put together a second half of the season to go along with their first. Their first two fixtures, Arsenal and at Manchester City, will be crucial in answering that.
2. Tottenham - 45 points:
The Good: Spurs are in a three-horse race that no one expected them to be in. They are rounding brilliantly into form with batterings of Everton and Bournemouth and since a loss in the North London Derby, they have rattled off five straight wins. Everyone in the side is hitting peak form seemingly at the same time: Harry Kane remains on a role, Christian Eriksen has played a part in a goal in six of the last seven league games, Heung-Min Son has a pair of braces in the last two games and has scored in four of his last five, and the entire defense seems to be gelling well together, regardless of who's in the back line and even with no Jan Vertonghen. Their four losses have all been respectable, and they remain in a soft run of form with all three newly promoted sides and Manchester United at home in their next four fixtures. The United match should be telling.
The Bad: Depth does still remain a concern. Whether or not this team is built for a title challenge will be tested over the course of the season with Spurs still competing in four separate competitions, the EFL Cup testing them over two legs with Chelsea, though the FA Cup dealing them Tranmere Rovers. There is also the issue of midfield for Spurs. Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko have been the primary midfielders for the side this month with Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier both currently injured. Sissoko has improved his play greatly, but in losses, especially the one against Liverpool, their midfield was blown wide open by Jurgen Klopp's men. In the 4-2-3-1, will teams be able to find weakness within it, or is it as solid as they have shown?
3. Manchester City - 44 points:
The Good: Through fifteen games, seemingly all you could do was nitpick flaws against this City side. Kevin De Bruyne is back to brilliance after his injury and Bernardo Silva has been very good as well creatively. Elsewhere in midfield, Fernandinho has been quite evidently very irreplaceable for Pep Guardiola. Aymeric Laporte has also established himself as a top-five, if not top-three, center back in the Premier League as well. There was a stretch of six straight league games that City scored within the first twenty minutes of, including three in twenty on Southampton and two in twenty on West Ham. 51 goals leads the league, both Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero (when fit) are steady in scoring goals, but it's a team effort. Finally, Leroy Sane has put together a stellar season on the wing and is certainly proving to be one of the top young talents in the league, and perhaps in the world. Despite what will be written in 'The Bad' column, make no mistake, the sky is not falling for Pep Guardiola's men and they at least partially control their outlook by hosting Liverpool in the first fixture of 2019.
The Bad: There's been a fair bit of it lately. Fernandinho's injury has really hindered City. Ilkey Gundogan was awful against Leicester, John Stones was fine against Crystal Palace but that's not a long-term fix. While he is expected to be near full-fitness by the Liverpool game, the two losses while he was away are in themselves huge blows. At left back, Benjamin Mendy is back injured and Fabian Delph is not a proper left back, and now suspended for three games with a straight red. As impossible as it may seems for a club who just two summers ago practically threw money at their full back problem, still it lingers. They can turn to a three-man defense, move Laporte to left back, or slot Oleksandr Zinchenko there for the next three games. The defense has not kept a clean sheet in six straight league matches and nine fixtures overall. They need to focus in if they want to right the ship, which they do have the talent and manager to do.
4. Chelsea - 40 points:
The Good: An undefeated start was a sign of positiveness for Chelsea under a new manager with a new system. Eden Hazard, on his day, has proven to be perhaps the league's best player. With ten goals, he is certainly proving that. David Luiz has experienced a career resurgence under Maurizio Sarri as well at center back, and he has been nothing short of superb nearly every game. Not to be outdone has been Marcos Alonso, who is contending for top left back in England with Andy Robertson. His attacking ability from the left wing has been well-documented as well with jokes of him being a "false three" permeating. Despite the setbacks from a super hot start, the new system under Sarri seems to be one to be very optimistic about. N'Golo Kante continues to prove his worth as he adjusts to a more attacking central role while Jorginho is Sarri's perfect deeper man in the pitch. The 4-3-3 has also seen Hazard employed as striker to see him attempt to get more attacking opportunities, with surprise star Pedro on one side putting it solid shifts.
