With the 2022-23 Premier League season at the midway point, Ben Pawlak of The MVP Blog will review each team’s season thus far.

Each team will appear in the order of their current place in the Premier League table, from the top (Arsenal) to the very bottom (Southampton) as of 2/2/23. Each team will also receive a letter grade on the traditional A to F scale assessing their performance in the Premier League to this point in the season.

For your convenience, here is the Premier League table as it stands.

Arsenal (50 points, 19/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 1st Place (16-2-1)
Most Valuable Player: Bukayo Saka
Most Surprising Player: Martin Odegaard
Most Disappointing Player: Fabio Vieira

Many people, myself included, believed that Arsenal would be a much improved side this season. However, not many could have foreseen them at the top of the Premier League table at the season’s midpoint. Apart from the tactical brilliance of Mikel Arteta at the helm in the Arsenal dugout, the catalyst of this resurgence on the pitch has been Martin Odegaard. The skillful Norweigan attacking midfielder has already surpassed his 2021-22 seasonal tallies in both assists and goals, scoring 8 and assisting 5 so far this season. He’s also won 5 man of the match awards, a team high. Arsenal’s youthful attacking quartet is rounded off with academy product Bukayo Saka (7 goals, 7 assists) and the electric Brazilian duo of Gabriel Martinelli on the wing (7 goals, 2 assists) and Gabriel Jesus (5 goals, 5 assists) up top. Jesus has missed some time due to injury, and in his place, Eddie Nketiah has stepped up, chipping in 4 goals of his own. The Gunners’ exciting attack is free-flowing and extremely balanced, with Saka in particular more than capable of cutting in from out wide on the right to create a central chance, taking on a full-back down the sideline, or tracking back to contribute defensively when needed.

In defense, Aaron Ramsdale continues to keep his name in the conversation for England’s #1 with his brilliant form in goal. He was especially great at Tottenham in the North London Derby, and the lanky 24 year old boasts an interesting blend of modern goalkeeping mechanics with an old school mentality. He relishes the opportunity to wind up the opposition with a unique brand of mind games. The left side of Arsenal’s defensive block of four (in Arteta’s 4-3-3 formation) is stronger than the right side, with Gabriel and Zinchenko enjoying career-best seasons. Look for Ben White to nail down his spot at right back by outplaying Takehiro Tomiyasu on a weekly basis and William Saliba to return to his form from the start of the season. If the stars align, Arsenal could lift the Premier League in May for the first time since their Invincible season in 2003-04.

Grade: A+

Manchester City (45 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 2nd Place (14-3-3)
Most Valuable Player: Erling Haaland
Most Surprising Player: Rico Lewis
Most Disappointing Player: Ederson

Manchester City have had a season which has had some good, some bad, and some ugly.

First, the good:

• Erling Haaland has scored 25 goals in 19 Premier League appearances. In his debut season thus far, the Norweigan bagsman has racked up more league goals than 9 teams have scored in total. To call him a cheat code is a bit of an understatement. At the halfway mark in the season, he’s already scored as many goals as Harry Kane in the 2021-22 season, and Kane took home the golden boot for that remarkable tally. The powerful poaching specialist scores with his head, on the volley, from the penalty spot, and from outside the box with an underrated amount of finesse. Haaland is inevitable.
• Kevin de Bruyne is leading the Premier League with 11 assists this season. Despite a noticeable dip in his usually impeccable form, he’s still just as dangerous when it comes to providing goals for his teammates.
• New boy Julian Alvarez has scored 4 league goals in just 4 league starts. He may be young and inexperienced at this level, but so far, he’s just as productive as he was in Argentina.
• Jack Grealish and Nathan Ake are finally living up to their outrageous transfer fees with some quality performances, and in particular, they’ve stepped up in some big moments this season to help City out of some perilous situations.

