The 23/24 Premier League season has recently passed the halfway mark provides a decent opportunity for fans and pundits to fairly rank each team’s season. From the highs of being in a title race to the nervous lows of having your future in England’s top-flight on a knife edge, each team will be ranked based off the expectations heading into the season and other factors such as the volume of injuries they have faced. To find out where your side ranks, continue reading below.
Arsenal: B-
If I had written this piece before Christmas, I would’ve probably given Arsenal an A grade, however the Gunners are in the midst of a mini-crisis and are unable to put the ball in the back of the net. Mikel Arteta’s side have only scored from one of their last sixty-one shots and took a Premier League record of seventy-seven touches in the box against Fulham, scoring just once. The table doesn’t make for great reading either. Arsenal have tumbled from first to fourth over the Christmas period and now sit five points behind Liverpool, who knocked them out of the FA Cup on Sunday. Arsenal fans will feel a striker is a priority in January, but with FFP restrictions limiting the Gunners’ spending, they must sell-to-buy this month if they are to sign anyone to improve the squad and win a first Premier League title in twenty years.
Aston Villa: A*
It didn’t take long to award the first A* of the article and that is received by Unai Emery’s Aston Villa. The Villains were tipped to challenge for the European places at the start of the season, but I doubt anybody saw a title challenge coming from the Birmingham side. Emery has extracted the best form out of Ollie Watkins who has a combined seventeen goals and assists in the league alone, with Leon Bailey also having his best campaign in a Villa shirt. Sitting only three points behind Liverpool, can Villa sustain their title challenge across the rest of this season?
Bournemouth: B
Prior to the last few months, Bournemouth would’ve got an F from me for sacking Gary O’Neill and sitting in a relegation battle under new manager Andoni Iraola. However, the Spaniard has made me eat my words. Since October, the Cherries have lost just two Premier League games to Man City and Tottenham respectively, and have climbed into a mid-table position, surely staying safe for another season. Iraola has transformed Dominic Solanke into a lethal striker too, with the former Chelsea player on twelve goals at just over the halfway point. If Solanke can keep up this sort of form, the sky is the limit for the Cherries.
Brentford: D
Brentford fans are filled with nerves and trepidation in recent times and it’s hard to blame them. The Bees have begun to slide down the Premier League table and have been plunged within reach of Everton and Luton who have risen from the depths of potential relegation. Thomas Frank’s men did start the season quite well and occupied a mid-table position for a while, but one win since the start of November has led to questions over Brentford’s future in the division. On a more positive note, Ivan Toney is now available for match selection which will come as a welcome boost for the west-London side and should keep the Bees afloat for the remainder of the season.
Brighton: B+
Brighton have continued to defy expectations after their fifth-place finish last season. Roberto De Zerbi has led the club to the Europa League round of sixteen after successfully topping the group consisting of Ajax and Marseille and managed to keep the club competitive in the Premier league despite having an injury-hit squad so far. Joao Pedro has looked an astute signing after bagging sixteen goals in all competitions and the club have players like Pervis Estupinan returning from injury that will certainly help the Seagulls during the second half of the season.
Burnley: D
The Clarets spent close to £90m in the summer with owners ALK Capital backing Vincent Kompany to keep the club in the league. Kompany has stuck with the style of play that got his side promoted from the championship, but this has led to the club conceding an average of two goals per game. Burnley have had a rough first half of the season, picking up just eleven points from their first twenty games which is only better than Sheffield United who sit at the foot of the Premier League table. The Lancashire club have improved in recent weeks, but it looks like they will be heading back to the championship if things don’t change soon.
Chelsea: C
Where do we start with Chelsea? The club have spent just over £1bn in the last eighteen months and can’t seem to finish any higher than tenth place or establish consistency within their results. Cole Palmer has been a quality addition so far, but other players such as Mykhaylo Mudryk haven’t hit the ground running and will be hard for Pochettino to offload should he wish to due to the length of his contract. A grade of C may seem generous, but I believe Chelsea will come good in the future as their young squad can only get better over time.
