As we reach the New Year and the halfway stage of the Premier League campaign, there’s been a fair few of surprises and upsets along the way.
Many would have likely expected Treble winners Manchester City to be at the summit of the top-flight table, however their form has dwindled of late.
Meanwhile, giants such as Manchester United and Chelsea have struggled to find their rhythm at all this campaign and will be hoping for different fortunes in 2024.
At the other end of the table, it’s fair to say that Vincent Kompany‘s Burnley would have had different expectations to what they are currently experiencing.
And so, here, Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele provides the report cards for all Premier League teams.
Aston Villa have been the surprise package throughout the 2023-24 campaign so far
Chelsea, meanwhile, have fallen below expectations in the first-half of the season
Arsenal
Came close to winning a first title in two decades last year but fell apart under the pressure. They will hope to have learned from that experience and are going into the new year in decent shape, despite Thursday night’s loss.
Strong at both ends of the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side look as well placed as anyone to end Manchester City’s monopoly on the Premier League, with Declan Rice proving an inspired signing.
Report rating: A
Aston Villa
Asked what went wrong as Aston Villa lost to Manchester United, boss Unai Emery simply smiled and said: ‘Good evening, 39 points, it’s amazing.’ He’s right.
The Spaniard has been manager of the season so far and it is indeed amazing to see the heights Villa have reached since sacking Steven Gerrard. Talk of a title tilt is fanciful but the top four should not be beyond them.
Report rating: A+
Bournemouth
Andoni Iraola arrived with a reputation for expansive, high-pressing football, having guided relegation-tipped Rayo Vallecano to 11th in La Liga, beating Barcelona and Real Madrid in the process.
A slow start saw Bournemouth go winless in their first nine games but they have lost just once since — at champions Manchester City — and have won six of their last seven.
Report rating: B+
Arsenal have remained as title challengers after a strong start to the season
Unai Emery’s high-flying Villa find themselves third in the Premier League table
Brentford
A bit of a drop-off with their two best players missing, Ivan Toney banned and Bryan Mbeumo injured, plus most of the first-choice defence.
There have been some high moments though, such as beating west London rivals Chelsea and Fulham, and every Bees fan will still be delighted as manager Thomas Frank looks to consolidate another season with the big boys.
Report rating: B-
Brighton
Won a Europa League group of death featuring Ajax and Marseille and many key men have suffered lengthy injuries so, as with Brentford, you can’t be too harsh on Brighton.
Results dipped in the Premier League with just one win in five December matches before Thursday night’s thrilling triumph over Tottenham. No reason why they cannot go deep in the Europa League.
Report rating: B
Burnley
A couple of high points, such as a 5-0 thrashing of Sheffield United and winning at Fulham, help Burnley avoid a worse mark. But they have looked naive at times, in terms of both recruitment and tactics, which could come back to bite them.
Manager Vincent Kompany looked like a world-beater in their promotion campaign but must prove his worth at the top level now.
Report rating: E
Chelsea
It’s been an awful season, regardless of the midweek win over Crystal Palace. Having spent so heavily again in the summer, Chelsea are miles off the pace and a long way from where they should be.
Lacking experience, style, structure and someone who can regularly hit the back of the net, boss Mauricio Pochettino must find the answers soon or he could be the latest manager to pay for club’s scattergun approach.
Report rating: F
Brentford have suffered a slight drop-off since Ivan Toney’s absence in the side
Chelsea have had a disastrous calendar year and will be hoping for new fortunes in 2024
Crystal Palace
Roy Hodgson is a legend of the Premier League and football management, but it’s not really working for Crystal Palace this season.
It would be wrong to put it solely down to Wilfried Zaha’s exit, as Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise are hugely talented players. But the Eagles are in a relegation battle and it might be time to change managers, with Steve Cooper heavily linked.
Report rating: C-
Everton
If not for Emery and a couple of defeats either side of Christmas, Sean Dyche would be manager of the season so far. Many tipped Everton for relegation but they are proving the doubters wrong, despite their 10-point deduction.