Now, the bad:

• City are having a bit of a crisis at full-back. Yes, Nathan Ake has performed admirably as a makeshift left back, but that’s only because there isn’t a natural left back in the entire squad. Joao Cancelo left the club on loan in January, joining Bayern Munich in Germany after falling out of Pep Guardiola’s pecking order. Kyle Walker has been dealing with some injury issues, and as he continues to age, City’s first choice right back has been academy product Rico Lewis. So far, Lewis has performed quite well, especially given the fact that he’s just 18 years of age. However, this full-back shortage will surely cost City at some point in this title race with Arsenal.
• Speaking of the title race, the fact that City are not at the top of the Premier League table is unusual given the fact that they’ve won the league in 4 of the last 5 seasons. City have dropped points in more than a few games this season, so now they sit 5 points behind Arsenal, and the Gunners have a game in hand. Losing 2-1 to Manchester United in the derby at Old Trafford is far from ideal, especially since the Blues were 1-0 up at one point.
• City have been poor on the road this season, at least by their standards. Apart from the aforementioned loss at Man United, City have dropped points on the road against Newcastle (1-1), Aston Villa (1-1), and Liverpool (1-0 loss).

Finally, the ugly. Ederson needs to find his form in net. The Brazilian goalkeeper has been absolutely horrid this season, and his match rating reflects that, as it is firmly the worst out of the regular starters.

If City want to defend their Premier League title, they more than likely need to “do the double” over Arsenal. The two title contenders square off at the Emirates on February 15th and at the Etihad on April 26th. It may seem far fetched to imagine City overcoming the odds and regain their spot at the top of the PL table, but they’ve done it before.

Grade: A-

Newcastle (39 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 3rd Place (10-9-1)
Most Valuable Player: Nick Pope
Most Surprising Player: Miguel Almiron
Most Disappointing Player: Allan Saint-Maximin

When Newcastle were taken over by a consortium of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in October of 2021, their fans were excited for the future. Now, Geordies are ecstatic about the present. Newcastle’s Saudi-backed sporting project has been put on the fast track, as The Toon are unexpectedly holding their own in the race for European football. While many expected Newcastle to fight for a spot in the Conference League or Europa League by finishing between the 5th place and 8th place in the table, nobody expected them to be in the driver’s seat for a Champions League spot. In their 20 Premier League matches this season, Newcastle have registered just a single loss. In contrast, last season, it took 15 Premier League matches to register a single win, and Newcastle had racked up 10 losses by matchday 20.

So what’s changed for Newcastle to make this remarkable turnaround?

• Nick Pope has emerged as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. So far this season, Pope leads the Premier League in 2 key categories: clean sheets (12 shutouts) and save percentage (83.9%). It’s no wonder that “Popey!” chants ring out in Tyneside on the regular.
• Newcastle’s defense have been just as good going forward as they have been in defense. While the solid back four of Trippier, Schar, Botman, and Burn deserve a ton of credit for the aforementioned 12 clean sheets, they also deserve credit for Newcastle’s goalscoring prowess this season. Free-kick wizard Kieran Trippier has scored 1 goal and assisted 4 more.
• Players who were merely decent in 2021-22 have become stars in 2022-23. In particular, former Atlanta United (yes, Atlanta as in Atlanta, Georgia) winger Miguel Almiron has lit up the Premier League this season. He’s scored more goals in the PL this season (9 goals in 20 matches) than he had scored in his first four seasons in the PL combined (8 goals in 110 matches). Meanwhile, Joelinton has matched the sensational play of fellow Brazilian Bruno Guimaraes. Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle’s innovative manager, Joelinton moved from his traditional position as striker to become a box-to-box midfielder in a wildly successful tactical experiment. Maybe Howe can ask Joelinton to experiment with driving sober, as he picked up a DUI a few weeks ago.

Newcastle have had a near-perfect season thus far. Top four is in sight. It will be very interesting to see if they’re able to pull it off.

Grade: A+

Manchester United (39 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 3rd Place (12-3-5)
Most Valuable Player: Bruno Fernandes
Most Surprising Player: Marcus Rashford
Most Disappointing Player: Jadon Sancho

Bruno Fernandes has been Manchester United’s best player each season for the past few seasons. What makes this season different from the other for the Red Devils has been stability in defensive midfield. Newcomer Casemiro has brought some much-needed experience, toughness, defensive resilience, and leadership to that area of the pitch. In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, who left the club in November, Marcus Rashford has re-emerged as the most lethal weapon in United’s attack. He’s scored 9 goals and added 3 assists in his 20 league appearances, and it’s visually apparent that his confidence is truly back. Excluding a 3-2 loss to Arsenal and a 3-1 loss at Villa, United have been unbeaten in the league since they were thrashed 6-3 in the Manchester Derby on October 2nd.