The Bad: Chelsea have fallen off the pace of their earlier season form a fair bit. Amidst doling Manchester City their first loss have been troubling defeats to Wolves, Leicester, and a more reasonable (albeit, still tough to take) loss to Spurs. That first loss against Spurs also highlighted how to quiet the all-important Jorginho, something to keep in mind as Chelsea see teams for a second time. There is still the concerns around Hazard leaving for Madrid and the fact that with or without him, there is no out-and-out striker at the club that Sarri seems happy with. The Alvaro Morata experiment seems to officially be a flop and Olivier Giroud, despite his occasional wondergoals, has been employed mostly in the Europa League. They seem to be the team set to have the most interesting transfer window, with Hazard and Morata rumors persisting around sports media. Their visit to Arsenal will be key in the early stages of the second half of the season.
5. Arsenal - 38 points:
The Good: Under Unai Emery, Arsenal have been working towards building their own identity under the ex-PSG and Sevilla manager. Outside of the early two losses at the start of the season, they have suffered just one defeat this season, a shocker to Southampton, and have looked overall well-improved from last season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has silenced doubters who talked about fears of a 29-year-old striker reliant on pace to the tune of a league-leading thirteen goals. He is joined on top by Alexandre Lacazette who I think is one of the more underrated players in the league. Both position themselves brilliantly in attack and make it easy for the likes of Aaron Ramsey to find them, even from deeper positions in midfield. Speaking of midfield, Lucas Torreira needed a touch of time to settle in, but he has become nailed into the line-up and has constantly proved his worth for this team. At just 22, along with Matteo Guendouzi at the age of 19, Arsenal have two midfielders for the future already.
The Bad: For the brilliant firepower in attack and excitement in midfield, the defense can let them down. Bernd Leno has been criticized for some mistakes in net while the defense can remain a bit mix-and-match. Granit Xhaka struggles when placed at center back, the first-choice pairing on Boxing Day of Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos combined for an age of 63. That said, Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi both are out with injury, as is right back Hector Bellerin, being 34-year-old Stephan Lichtsteiner is playing a large role on the right or at right center back. Questions of defense should likely be tabled until the squad is back fit, but against Liverpool's attack, and knowing the history of these two teams at Anfield, there may be some concern in the back line of the pitch for Arsenal fans.
6. Manchester United - 32 points:
The Good: After a horrific first-half campaign which saw Jose Mourinho lose the locker room, support of the owners, and about half the fanbase, while also losing five league matches, drawing another five, and needing multiple comebacks, United remain both within shouting distance of top four and still in the Champions League. They've scored eight over their two games without Mourinho, Paul Pogba looks to be flourishing in a new more involved role, and caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has more positive energy at Old Trafford since taking over. Early in the season, Luke Shaw was at times the top source of positiveness, going from forgotten man to key left back. The talent is clearly there in attack too with Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, and Marcus Rashford all creative players that can play a role and do a job. Additionally, despite being a polarizing figure, and not actually scoring a league goal, at times under Mourinho, Marouane Fellaini seemed to be a bright spot in midfield. It was a confusing time, but the best seems yet to come for United.
The Bad: You could copy/paste the first sentence of 'The Good' and it applies here. The team under Mourinho were atrocious, puzzling at times, and tore the fan base apart on occasions in arguments that waged over who was worthy of more blame, Mourinho or the owners. The defense was shambolic, and to be fair, they have still conceded in each of their two games under Solskajer. Their two games have also been to struggling sides dabbling with promotion, Huddersfield and Cardiff. Conceding 31 goals is the most of any top-half team, and second most of any top-fifteen team (only Bournemouth, thanks to allowing five to Tottenham, have more with 33). The good feelings are well-deserved given two fairly complete attacking performances, but the defense also needs straightening out in it.
