As 2024 becomes 2025, for most teams we pass the halfway point of the season and the table is starting to take shape. At this stage, who is where they should be, who is exceeding expectations and who needs a much improved second half of the season?
Grading Every Premier League Team
Liverpool – A*
Many believed that the departure of Jurgen Klopp would herald the end of an era, the changing of the guard, and they would be lucky to finish in the top four. Having come so close for so many years and achieved some outstanding successes, it was a hard act to follow, but Arne Slot seems to have done it and his team seem destined to lift the Premier League trophy in May, and let the Liverpool fans properly celebrate it, unlike their previous one which was lifted in a Covid-empty Anfield. Not only are they top at home, but also top in Europe, with six wins from six, Liverpool seem unstoppable.
Despite the contract cloud covering Anfield, Mohammed Salah has found another level and a new lease of life this season and Trent Alexander Arnold is proving why he has to be considered amongst the elite. With an eight point lead and a game in hand, from here, it’s Liverpool’s title to lose.
Nottingham Forest – A*
You could be forgiven for thinking that you had stepped into the DeLorean and set the timer to the early eighties, to see Liverpool’s closest challengers to be Nottingham Forest. Favourites for the drop, Forest have shocked everyone and Nuno Espírito Santo has spent the season proving all the doubters wrong. His tactical acumen, shrewd recruitment and Chris Wood’s 11 goals this season has fired Forest to five consecutive wins in December and the only team to have beaten Liverpool in the league this season.
There are many questioning whether they can sustain this, as teams will have to respect them more meaning Forest may have to break team down rather than relying on the low block and quick transition. Title challengers might be a stretch, but needing eight wins for Europe would be an incredible achievement for an ambitious owner and a squad hell bent on proving people wrong.
Arsenal – B
It must make Mikel Arteta sick that in the past two seasons his team have been Manchester City’s closest challengers and in the season they drop off, his team haven’t been able to take advantage and Liverpool have risen past them. They have come agonisingly close in recent years, but this season they will only have themselves to blame.
Early season indiscipline, sloppy draws and an inability to kill teams off mean that they need a huge upturn in the second half of the season if they are to challenge. Arteta needs a trophy to cement what has been a promising revival under him, but he may need to settle for the Carabao Cup or hope to build on their impressive displays in the Champions League.
Chelsea – A
Until a fortnight ago, Chelsea looked like Liverpool’s closest challengers. Enzo Maresca was receiving lots of plaudits for the attacking, expansive football that they have been playing and with Cole Palmer, they have a generational talent. Free scoring going forward, but there have been concerns over their defence, especially the goalkeeper and in recent weeks, this has been proven weeks.
Defeats to Fulham and Ipswich alongside a draw at Everton, seems to have eliminated their title hopes. However, at the start of the season, many Chelsea fans wanted to get back in the top four and they look odds on to be back in the Champions League. And with the level of the Europa Conference League, they look likely to go deep in that competition and potentially add another European trophy to their bulging 21st century trophy cabinet.
Newcastle United – A
After an indifferent start, Eddie Howe seems to have struck gold in December. Five wins on the bounce and a thrilling draw with Liverpool have shown what a good team the Magpies are. Having struggled for goals early on, Alexander Isak is showing why he is valued by Newcastle as £150 million pound striker.
He is supported by a talented cast, as well as a bruising midfield trio, which make Newcastle a dominant force. 2025 looks like it could be a big year for the Geordies. In the semi finals of the Carabao Cup and looking to challenge for a European place again, Howe will be desperate to end their trophy drought and bring back silverware for the first time since 1969.
Manchester City – F
What has happened at Eastlands? The City machine seems to have malfunctioned and it’s hard to see why. Some are pointing to the injuries they have had, and although they are missing the best player in the world in Rodri, there is still an abundance of talent that should allow them to perform better than they are.
Is it that too many players are lacking form? Has trophy fatigue set in? Are the charges playing on the back of their mind? Pep Guardiola has been left literally scratching his head, and with his new contract, he might be looking for a rebuilding job in the second half of the season, as in current form, just a European place is in doubt.
Bournemouth – A
The moral of Bournemouth’s story so far this season is don’t leave early! Late goals have been the order of the day and has been a big part of their points haul this season. It’s difficult to recall the horrific start Andoni Iraola endured last season, as he has turned them into a solid side and their never say die attitude will keep them in a good place going into 2025.