It’s not just Rashford who has returned to form, a few other players have enjoyed resurgences into the United first team this season under new manager Erik Ten Hag. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw, and Christian Eriksen have also impressed this season, but unfortunately, all three have dealt with injuries.

If United are to cement their place in the Champions League next season by finishing in the top 4 of the PL table, they’ll need some inconsistent faces to find their form and step up in the crucial matches that lie ahead.

Grade: A-

Tottenham (36 points, 21/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 5th Place (11-3-7)
Most Valuable Player: Harry Kane
Most Surprising Player: Eric Dier
Most Disappointing Player: Hugo Lloris

Out with the old, in with the new, yet the same results for Tottenham.

Harry Kane has been at his typical brilliant best, with 16 goals so far this season. However, his usual partner in crime, Son Heung-Min, has been relatively quiet with just 4 goals and 3 assists to show for his efforts. However, Tottenham’s defense, not their attack, is the most pressing concern for Antonio Conte’s men. Conte lines up his team in a 3-5-2 formation, and the two wide players in that midfield 5, known tactically as wing-backs, haven’t been consistent names for Spurs. Experienced names such as Ben Davies and Ivan Perisic have been good going forward, but haven’t provided much defensively. Matt Doherty has been pretty good in stretches, but never looked fully comfortable at Tottenham, and he joined Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day in January to prove it. The less said about Emerson Royal’s performances at wing-back, the better. As a result, the board spent around $55 million to bring in highly touted Spanish wing-back Pedro Porro. It will be interesting to see how he gets on at his new club.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Eric Dier have been surprisingly good, while club captain and longtime goalkeeping stalwart Hugo Lloris has been surprisingly bad. It wouldn’t be a shock to see Conte drop him from the starting 11 if his run of bad form – which cost Spurs dearly in the North London Derby against Arsenal – continues.

No matter what they do, Tottenham always seem to be a few steps away from being a truly threatening force in the Premier League. If they’re not careful in the second half of the season, they might miss out on Champions League football for next season.

Grade: B

Brighton (31 points, 19/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 6th Place (9-4-6)
Most Valuable Player: Solly March
Most Surprising Player: The whole team!
Most Disappointing Player: Enock Mwepu (no fault of his own)

Given the circumstances, Brighton have been the story of the Premier League season so far. In the summer transfer window, they lost Marc Cucurella to Chelsea and Yves Bissouma to Spurs, two of the most important players in the squad. To replace these crucial losses, Brighton’s unheralded young talent have stepped up and showed out this season. Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma has been a particularly fascinating revelation for the Seagulls. He’s already chipped in with 4 goals and 1 assists in 7 PL starts, and his technical ability is out of this world. He arrived at Brighton a few years back after writing his college thesis on dribbling while studying (and training, of course) in Japan. Alexis Mac Allister earned his place in the Argentinian national team at the World Cup by putting in some excellent performances for Brighton. He returned to the club having been an instrumental piece in Argentina’s triumph at the World Cup. The only real disappointment for Brighton when it comes to the squad itself has been the unfortunate medical situation of Enock Mwepu. The Zambian midfielder was forced to retire in October of 2022 due to a life-threatening heart condition. Mwepu wants to continue staying involved in professional football, and he is now a coach within Brighton’s youth ranks. Everyone is hoping that this is the start of a prosperous new chapter for him.

On August 5th, 2022, I wrote about how Moises Caicedo, Brighton’s Ecuadorian midfield dynamo, would be a key player to watch this season. “I do believe that 20 year old Moises Caicedo, who put together some brilliant performances down the stretch of last season, will turn some heads as he takes Bissouma’s former place in the starting 11.” In the January transfer window, Brighton fended off a $85 million bid from Arsenal for him.

Brighton is still led by their veteran stalwarts in the form of 28 year old Solly March (8 goal contributions) and 31 year old Pascal Gross (9 goal contributions). Under new Italian manager Roberto de Zerbi, they routinely out-possess their opponent and create more expected goals (xG) than their opponent. They’ve beaten Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea this season.