7. Leicester City - 28 points:
The Good: This last week has to be atop this list. Victories over Chelsea and Manchester City have catapulted the Foxes into seventh place. Claude Puel's defensive solidity combined with the counter-attacking threats of Leicester, especially given their featuring of Jamie Vardy, have been a sight to behold. Ricardo Pereira's wondergoal to beat City is just an add-on to what has been a fantastic season for the right back/wing. James Maddison is a creative attacking player who has been dispatched on the wing lately and been absolutely outstanding as well. I am personally a huge fan of the Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy midfield, and their combination with Hamza Choudhury has been the line-up used in the two victories this weekend. A lot of what makes Leicester special comes from solid discipline combined with individual players doing what they do best within a system that suits them. For Vardy, that's counter attacking with pace. For Maddison, that's being a creative distributor. For Ndidi and Mendy, that's making life miserable on opposing midfielders. That is why they sit seventh.
The Bad: The two big victories will cover up a lot of the inconsistency that has shown in the earlier stages of the season. The Foxes were unable to put together a performance complete enough to snag a premier win over any top side (Liverpool and Manchester United being two of their better performances overall this season). There is also the question of whether or not Puel will overstay his welcome. He was criticized at Southampton for a lack of attacking, though, to be fair, he had much less attacking quality with the Saints as opposed to here at Leicester. Additionally, I'd like to see Mendy be a tad more consistent as an individual as well. Only 24 goals is the lowest amount in the top half of the table, but pouring in goals is not what Puel sides will do. To improve that record, they will need more from either Demarai Gray or Kelechi Iheanacho off the bench, or perhaps Rachid Ghezzal. Regardless, the goals will be needed from somewhere to keep them around the European places throughout the season.
8. Everton - 27 points, +2 GD:
The Good: Marco Silva has taken a team that has, over the last two seasons, seen an incredible amount of player come into the squad. This includes four important squad players he himself brought in over the summer. Having them in eighth is a testament considering just two years ago, in the first fixture of 2017, just two players were involved in that starting eleven and the Boxing Day eleven (Seamus Coleman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin). A third from that eleven, Idrissa Gueye, has been fantastic in midfield and is sorely missed in the heart of the pitch. Richarlison has shown himself to be a very nice asset on the wing or on top while Gylfi Sigurdsson is a nice midfielder who can play more attacking or a bit deeper.
The Bad: The wild inconsistency of this team remains baffling. They still seem unable to beat a top six side, suffering beatdowns to Tottenham and Manchester City while being done in to hard luck by Liverpool and Arsenal, with Manchester United an outlier of a not-very-close 2-1. Jordan Pickford seemed to be broken by the Merseyside Derby and will have to get back on track as well. It is a confusing Everton team who are in eighth only on goal difference thanks to a beatdown given to Burnley. They need to level out and ideally hang on to players on loan like Andre Gomes for next season as well.
9. West Ham - 27 points, -1 GD, 27 GS:
The Good: Five wins out of six in December is a stellar clip for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who are finding their identity. I was concerned about their lack of one early in the season, but that I dismissed a bit as them needing to blend their new players in, and I feel a bit vindicated for thinking so. Felipe Anderson is playing incredibly well as a left winger while Michail Antonio can be deployed as a striker, right winger, or right back. The utility man nature of him gives Pellegrini a weapon to play with and dispatch as he pleases. On the left, Arthur Masuaku has been playing some good ball as of late and the entire defense seems to be rounding into a bit of form as of late. With Jack Wilshere hurt, Pedro Obiang, Declan Rice, and Mark Noble making up a rotating midfield that offers a bit of solidity in the middle of the pitch.
The Bad: Concerns about Marko Arnautovic continue to loom over the side. He is currently injured, but the rumors will persist as he is not due fit until the start of 2019. Chicharito has a muscle injury as well, and despite Robert Snodgrass' excellent form, a two-man striker duo of him and Lucas Perez is not ideal. Another goal-scoring threat needs to come in. Andy Carroll is finally back to fitness, but will he remain fit? What about the transfer rumors around him? Likewise, can Pellegrini count on academy prospect Alexandre Silva to be a back-up? Like many teams around this time, injuries are an issue, but the Hammers seem well-equipped to deal with them as they come.