Crystal Palace: C
Palace had a brilliant start to this season but started to falter due to several injuries to players such as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise. The big win against Brentford in the Eagles’ last Premier League game was a welcome boost after only one win since the end of October and its clear the squad needs adding to as Roy Hodgson has had limited options to pick from throughout the season. Palace should stay up barring a horrible second half of the season, but more investment is needed if they’re to compete more regularly with teams like Brighton and West Ham.
Everton: B
The Toffees have had a difficult season off the pitch due to the Premier League imposing a ten-point deduction for financial fair play breaches, but on the pitch they have been great to watch. Sean Dyche has got the best out of players like Doucoure and McNeil whilst also being competitive against better sides. They have dropped off slightly in recent weeks, but I expect Everton to be a Premier League side heading into their last season at Goodison Park.
Fulham: C+
Losing Aleksandr Mitrovic, who scored so many goals for Fulham in his time in London, was a big pre- season blow for Marco Silva’s men, but the club have continued largely how they played last season. Raul Jimenez has contributed as a Mitrovic replacement scoring five times in the Premier League, including a goal against Arsenal at Craven Cottage which saw them beat the Gunners over the festive period. There have been some poor runs of form for Fulham this season but they should have enough to remain in mid-table for the rest of the season.
Luton: A-
Derby’s points total of just eleven was thought to be under threat according to many Premier League fans, but Luton and Rob Edwards have made everyone eat their words. The Hatters are bravely fighting against relegation and sit just one point from safety thanks to their ability to stay in games, only losing by two or more goals in just one game – a 3-1 loss to high flying Aston Villa. Kenilworth Road has made games tight with the stadium a cauldron of noise thanks to its throwback style and loyal fans who have been attending Luton games throughout their rise up the football league. It remains to be seen whether Luton can stay up, but even if they do go down, it’s been a good season for a club who were in the National League just ten years ago.
Liverpool: A
The Reds have started this season how they ended the last, racking up plenty of wins and returning to the top end of the table. Jurgen Klopp has overseen a major rebuild after a midfield exodus in the summer which saw the likes of Fabinho and Naby Keita move on as well as club captain Jordan Henderson. Liverpool currently sit at the top of the Premier League tree and look much more solid at the back than last season with Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new inverted role helping the team to mask his shortcomings as a defender. Mohamed Salah is away with Egypt to take part in AFCON so Klopp will need to find a way to win games without his talisman, but the legendary manager finds his side competing on all fronts so I would be surprised if a trophy or two didn’t find a way to Merseyside this season.
Manchester City: B
It feels like every season Man City take a while to get going and this campaign was no different. Losses to Villa and Arsenal cast doubt into some heads but the truth is City are only five points off Liverpool with a game in hand. Pep Guardiola has managed to keep the citizens in the title race despite injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland as well as various suspensions to Rodri. I’m also a firm believer that City are the only side in the division who can put a ten or fifteen game winning run together as shown last season where they savagely hunted down Arsenal, breaking the hearts of many Gunners fans. Guardiola has guided City to five of the last six titles. I don’t think anyone would be surprised if they lifted the trophy again in May.
Manchester United: D
The same cannot be said about the other side of Manchester. Man Utd are a complete mess this season and currently sit in a lowly eighth place that could’ve been a lot lower had it not been for the inconsistency of the sides below them. The Red Devils have lost nine times this campaign and have a goal difference of minus five with this being down to the lack of goals they’ve scored across the season. £70m Rasmus Hojlund has one Premier League goal in fifteen appearances and seemingly forgotten man Scott McTominay is the club’s top scorer with six in all competitions. However, it’s not all doom and gloom in Manchester. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS are on the verge of completing a minor takeover with £300m of investment lined up into the crumbling Old Trafford. The club are nine points off the top four and are out of the Champions League so it looks as if Erik Ten Hag is going to have to go all out for the FA Cup if his side are to win any silverware this season.