With their impressive scouting network continually finding talented, affordable young players from all corners of the globe, Brighton is punching above their weight in both the PL table and their profit margins. They are a brilliant example of how to properly run a football club which lacks immense financial resources.

Grade: A+

Fulham (31 points, 21/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 7th Place (9-4-8)
Most Valuable Player: Alexsandar Mitrovic
Most Surprising Player: Tim Ream
Most Disappointing Player: Harry Wilson

Welcome back to the big time, Fulham!

The Cottagers are having a newly-promoted season for the ages, as they sit in pole position for European football at the midway mark of the season. The main difference between this Fulham team and the one that was relegated from the PL a few seasons back is the transformation of Alexsandar Mitrovic. Mitro has always been a bagsman in the Championship, and he broke the second divison’s single season scoring record last season to prove it. However, he’s never been able to translate that prolific scoring form to the Premier League, until now. The Serbian striker has already bagged 11 goals in 18 league appearances this season. Fulham also have seen an instant impact from their summer transfers. Arsenal may have seen goalkeeper Bernd Leno as spare goods, but he’s been incredible for Fulham so far. He’s won 3 man of the match awards and hasn’t missed a single match. Midfield destroyer Joao Palhinha has been as good as advertised, serving as the metronome of the team through his intelligent passing and physical style of play. The American defensive duo of left back Antonee Robinson and center back Tim Ream, both of whom started for the States at the World Cup, have both enjoyed career-best seasons.

Fulham are a solid side which thrives on the counter-attack and from set-piece opportunities. As long as their defense can stay healthy, there’s no reason to expect them to finish outside of the top half of the Premier League table. For a team that was just promoted, that’s more than just about anyone could have expected.

Grade: A+

Brentford (30 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 8th Place (7-9-4)
Most Valuable Player: Ivan Toney
Most Surprising Player: David Raya
Most Disappointing Player: Keane Lewis-Potter

The Bees just keep getting better and better.

Brentford is a club driven by using analytics to find competitive advantages. While they play their cards close to the chest in terms of the specific ways they’ve been able to do this, nobody can deny the effectiveness of this cutting-edge strategy. In terms of stature and history in the top-flight of English football, Brentford might be the smallest club in the Premier League. Their on-pitch performance suggests the complete opposite. The words that come to mind are hungry, feral, scrappy, and passionate. They fight and scratch and claw for every loose ball or aerial duel. This has lead to an extraordinary amount of draws, as Brentford lead the PL with 9 draws already. Converting those draws into wins is obviously ideal, but considering that Brentford is punching above their weight in a significant way (especially considering the financial differences between them and the rest of the league), it’s not the end of the world.

Brentford line up in a 5-3-2 formation under Danish manager Thomas Frank. Goalkeeper David Raya has emerged from relative obscurity to earn a few caps for the Spanish national team. His performances have been sublime, and his shot-stopping prowess is particularly impressive given the fact that he suffered a torn ACL last season. Ben Mee and Pontus Jansson provide indispensable experience, leadership, and physicality as the stalwart center backs. Scottish newcomer Aaron Hickey has been electric at right wing-back. Christian Norgaard, Matias Jensen, and Vitaly Janelt have performed admirably in midfield, especially given Christian Eriksen’s departure to Manchester United in the summer transfer window.

Brentford’s attacking threat starts and ends with star man Ivan Toney. He’s already scored 13 goals and notched 3 assists in just 18 league appearances this season. Bryan Mbuemo is a pretty good strike partner, but he’s been very inconsistent. As long as Toney can sustain his world-class scoring form, Brentford will continue to be a tough team to beat.

Grade: A

Liverpool (29 points, 19/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 9th Place (8-5-6)
Most Valuable Player: Alisson
Most Surprising Player: Roberto Firmino
Most Disappointing Player: Darwin Nunez

Very little has gone right for Liverpool this season. Jurgen Klopp and his men were expected to compete for the Premier League title. However, as it stands, the Reds face an uphill battle to even make top 4 and secure a place in the Champions League next season.

So what’s gone wrong for this massive club with massive expectations?