10. Watford - 27 points, -1 GD, 26 GS:
The Good: The early-season unbeaten run was thrilling to watch. Playing a 4-2-2-2, Javi Gracia had his four midfielders perfectly balanced and playing with great chemistry. At the heart of it is Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue, two sturdy yet technical midfielders. Will Hughes' injury has meant Ken Sema joins the Watford starting eleven, and he does an admirable job on the opposite wing of Roberto Pereyra. Watford seem to have the ability to pull players you have never heard of out of thin air and have them do a great job in the eleven. That was the case for Sema, that's been the case at times for ex-Hammer Quina in midfield, and at right back Kiko, former Alaves man, has been solid for two seasons now in the line-up. Despite all the managers and a considerable amount of line-up changing, Watford have carved out a space for themselves in the top half of the Premier League table.
The Bad: The midseason collapse seems not to have missed out on Watford in yet another season. The hot start gave way to a four-match winless streak, followed by back-to-back wins, then six more without a victory. Troy Deeney has just three goals on the season and companions on top like Isaac Success and Gerard Deulofeu (who does better as an attacking-mid) have struggled on top, as has Andre Gray, currently injured. To clarify, on their day, Watford usually do have a man on top that can cause defenders some trouble, but the question becomes picking the right man on the day. This is a side that, more than any in the top half, I have questions of whether or not teams will figure out how to attack them upon the second time around. This will leave the pressure on the rock-solid Ben Foster who has proven capable, but you do not want your keeper under unnessesary pressure either. A soft first four games of the second half (Newcastle, at Bournemouth, at Palace, Burnley) need to be seized as opportunities to strengthen their position in the top ten.
The Bottom Half, a Summary of Each Side in Ten Words or Less:
11. Wolves - 26 points, -2 GD:
Not bad at all, European aspirations in a couple years.
12. Bournemouth - 26 points, -6 GD:
Howe has them attacking, Cherries are fun to watch.
13. Brighton - 22 points:
Glenn Murray is not enough, more threats need to appear.
14. Crystal Palace - 19 points:
More inconsistent than Everton, Zaha and Wan-Bissaka are elite talent.
15. Newcastle - 17 points:
Rafa needs more players, current bunch nowhere near good enough.
(I need to expand a bit: This is slightly harsh because the defending has been good, and Martin Dubravka is a top-half keeper at minimum. That said, this is a club with positions that have no true players in it (left back, central midfield, another center back needed) and this seems to be more than Rafa will get. It is a shame.)
16. Southampton - 15 points, -15 GD:
Hasenhuttl should keep them up; Ings and Lemina will help.
17. Cardiff - 15 points, -20 GD:
Not in relegation spots is already a massive win.
18. Burnley - 12 points:
Massive disappointment. No pace, no creativity, no defensive strength shown.
19. Fulham - 11 points:
Too much ambition early season. Mismatched players, identity is needed.
20. Huddersfield - 10 points:
Been here before. But relegation seems inevitable. No strikers here.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
1. Liverpool - 51 points:
The Good: Quite a lot. Liverpool remain unbeaten in the league and six points clear of any side in the league, and seven clear of preseason front-runners Manchester City. They are in the knockout stages of the Champions League, and Virgil van Dijk is winning widespread critical acclaim for his play, a rarity with defenders. Mo Salah is back in form with twelve goals this season, second in the Golden Boot race, tied with Harry Kane, and the front three has been boosted by super summer signing Xherdan Shaqiri. The depth is rounding into form as well as Liverpool are boosted by five players who can play central midfield. The club have also been able to harness luck on their side: a wacky Merseyside Derby goal to take three points, Riyad Mahrez blazing a penalty kick over the bar to hold a draw at home with Manchester City, and a brilliant bit of skill in the 89th minute at Stamford Bridge to take a point thanks to Daniel Sturridge. Things are going well for Liverpool at the moment.