Jarrad Branthwaite has been a revelation as Dyche has turned Everton into a well-balanced, efficient team that would fancy themselves to finish in the top half of the table, if not for that punishment.
Report rating: A
Fulham
Probably the hardest team to grade given their inconsistent nature. Marco Silva is a good manager and they are dealing well with the loss of Aleksandar Mitrovic, as seen in back-to-back 5-0 wins just before Christmas.
Also into the last four of the Carabao Cup for the first time in their history and, though star man Joao Palhinha is likely to leave, the future is bright.
Report rating: B
Liverpool
Liverpool 2.0, as Jurgen Klopp calls his team, are in a rebuilding phase after the exits of many experienced men in the summer.
The fact that they have lost just once — a VAR farce at Tottenham — and are in the mix will delight fans, with the Reds perhaps overachieving so far.
They are favourites to win both the Europa League and Carabao Cup, but Mo Salah’s absence during the Africa Cup of Nations will be a big blow.
Report rating: A
Liverpool started slowly but have got themselves on the right track in the last few months
Everton had been expected to be in a relegation battle but are, currently, safe from the drop
Luton
The best of the three promoted sides, with Rob Edwards — a shrewd tactician and fine gentleman — proving the perfect man for the club. Came agonisingly close to taking points off Arsenal and Liverpool and took the lead against Manchester City.
Games against fellow relegation strugglers will decide their fate, with two of those coming up.
Report rating: B
Manchester City
Everyone seems to have written off City after a bad start to the season again. They were eighth at Christmas in 2020-21 and still won the league so, as boss Pep Guardiola says, dismiss them at your peril.
Plenty to work on for the second half of the season, but much will be remedied by the impending return of playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Report rating: B-
Man Utd
Bournemouth, Palace and Brighton have all won at Old Trafford, while they clung on against Luton and needed last-minute heroics to beat Brentford.
A truly baffling team who also crashed out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup. One result can change the outlook and the dramatic win against Aston Villa must act as a springboard now.
Report rating: C
Newcastle
Contractually obliged to mention Newcastle’s injuries when discussing Eddie Howe’s men but their problems run deeper, with just one win in the last seven. Howe is a good man and talks sense.
Everyone knew this season would be tougher than last, but Newcastle can only get better, especially with so many good youngsters in their squad.
Report rating: C
Manchester City have faltered slightly throughout the early stages of the campaign
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United will need to turn their form around in the new year
Nottingham Forest
Tough time to be a Forest fan with the exit of the popular Steve Cooper, but Nuno Espirito Santo knows what he is doing in terms of taking a team from relegation-threatened to mid-table certainties, as he did at Wolves. In a relegation battle but Forest should have just enough class to keep clear of the bottom three.
Report rating: C-
Sheffield United
Three of their best players in the promotion-winning campaign were Iliman Ndiaye, Sander Berge and Tommy Doyle. None of them are at the club any more, with Sheffield United starting this season with an inferior squad than the one they came up with.
Have shown signs of revival under returning boss Chris Wilder but it will take a minor miracle to keep them up.
Report rating: D-
Tottenham
The breathtaking start under Ange Postecoglou was always going to come crashing down, but let’s not forget the injury crisis and that Spurs lost their best player — by some distance — in Harry Kane in the summer.
If ‘Big Ange’ can lead them to the top four he will have completed a stellar job in his first year.
Report rating: B
After a strong start, Tottenham have struggled amid a number of injuries to their side
West Ham
An improvement on last season’s league form and West Ham’s recruitment team did well to reinvest the £105million received for Rice. Jarrod Bowen has been the shining light again and will be another star they struggle to keep hold of.
Lucas Paqueta is a class act, while Mohammed Kudus and Edson Alvarez have been solid signings. West Ham can challenge to qualify for a fourth straight year of European football.
Report rating: B+
Wolves
Many had Wolves as relegation candidates after a poor transfer window, which led Julen Lopetegui to quit on the eve of the campaign.
But Gary O’Neil, like he did at Bournemouth, is doing an exceptional job.
Report rating: A