• They’ve caught the injury bug. Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota are both electric attacking talents in their own right, but they can’t help the team win from a hospital bed. They’ve both missed extensive time due to injury, combining for just 11 league appearances.
• The midfield is dreadful. Thiago and Harvey Elliot have been pretty good going forward, but neither of the two midfielders can provide any sort of defensive impact. That leaves Brazilian defensive midfielder Fabinho on his own to try and break up the play in midfield, and he’s been quite poor this season. Meanwhile the squad’s other midfield options – Jordan Henderson, James Milner, and Naby Keita – have all regressed. The club didn’t sign a midfielder in the January transfer window, so there’s no reason to believe these inadequacies will end here and now.
• Darwin Nunez can’t finish his dinner. When a club spends nearly $100 million on a single player, that player is expected to perform immediately. The young Uruguayan forward has not done that, and that’s putting it mildly. He looks uncomfortable in possession, seems unwilling to lay the ball off to teammates in the final third of the pitch, and has been off-target in front of goal. He’s shown flashes of his immense potential, but he’s shown flashes of intense anger and poor body language just as often. There’s still a lot of time for him to turn it around and impress the Anfield faithful, but as of now, things look bleak.

Allison is still one of the best goalkeepers in the league, and the world. Virgil van Dijk is still one of the best center backs in the league, and the world. Mohamed Salah has regressed a little, but he’s still a world-class winger capable of taking over a match. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are still whipping in tantalizing crosses from the wing that are begging to be put into the back of the net. In my opinion, Liverpool should rely more on Roberto Firmino to finish those chances. He’s scored 7 goals in just 11 league starts, and while he’s fallen out of favor with Klopp over the last 18 months or so, something clearly needs to change for Liverpool to return to their typically dominant ways.

Grade: C-

Chelsea (29 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 10th Place (8-5-7)
Most Valuable Player: Thiago Silva
Most Surprising Player: Kepa Arrizabalaga
Most Disappointing Player: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Chelsea are a complete mess, both on and off the pitch. Bringing in Graham Potter from the Brighton dugout after the premature sacking of Thomas Tuchel was always going to be a risky move, but so far, it’s been an abject failure. I don’t blame Potter, as managing a club in flux is a very difficult thing to do. The squad has been a revolving door since American businessman Todd Boehly took over the club in May of 2022. Since the change in ownership, Boehly has spent nearly $700 million (yes, you read that correctly) on incoming transfers. Apart from Kalidou Koulibaly, none of these new players have lived up to their price tag.

Chelsea’s attacking options are not very good. There’s no consistent source of goalscoring, and the club’s lone striker, Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, has struggled greatly. Instead, Potter is forced to experiment with inverted wingers and attacking midfielders playing higher up the pitch to serve as makeshift strikers. Kai Havertz and Mason Mount have been woefully bad. Raheem Sterling has been his typical self, world class one week and completely awful the next week. Hakim Ziyech has been given limited opportunities, but he hasn’t taken advantage of them. American star man Christian Pulisic can’t seem to nail down a place in the starting lineup, and his injury history continues to rear it’s ugly head, as he’s out for a few months with a knee injury.

In defense, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly have been extremely solid at center back. Koulibaly has missed some time due to injury, and in his place, Trevoh Chalobah and Marc Cucurella have not been able to replicate his physicality, composure, and defensive abilities as a whole. In between the posts, Eduoard Mendy has suffered an unexpected dip in form, and Kepa Arrizabalaga has regained his place as Chelsea’s #1, and he’s actually been very good for the most part.

The midfield is bang average. The vibes are bad. The team looks disinterested and dejected out on the pitch. They can’t score goals. The influx of transfer activity has been just as ludicrously expensive as it has been remarkably unsuccessful. Chelsea need to get their act together, because right now, the Blues are the laughing stock of the Premier League.

Grade: D

Aston Villa (28 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 11th Place (8-4-8)
Most Valuable Player: Emi Martinez
Most Surprising Player: Leon Bailey
Most Disappointing Player: Philippe Coutinho

Another season of mid-table mediocrity for Aston Villa.