The Bad: Injuries are a concern still. Joe Gomez remains out for the side as does Joel Matip, leaving the Reds with two fit center backs in the first team and desperately needing Gomez back fit for the first game of the knockout stages of the UCL with van Dijk suspended. There is also the fear that, of course, some luck could run out. Things would look different in terms of points on the table if Liverpool dropped points in the aforementioned three games. The main question regarding Liverpool seems to be if they can put together a second half of the season to go along with their first. Their first two fixtures, Arsenal and at Manchester City, will be crucial in answering that.
2. Tottenham - 45 points:
The Good: Spurs are in a three-horse race that no one expected them to be in. They are rounding brilliantly into form with batterings of Everton and Bournemouth and since a loss in the North London Derby, they have rattled off five straight wins. Everyone in the side is hitting peak form seemingly at the same time: Harry Kane remains on a role, Christian Eriksen has played a part in a goal in six of the last seven league games, Heung-Min Son has a pair of braces in the last two games and has scored in four of his last five, and the entire defense seems to be gelling well together, regardless of who's in the back line and even with no Jan Vertonghen. Their four losses have all been respectable, and they remain in a soft run of form with all three newly promoted sides and Manchester United at home in their next four fixtures. The United match should be telling.
The Bad: Depth does still remain a concern. Whether or not this team is built for a title challenge will be tested over the course of the season with Spurs still competing in four separate competitions, the EFL Cup testing them over two legs with Chelsea, though the FA Cup dealing them Tranmere Rovers. There is also the issue of midfield for Spurs. Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko have been the primary midfielders for the side this month with Mousa Dembele and Eric Dier both currently injured. Sissoko has improved his play greatly, but in losses, especially the one against Liverpool, their midfield was blown wide open by Jurgen Klopp's men. In the 4-2-3-1, will teams be able to find weakness within it, or is it as solid as they have shown?
3. Manchester City - 44 points:
The Good: Through fifteen games, seemingly all you could do was nitpick flaws against this City side. Kevin De Bruyne is back to brilliance after his injury and Bernardo Silva has been very good as well creatively. Elsewhere in midfield, Fernandinho has been quite evidently very irreplaceable for Pep Guardiola. Aymeric Laporte has also established himself as a top-five, if not top-three, center back in the Premier League as well. There was a stretch of six straight league games that City scored within the first twenty minutes of, including three in twenty on Southampton and two in twenty on West Ham. 51 goals leads the league, both Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero (when fit) are steady in scoring goals, but it's a team effort. Finally, Leroy Sane has put together a stellar season on the wing and is certainly proving to be one of the top young talents in the league, and perhaps in the world. Despite what will be written in 'The Bad' column, make no mistake, the sky is not falling for Pep Guardiola's men and they at least partially control their outlook by hosting Liverpool in the first fixture of 2019.
The Bad: There's been a fair bit of it lately. Fernandinho's injury has really hindered City. Ilkey Gundogan was awful against Leicester, John Stones was fine against Crystal Palace but that's not a long-term fix. While he is expected to be near full-fitness by the Liverpool game, the two losses while he was away are in themselves huge blows. At left back, Benjamin Mendy is back injured and Fabian Delph is not a proper left back, and now suspended for three games with a straight red. As impossible as it may seems for a club who just two summers ago practically threw money at their full back problem, still it lingers. They can turn to a three-man defense, move Laporte to left back, or slot Oleksandr Zinchenko there for the next three games. The defense has not kept a clean sheet in six straight league matches and nine fixtures overall. They need to focus in if they want to right the ship, which they do have the talent and manager to do.
