Premier League half term report: Team-by-team grades as the league reaches the halfway stage in the title race
We look at who's top of the class at the halfway stage of the Premier League and who's not performing as well as last term in our half-term reports.
Liverpool are top of the league, and top of the class, after an unbeaten first half of the campaign but how have the rest of Premier League teams scored in their half-term reports?
Liverpool (A+)
- 2018 W16 D3 L0 Pts 51
- 2017 W9 D8 L2 Pts 35
It’s been a remarkable first half of the season for Liverpool, and what more can you ask from your team than to get to Christmas unbeaten and sit on top of the table?
Virgil van Dijk has been immense and Mo Salah is just hitting his stride so there’s arguably more to come, too. They’ve been a lot more pragmatic than flamboyant so far this season but they’ve become experts at grinding out results.
Defensive injuries are a worry and they’ve still got to go to Man City, Man Utd and Everton, but it’s been the perfect start for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Tottenham (A+)
- 2018 W15 D0 L4 Pts 45
- 2017 W10 D4 L5 Pts 34
Why aren’t we talking about Spurs? With so much noise around Liverpool and Man City, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are going under the radar despite marching up into second place and scoring for fun.
With no summer signings and still playing in a temporary home, Poch is probably doing a better job than Klopp at the moment and to have his men 11 points better off than last year is phenomenal. They’re definitely in the title race and make no mistake – if they can stay the distance they’ll go close.
Manchester City (A)
- 2018 W14 D2 L3 Pts 44
- 2017 W18 D1 L0 Pts 55
Have the wheels come off? Probably not, and if City beat Liverpool at home on January 3 then they’re right back in business, but three defeats in four is a worry. Also a worry is how fragile they look without Fernandinho as their midfield anchor – he now looks irreplaceable in this City team.
Pep’s got far too much talent for this bad run to continue though, and they were never going to be able to match last season’s incredible dominance. There may be just an inkling that the club would prefer the Champions League if push came to shove but Guardiola’s certainly not thinking that way.
It's still likely that if there is a team that finishes above City, they win the league.
Chelsea (B)
- 2018 W12 D4 L3 Pts 40
- 2017 W12 D3 L4 Pts 39
Maurizio Sarri’s received plenty of plaudits but they’re actually in a similar position to last season under Antonio Conte as the Chelsea machine keeps turning regardless of who’s in charge.
Eden Hazard is up there in the running to be named Player of the Year so far but there’s a worry that Chelsea are overly reliant on the Belgian superstar. They look set for a top four scrap with Arsenal and Man Utd.
Arsenal (B)
- 2018 W11 D5 L3 Pts 38
- 2017 W10 D4 L5 Pts 34
Unai Emery is one win and one draw better off than Arsene Wenger was in his final season – that doesn’t sound right, does it? Well, it is, but while the points tally is similar the mood around the Emirates, the outlook going forward and the style of football are all worlds away from 12 months ago.
Defence is still the issue, and that will take time for Emery to fix, but going forward they’re a joy to behold in full flow and they’ve got something they’ve been missing for years – namely a backbone and a team spirit that has seem them become a much, much tougher nut to crack. Unless you're Southampton...
Manchester United (D)
- 2018 W9 D5 L5 Pts 32
- 2017 W13 D3 L3 Pts 42
The Solskjaer revolution is well under way! Will he get the job full time? Probably not, but due to a combination of the weight of Jose Mourinho being lifted off the players plus a very friendly festive schedule of fixtures, the Red Devils are putting a smile back on their fans’, and players’, faces.
There's no doubt Mourinho sapped the life out of this team and their start under him was truly dreadful given the talent in this squad.
For all the criticism the United board has taken, the timing of the Mourinho sacking was perfect given the fixtures and now the chance to build real momentum – there’s always been enough quality in the squad to make the top four.
Leicester (B)
- 2018 W8 D4 L7 Pts 28
- 2017 W7 D6 L6 Pts 27
Claude Puel is favourite to get the sack next despite beating Chelsea and Manchester City in a week - what's the world coming to? In terms of progress from last year they've got an almost identical record but for the Foxes that should be seen as a success given how much other teams have been spending.
To be sitting as 'best of the rest' outside the top six is still a great achievement for these former champions and they've shown recently that they can still topple the very best in the league on their day.
Everton (C)
- 2018 W7 D6 L6 Pts 27
- 2017 W7 D5 L7 Pts 26
Marco Silva is another gaining rave reviews at times but on the bare statistics he's just one point better than the combination of Ronald Koeman, David Unsworth and Sam Allardyce managed. No doubt performances at times have been pretty good and there's plenty of promise about Everton but they're probably still short changing on the money they've spent.