Having lost Dominic Solanke, there was a worry where the goals were going to come from. Their big money signing Evanilson, may not be the goalscorer Solanke was, but his all-round play has been very impressive, and he’s chipped in with a few and his presence alone has provided the base for the likes of Kluivert, Semenyo and Ouattara. A comfortable season ahead for Bournemouth.
Fulham – A
Another manager doing a fabulous job is Marco Silva at Fulham. Similarly to Bournemouth, losing their focal point in Aleksandar Mitrović to Saudi Arabia, again it looked like they might struggle. However, Raul Jimenez has rediscovered his scoring boots and they have so much pace and creativity to be a constant threat. It is great to see Emile Smith Rowe getting regular football, Anthonee Robinson is having a great season and Harry Wilson continues to pop up with important goals for club and country.
Unfortunately for Fulham, they can be summed up by their wingers. So much potential, and if they can find an end product, they could bring back those European nights back to the Cottage.
Aston Villa – C
Similar to Forest, Villa fans will be rolling back the years to their glory European nights. Their win against Bayern Munich at Villa Park and the superb late win in Leipzig have showcased their quality and a just reward for fans who have been without for a long time. However, they haven’t been able to replicate their form in Europe into the Premier League.
Similar to Newcastle a few years ago, Villa are finding fighting a war on two fronts with a thin squad too much, highlighted by their results after Champions League weeks. The big problem for them is that they are unable to put teams away, highlighted by Unai Emery’s bizarre outburst after their late defeat at Forest. Ollie Watkins has lacked the clinical side which made him the hero last year and many fans are now clamouring for super-sub John Duran to start. That coupled with some key injuries has not helped and if Villa are to go deeper in the Champions League, which is likely, they need to savour it as they are going to struggle to qualify directly again.
Brighton and Hove Albion – B
After the shock departed of Roberto De Zerbi at the end of last season, and their subsequent appointment of Fabian Hurzeler, the youngest ever full time Premier League boss, it was hard to see how Brighton would fare this season. However, as seems to be the norm with them, they have made yet another shrewd appointment.
In the second half of the season, they will be striving for consistency, as some superb results, such as winning at Newcastle and Bournemouth have been punctured by dropping points against Leicester and Southampton and a disappointing December. Their forward players are exciting and they will be hoping Mitoma, Pedro and Adingra can support the Danny Welbeck renaissance and hopefully send them on another European adventure.
Tottenham Hotspur – E
Ange-ball is well and truly over. Spurs fans have seen enough and making their voices heard. As exciting as they are to watch, Spurs defensive frailties and their determination to play a high line has led to some bizarre results and frustrating defeats. It is hard to see Ange Postecoglou seeing out the season based on current form.
He has pointed to a range of defensive injuries and reiterated the need for them to be better, but they desperately need someone to organise themselves defensively and allow their exciting front players to flourish.
Brentford – B
A real Jekyll and Hyde season so far for Brentford. At home, formidable with just one defeat. Away from home, just two draws, they are the epitome of the dog meme where one looks butch and the other whimpers. It’s hard to figure out what this is down to, but their fast starts seem to have helped them a lot. It was becoming ridiculous the number of goals they were scoring early, clearly a moneyball-esque style move.
There were worries about how they would cope without their talisman Ivan Toney, after his late move to Saudi Arabia, but Bryan Mbuemo and Yoanne Wissa have stepped up massively, like they did when he was suspended, meaning Brentford can look forward to another comfortable mid-table season.
13. West Ham United – D
It feels like a case of be careful what you wish for the Hammers. The writing was on the wall for a long time for David Moyes. Despite his success, a European trophy and top half finishes, Moyes was never fully accepted and derided for his negative style.
Replacing him with Julen Lopetegui seemed an odd choice, especially given his stormy exit from Wolves on the eve of the previous season, and currently it doesn’t look like a great appointment. West Ham have taken several batterings this season, from Liverpool, Leicester, Spurs, Forest among others and they look woefully open at the back.
Jarod Bowen continues to be their talisman, but Mohammed Kudus has yet to hit the heights he set last season, and thankfully news about Michael Antonio is positive following a horrific crash. Empty seats seem to be a regular occurrence in games late on at the Olympic Stadium and if they didn’t like Moyes, it’s hard to see how long they will put up with this.
Manchester United – U
Ruben Amorim mentioned the word relegation in his press conference after losing to Newcastle this week and this is certainly worrying times at Old Trafford. There is something rotten about the club and it seems to be permeating every crack of the dilapidated Theatre of Dreams.