4. Chelsea - 40 points:
The Good: An undefeated start was a sign of positiveness for Chelsea under a new manager with a new system. Eden Hazard, on his day, has proven to be perhaps the league's best player. With ten goals, he is certainly proving that. David Luiz has experienced a career resurgence under Maurizio Sarri as well at center back, and he has been nothing short of superb nearly every game. Not to be outdone has been Marcos Alonso, who is contending for top left back in England with Andy Robertson. His attacking ability from the left wing has been well-documented as well with jokes of him being a "false three" permeating. Despite the setbacks from a super hot start, the new system under Sarri seems to be one to be very optimistic about. N'Golo Kante continues to prove his worth as he adjusts to a more attacking central role while Jorginho is Sarri's perfect deeper man in the pitch. The 4-3-3 has also seen Hazard employed as striker to see him attempt to get more attacking opportunities, with surprise star Pedro on one side putting it solid shifts.
The Bad: Chelsea have fallen off the pace of their earlier season form a fair bit. Amidst doling Manchester City their first loss have been troubling defeats to Wolves, Leicester, and a more reasonable (albeit, still tough to take) loss to Spurs. That first loss against Spurs also highlighted how to quiet the all-important Jorginho, something to keep in mind as Chelsea see teams for a second time. There is still the concerns around Hazard leaving for Madrid and the fact that with or without him, there is no out-and-out striker at the club that Sarri seems happy with. The Alvaro Morata experiment seems to officially be a flop and Olivier Giroud, despite his occasional wondergoals, has been employed mostly in the Europa League. They seem to be the team set to have the most interesting transfer window, with Hazard and Morata rumors persisting around sports media. Their visit to Arsenal will be key in the early stages of the second half of the season.
5. Arsenal - 38 points:
The Good: Under Unai Emery, Arsenal have been working towards building their own identity under the ex-PSG and Sevilla manager. Outside of the early two losses at the start of the season, they have suffered just one defeat this season, a shocker to Southampton, and have looked overall well-improved from last season. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has silenced doubters who talked about fears of a 29-year-old striker reliant on pace to the tune of a league-leading thirteen goals. He is joined on top by Alexandre Lacazette who I think is one of the more underrated players in the league. Both position themselves brilliantly in attack and make it easy for the likes of Aaron Ramsey to find them, even from deeper positions in midfield. Speaking of midfield, Lucas Torreira needed a touch of time to settle in, but he has become nailed into the line-up and has constantly proved his worth for this team. At just 22, along with Matteo Guendouzi at the age of 19, Arsenal have two midfielders for the future already.
The Bad: For the brilliant firepower in attack and excitement in midfield, the defense can let them down. Bernd Leno has been criticized for some mistakes in net while the defense can remain a bit mix-and-match. Granit Xhaka struggles when placed at center back, the first-choice pairing on Boxing Day of Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis Papastathopoulos combined for an age of 63. That said, Rob Holding and Shkodran Mustafi both are out with injury, as is right back Hector Bellerin, being 34-year-old Stephan Lichtsteiner is playing a large role on the right or at right center back. Questions of defense should likely be tabled until the squad is back fit, but against Liverpool's attack, and knowing the history of these two teams at Anfield, there may be some concern in the back line of the pitch for Arsenal fans.
6. Manchester United - 32 points:
The Good: After a horrific first-half campaign which saw Jose Mourinho lose the locker room, support of the owners, and about half the fanbase, while also losing five league matches, drawing another five, and needing multiple comebacks, United remain both within shouting distance of top four and still in the Champions League. They've scored eight over their two games without Mourinho, Paul Pogba looks to be flourishing in a new more involved role, and caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has more positive energy at Old Trafford since taking over. Early in the season, Luke Shaw was at times the top source of positiveness, going from forgotten man to key left back. The talent is clearly there in attack too with Juan Mata, Jesse Lingard, and Marcus Rashford all creative players that can play a role and do a job. Additionally, despite being a polarizing figure, and not actually scoring a league goal, at times under Mourinho, Marouane Fellaini seemed to be a bright spot in midfield. It was a confusing time, but the best seems yet to come for United.