West Ham (C)
- 2018 W8 D3 L8 Pts 27
- 2017 W4 D5 L10 Pts 17
A real improvement under Pellegrini this season sees them ten points better off than at the same stage last season, and that reflects the improved calibre of players being brought to the London Stadium. They still look a few steps off the top sides but they could stake a claim for the 'best of the rest' title alongside Everton and Leicester.
Watford (C)
- 2018 W8 D3 L8 Pts 27
- 2017 W6 D4 L9 Pts 22
Never easy to get a handle on Watford as they showed with a flying start to this season followed by a crippling slump. Still, they're five points better off and have played pretty well, especially at home, so are probably running about where they should be.
Wolves (B-)
- 2018 W7 D5 L7 Pts 26
- 2017 N/A
Although some people actually had them challenge for a top six place, Wolves have done just about as well as realists could have imagined given the huge step up from the Championship. They've played well, matched many of the top sides they've faced and have just struggled with putting the ball in the net at times. There's still room for improvement.
Bournemouth (B-)
- 2018 W8 D2 L9 Pts 26
- 2017 W4 D4 L11 Pts 16
It's hard to say whether their ten-point improvement from last year is due to them being brilliant this year or shocking last term. Regardless, Eddie Howe's men have been a decent watch, playing in the right way and always looking to entertain. Hard to see anything bar mid-table for the Cherries but they way they're doing it is better than most.
Brighton (C)
- 2018 W6 D4 L9 Pts 22
- 2017 W5 D6 L8 Pts 21
Consistent from Chris Hughton with the Seagulls again especially strong at home and that form at the Amex should keep them in the Premier League - which is again the target. The next step will be the really tough one but so far they've shown enough to suggest they can hang around in the top flight for some time.
Crystal Palace (D)
- 2018 W5 D4 L10 Pts 14
- 2017 W4 D6 L9 Pts 18
Beating Man City could be the boost Roy Hodgson's side need as they're kind of stuck just above the relegation zone and unable to put a decent run together despite looking dangerous even against the big sides. Wilfried Zaha is the star but they need to keep him and get him more involved.
Newcastle (D)
- 2018 W4 D5 L10 Pts 17
- 2017 W5 D3 L11 Pts 18
Rafa is performing miracles again keeping Newcastle's heads above water, and the sale of the club can't come soon enough for Benitez or the fans. Again, with limited resources and ambitions it can be a tough watch and it looks like being another close call with the drop zone this season.
Southampton (D)
- 2018 W3 D6 L10 Pts 15
- 2017 W4 D7 L8 Pts 19
They've certainly improved under Ralph Hasenhuttl with two wins out of two, but it'll be a long, hard slog for the Saints to dig themselves out of trouble by the end of the season. At the moment there are at least three teams worse than them though and if the new manager continues in the same vein then they should be able to stay up and build from there.
Cardiff (D)
- 2018 W4 D3 L12 Pts 15
- 2017 N/A
Neil Warnock has put together some decent home form of late to lift Cardiff out of the drop zone, but they're not the best on the eye and it'll be a superhuman effort to keep them in the division. Still, being out of the bottom three at the halfway stage is a result for Warnock and they've at least given themselves a chance.
Burnley (E)
- 2018 W3 D3 L13 Pts 12
- 2017 W9 D5 L5 Pts 32
The Clarets are the worst under-achievers in the league compared to last season. It was always going to be impossible to match that effort and the nightmare scenario of Europa League football taking the wind out of them has come to fruition as they look a shadow of last year's side. Sean Dyche is under severe pressure and they need to start turning things around sooner rather than later.
Things aren't looking good though...
Fulham (E)
- 2018 W2 D5 L12 Pts 11
- 2017 N/A
£100m of investment has yielded just 11 points and a managerial change for Fulham - who had high hopes of putting in a Bournemouth-esque season of playing their way to Premier League survival. They're not quite detached as yet and Claudio Ranieri has performed larger miracles but it's a long way back from here.
Huddersfield (E)
- 2018 W2 D4 L13 Pts 10
- 2017 W6 D4 L9 Pts 22
Being 12 points worse off than a season when they finished just four points and two places outside the drop zone has alarm bells rather than sleigh bells ringing around Huddersfield this Christmas. No real positives with the main problem again being scoring goals - just 12 in 19 games is a woeful return.