They sacked Erik Ten Haag who was being blamed for their form, the Glazers blamed for allowing the club to be run the way it is. However, a new manager and ownership group doesn’t seem to be doing the trick. They’ve spent a fortune and as Gary Neville said, they are the worst pound for pound team in the country.
There are repeated headlines and poor press about the way the club is handling matters off the field and the players don’t seem to be playing for the club on it. They won’t get relegated but Amorim needs several transfer windows to sort this out as an aging and personality driven squad needs refining to his and the club’s needs.
Crystal Palace – D
After impressing so many at the end of last season, it seemed inevitable Oliver Glasner would continue his development of Palace. However, after a dreadful start and plagued by a lack of firepower, Palace looked bang in trouble. They have steadied the ship with several draws in November, a big win at Brighton, a point at Bournemouth and a win against Southampton to drag themselves away from trouble.
However the lack of firepower and ability to convert chances will be worrying Palace fans, the same way Roy Hodgson’s side were worrying them before Glasner was appointed. The £30 million signing of Eddie Nketiah hasn’t worked out and the sale of Michael Olise has left a big hole. However, with the return of Eberechi Eze, it will give them confidence they can comfortably survive.
Everton – C
The final season at Goodison is playing out as many expected. Another season of being just about good enough to survive, but without challenging any higher. Sean Dyche is doing Sean Dyche things, not standing for any woke nonsense. Unfortunately this is not going down well with the faithful, as they have grown tired of the direct style.
Jordan Pickford has been outstanding in goal, but going forward, they lack creativity and efforts on goal. Off the field things are looking good, with the imminent move to Bramley Moore Dock and the takeover from Farhad Moshiri, it looks like Dyche will see the season out and then be replaced as they move into their new home. Robbed of their final Merseyside derby due to the weather, they will hope they have at least one great night left at the old ground.
Wolverhampton Wanderers – D
For a long time it looked like Wolves chickens had come home to roost. After repeated seasons where they sold their best players and not reinvested, this could have been the season where it finally unravelled for them. Despite his best efforts in difficult circumstances, Gary O’Neil was only ever going to take them so far.
It almost felt inevitable he was going to be sacked and although they gave him as much time as possible, the defeat to Ipswich was the final straw. Vitor Pereira has come in and managed seven points from nine to revive Wolves season. Matheus Cunha is vital to their survival bid and it will be imperative not only that he keeps his temper, but Wolves are able to scare off potential buyers for him. If he goes, Wolves will too.
Ipswich Town – C
Ipswich have had an incredible rise in recent years, but this may be a step too far. Liam Delap is taking his opportunity with both hands and is keeping them competitive. He is a handful for defenders and takes the chances they create. Kieran McKenna has done an incredible job and will keep them going until the very end. After the massive late win at Wolves they had a massive comedown being battered by Newcastle.
McKenna said those days will happen and they will, but the way they have responded has been superb. The performance at Arsenal and the win against Chelsea will give them hope of survival. If they are to survive, they need to take the opportunities that present themselves and now that they have the home win monkey off their back, they need to take advantage of Portman Road and target winning the six pointers they could and probably should have won in the first half of the season.
Leicester City – D
Having been in cruise control for much of the Championship season last year, losing Enzo Maresca was particularly upsetting for Foxes fans. The appointment of Steve Cooper was never going to work. He was replacing someone well liked, revered by their neighbours up the A46 and a style that was functional unlike the free flowing Maresca. Rumours of unrest and frozen out players didn’t help and the writing was on the wall when Forest came, thumped them and the away end sang Cooper’s name for the final 20 minutes.
However in Cooper’s defence, at least when he was in charge, Leicester were competitive. They were compact, defensive and Cooper tried to use his low block tactic that worked so well for Forest in their survival. Since his dismissal, they have got worse, losing Abdul Fatawu for the season could be terminal and Ruud Van Nistelrooy has an uphill challenge to keep them up.
Southampton – F
Having spent much of the season refusing to compromise his principles, Russell Martin eventually paid the price for Southampton’s poor performances. The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome. That could be applied to the Saints desire to play out from the back, repeatedly getting caught and punished.
Unfortunately for Southampton, they weren’t prepared for the Premier League and have returned worse than when they left two years ago. Even with a change of manager, their fate is pretty much sealed, and they will need to focus on avoiding the unwanted lowest points total, currently held by Derby County.
What are your thoughts on your team’s season so far? Does anybody deserve a higher or lower ranking? And what can your team hope for in 2025?