The Bad: You could copy/paste the first sentence of 'The Good' and it applies here. The team under Mourinho were atrocious, puzzling at times, and tore the fan base apart on occasions in arguments that waged over who was worthy of more blame, Mourinho or the owners. The defense was shambolic, and to be fair, they have still conceded in each of their two games under Solskajer. Their two games have also been to struggling sides dabbling with promotion, Huddersfield and Cardiff. Conceding 31 goals is the most of any top-half team, and second most of any top-fifteen team (only Bournemouth, thanks to allowing five to Tottenham, have more with 33). The good feelings are well-deserved given two fairly complete attacking performances, but the defense also needs straightening out in it.
7. Leicester City - 28 points:
The Good: This last week has to be atop this list. Victories over Chelsea and Manchester City have catapulted the Foxes into seventh place. Claude Puel's defensive solidity combined with the counter-attacking threats of Leicester, especially given their featuring of Jamie Vardy, have been a sight to behold. Ricardo Pereira's wondergoal to beat City is just an add-on to what has been a fantastic season for the right back/wing. James Maddison is a creative attacking player who has been dispatched on the wing lately and been absolutely outstanding as well. I am personally a huge fan of the Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy midfield, and their combination with Hamza Choudhury has been the line-up used in the two victories this weekend. A lot of what makes Leicester special comes from solid discipline combined with individual players doing what they do best within a system that suits them. For Vardy, that's counter attacking with pace. For Maddison, that's being a creative distributor. For Ndidi and Mendy, that's making life miserable on opposing midfielders. That is why they sit seventh.
The Bad: The two big victories will cover up a lot of the inconsistency that has shown in the earlier stages of the season. The Foxes were unable to put together a performance complete enough to snag a premier win over any top side (Liverpool and Manchester United being two of their better performances overall this season). There is also the question of whether or not Puel will overstay his welcome. He was criticized at Southampton for a lack of attacking, though, to be fair, he had much less attacking quality with the Saints as opposed to here at Leicester. Additionally, I'd like to see Mendy be a tad more consistent as an individual as well. Only 24 goals is the lowest amount in the top half of the table, but pouring in goals is not what Puel sides will do. To improve that record, they will need more from either Demarai Gray or Kelechi Iheanacho off the bench, or perhaps Rachid Ghezzal. Regardless, the goals will be needed from somewhere to keep them around the European places throughout the season.
8. Everton - 27 points, +2 GD:
The Good: Marco Silva has taken a team that has, over the last two seasons, seen an incredible amount of player come into the squad. This includes four important squad players he himself brought in over the summer. Having them in eighth is a testament considering just two years ago, in the first fixture of 2017, just two players were involved in that starting eleven and the Boxing Day eleven (Seamus Coleman and Dominic Calvert-Lewin). A third from that eleven, Idrissa Gueye, has been fantastic in midfield and is sorely missed in the heart of the pitch. Richarlison has shown himself to be a very nice asset on the wing or on top while Gylfi Sigurdsson is a nice midfielder who can play more attacking or a bit deeper.
The Bad: The wild inconsistency of this team remains baffling. They still seem unable to beat a top six side, suffering beatdowns to Tottenham and Manchester City while being done in to hard luck by Liverpool and Arsenal, with Manchester United an outlier of a not-very-close 2-1. Jordan Pickford seemed to be broken by the Merseyside Derby and will have to get back on track as well. It is a confusing Everton team who are in eighth only on goal difference thanks to a beatdown given to Burnley. They need to level out and ideally hang on to players on loan like Andre Gomes for next season as well.
9. West Ham - 27 points, -1 GD, 27 GS:
The Good: Five wins out of six in December is a stellar clip for Manuel Pellegrini's men, who are finding their identity. I was concerned about their lack of one early in the season, but that I dismissed a bit as them needing to blend their new players in, and I feel a bit vindicated for thinking so. Felipe Anderson is playing incredibly well as a left winger while Michail Antonio can be deployed as a striker, right winger, or right back. The utility man nature of him gives Pellegrini a weapon to play with and dispatch as he pleases. On the left, Arthur Masuaku has been playing some good ball as of late and the entire defense seems to be rounding into a bit of form as of late. With Jack Wilshere hurt, Pedro Obiang, Declan Rice, and Mark Noble making up a rotating midfield that offers a bit of solidity in the middle of the pitch.