Newcastle: C
Eddie Howe and his players have had a tough festive period which has seen the Toon drop to ninth in the league table, but Newcastle have been hit the most by injuries throughout the season. Sandro Tonali was hit by a lengthy ban for illegal gambling leaving Howe’s squad very thin in the midfield. Luckily, seventeen-year-old Lewis Miley has taken his opportunity with both hands and become a vital cog in the Newcastle machine, being rewarded with a series of starts in the Champions League. Speaking of Europe’s elite competition, the magpies performed valiantly in the so called ‘group of death’, narrowly missing out on the Round of Sixteen thanks to a late AC Milan comeback on Tyneside. In my opinion, Eddie Howe is still ahead of progress and should be kept at the helm this season – its just whether the Saudi owners agree with me and the majority of Newcastle fans.
Nottingham Forest: C-
Many fans were furious at Forest owner Evangelos Marianakis for sacking fan favourite manager Steve Cooper and even opposition fans were bemused by this decision, but so far the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo has been a masterstroke with the former Tottenham manager winning two out of his first three league games in charge. Cooper, although worshipped by Forest fans, was leading the club towards a relegation battle and Marianakis had to act in order to keep the club in the division for another season. Nuno seems to be the right appointment so far and players like Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Elanga will certainly help Forest look upwards rather than worry about the dogfight below them.
Sheffield United: D
Some of you may be wondering why the Blades have avoided a lower grade than the ‘D’ I have awarded to them. My reasoning is that Paul Heckingbottom, and now Chris Wilder, have by far the weakest squad in the division after the sales of star players Iliman Ndiaye and Sander Berge and the tightest budget in the league as well. The truth is that had Heckingbottom not guided the Blades to promotion the club’s financial position would’ve left United in jeopardy of administration. This means United have had limited spending power so any expectations of staying up were already unrealistic to begin with. The appointment of Chris Wilder is a smart one and if the Blades do go down, they have a capable manager who knows what it takes to get promoted from the Championship next season.
Tottenham: B+
Ange Postecoglou has been a breath of fresh air for Spurs and their fans. After back-to-back appointments of managers who play a style of football contradictory to ‘the Spurs way’ in Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, Postecoglou has brought attacking football back to North London and got his side challenging for the top four after a dismal eight place finish last season. Spurs were sitting in first place until a flurry of injuries to James Maddison and Micky Van de Ven caused their momentum to falter slightly, but I’m sure fans would’ve taken a top four battle before a ball was kicked this season. The recent signings of Radu Dragusin and former Chelsea striker Timo Werner should help Spurs to challenge the teams ahead of them going into the second half of the season.
West Ham: A
What a year David Moyes has had! From fans wanting him to be sacked at the end of last season to winning the Europa Conference League, Moyes has had a rollercoaster ride in charge of the Hammers but has become more consistent in the league this season. The former Man Utd manager has his side sitting in sixth at the moment and has got the best out of Jarrod Bowen and Mohamed Kudus who have scored a combined eighteen Premier League goals this season. Lucas Paqueta has been quality, although he is now injured for up to two months according to club sources meaning Moyes may look to exploit the January window for a replacement. Nevertheless, the Hammers start to the campaign has been remarkable, considering the fact they lost star player Declan Rice to Arsenal as well – beating the Gunners twice this season already.
Wolves: A
Wolves should not be sitting in eleventh at this stage of the season. Gary O’Neil and his side have been mercilessly robbed of a number of points at the hands of VAR this campaign but lets focus on the positives. O’Neil has proved the doubters wrong with many predicting a relegation battle for the Midlands based club who have improved under the leadership of the former Bournemouth manager, despite losing Ruben Neves to Saudi Arabia in the summer. Hwang Hee Chan has been a revelation at Molineux, scoring ten league goals to help fire his side to a number of big wins this season. Molineux has become a fortress for the home side as well with Wolves only losing two out of ten games there this season. O’Neil has become an established manager in the division and will certainly look to upset the odds once again in the second half of the campaign.
Follow us on TikTok for more Premier League content or read some of our other pieces here!