The Bad: Concerns about Marko Arnautovic continue to loom over the side. He is currently injured, but the rumors will persist as he is not due fit until the start of 2019. Chicharito has a muscle injury as well, and despite Robert Snodgrass' excellent form, a two-man striker duo of him and Lucas Perez is not ideal. Another goal-scoring threat needs to come in. Andy Carroll is finally back to fitness, but will he remain fit? What about the transfer rumors around him? Likewise, can Pellegrini count on academy prospect Alexandre Silva to be a back-up? Like many teams around this time, injuries are an issue, but the Hammers seem well-equipped to deal with them as they come.
10. Watford - 27 points, -1 GD, 26 GS:
The Good: The early-season unbeaten run was thrilling to watch. Playing a 4-2-2-2, Javi Gracia had his four midfielders perfectly balanced and playing with great chemistry. At the heart of it is Abdoulaye Doucoure and Etienne Capoue, two sturdy yet technical midfielders. Will Hughes' injury has meant Ken Sema joins the Watford starting eleven, and he does an admirable job on the opposite wing of Roberto Pereyra. Watford seem to have the ability to pull players you have never heard of out of thin air and have them do a great job in the eleven. That was the case for Sema, that's been the case at times for ex-Hammer Quina in midfield, and at right back Kiko, former Alaves man, has been solid for two seasons now in the line-up. Despite all the managers and a considerable amount of line-up changing, Watford have carved out a space for themselves in the top half of the Premier League table.
The Bad: The midseason collapse seems not to have missed out on Watford in yet another season. The hot start gave way to a four-match winless streak, followed by back-to-back wins, then six more without a victory. Troy Deeney has just three goals on the season and companions on top like Isaac Success and Gerard Deulofeu (who does better as an attacking-mid) have struggled on top, as has Andre Gray, currently injured. To clarify, on their day, Watford usually do have a man on top that can cause defenders some trouble, but the question becomes picking the right man on the day. This is a side that, more than any in the top half, I have questions of whether or not teams will figure out how to attack them upon the second time around. This will leave the pressure on the rock-solid Ben Foster who has proven capable, but you do not want your keeper under unnessesary pressure either. A soft first four games of the second half (Newcastle, at Bournemouth, at Palace, Burnley) need to be seized as opportunities to strengthen their position in the top ten.
The Bottom Half, a Summary of Each Side in Ten Words or Less:
11. Wolves - 26 points, -2 GD:
Not bad at all, European aspirations in a couple years.
12. Bournemouth - 26 points, -6 GD:
Howe has them attacking, Cherries are fun to watch.
13. Brighton - 22 points:
Glenn Murray is not enough, more threats need to appear.
14. Crystal Palace - 19 points:
More inconsistent than Everton, Zaha and Wan-Bissaka are elite talent.
15. Newcastle - 17 points:
Rafa needs more players, current bunch nowhere near good enough.
(I need to expand a bit: This is slightly harsh because the defending has been good, and Martin Dubravka is a top-half keeper at minimum. That said, this is a club with positions that have no true players in it (left back, central midfield, another center back needed) and this seems to be more than Rafa will get. It is a shame.)
16. Southampton - 15 points, -15 GD:
Hasenhuttl should keep them up; Ings and Lemina will help.
17. Cardiff - 15 points, -20 GD:
Not in relegation spots is already a massive win.
18. Burnley - 12 points:
Massive disappointment. No pace, no creativity, no defensive strength shown.
19. Fulham - 11 points:
Too much ambition early season. Mismatched players, identity is needed.
20. Huddersfield - 10 points:
Been here before. But relegation seems inevitable. No strikers here.
Follow me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan for more LFC coverage, including live Tweets during the matches, as well as AFC Ann Arbor and Michigan basketball coverage!
Comments
Post a Comment