In November of 2022, Villa appointed Steven Gerrard as their new manager. The Liverpool legend made a successful foray into management at Rangers in Scotland, leading the club to the 2022 Europa League Final where they fell on penalties to Frankfurt. However, Gerrard was unable to carry this success to his new club. In his 37 matches in charge of the club, the Villains won 12 matches, drew 8, and lost 17. After a 3-0 loss to Fulham on October 20th, he was officially sacked and replaced with former Arsenal and Villarreal manager Unai Emery. The Spanish tactician has proven to be a very good – albeit inconsistent – manager at both of those clubs, and so far at Villa Park, Emery has helped the club return to winning ways. In the 8 games he’s managed in the Premier League so far, Villa have won 5, drawn 1, and lost 2, a vast improvement compared to the club’s form under Gerrard.

Emi Martinez proved his worth for Argentina at the World Cup with his heroics in the Final against France, and he’s just as vital for Aston Villa. He’s a mainstay in the team, and his ability to pull off jaw-dropping saves to bail out Villa’s shoddy defense. The center back pairing of Mings and Konsa has been erratic, and there isn’t really any consistent or dynamic ability at either full back position either. Summer signing Boubacar Kamara has impressed alongside Douglas Luiz in defensive midfield. Emi Buendia, Ollie Watkins, and Leon Bailey make up a three pronged strike force which has been quietly productive this season, combining for 12 goals and 6 assists.

Things seem to be moving in the right direction for the most historically successful club in the midlands. If Aston Villa are to write a prosperous new chapter in their club’s rich history, it could happen with Emery at the helm.

Grade: B-

Crystal Palace (24 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 12th Place (6-6-8)
Most Valuable Player: Wilfried Zaha
Most Surprising Player: Eberechi Eze
Most Disappointing Player: Jean-Phillippe Mateta

It’s been an up and down season at Selhurst Park.

Crystal Palace haven’t won a single match against any of the top half (places 1 through 10) in the Premier League table. Arguably, their most impressive performances of the season so far were fighting to earn draws at Anfield against Liverpool and at home against Man United. Wilfried Zaha has been his typical self, scoring 6 goals and notching 2 assists in 19 league appearances. There’s young talent littered throughout Patrick Vieira’s starting 11, and they’ve performed admirably so far this season. Danish international Joachim Anderson is showing flashes of world class potential at center back despite being just 26 years old. Chris Richards joined the club in the summer from Bayern Munich, and while he hasn’t always been healthy, he’s looked very solid early on, especially given the fact that he’s just 22 years old. Eberechi Eze (23 years old) and Cheick Doucoure (24 years old) have made 8 combined goal contributions from midfield, with the former serving as the skillful creator and the latter serving as the box-to-box dynamo. Center back Marc Guehi (22 years old) and right winger Michael Olise (21 years old) have also had some big moments of their own this season, particularly Olise’s fantastic late equalizer against Man United with a wonderful free kick.

Palace has obvious potential, but they need a consistent goal-scoring presence at striker to elevate themselves above the classic bang average mid-table label.

Grade: C

Nottingham Forest (21 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 13th Place (5-6-9)
Most Valuable Player: Morgan Gibbs-White
Most Surprising Player: Steve Cook
Most Disappointing Player: Jesse Lingard

How the hell are Nottingham Forest in 13th place? They have the second worst goal difference in the Premier League (-19), they’ve scored just 16 goals in 20 matches, and their possession stats are woeful (39.8% possession per game). The answer is a mixture of graft and good luck.

Forest managed to beat Liverpool 1-0 in October, but apart from that match, the top half of the table has feasted on them all season. They’ve been throttled by Arsenal (5-0), Man City (6-0), Leicester (4-0), and Man United (3-0). Four of their five victories had a final score of 1-0, and the only other victory was 2-0. Clearly, clean sheets are the key to success for Nottingham Forest, and with usual starting keeper Dean Henderson having been recently injured, the club has brought in Keylor Navas from PSG to fill his place. Navas has been a criminally underrated player for his entire career, and the Costa Rican shot stopper played a crucial role in Real Madrid’s three-peat of Champions League titles. With so many new faces at the club (30 new signings since they were promoted from the Championship last summer!), it’s been difficult for manager Steve Cooper to nail down a starting lineup which can deliver consistent results. Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson have been the only players performing up (or near) their expectations this season, and the attacking duo has made the most of what little chances they get.

Forest’s current position in the PL table is not indicative of what the mindset at the club should be. They should be preparing for the relegation battle in April and May.

Grade: C-

Leicester City (18 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 14th Place (5-3-12)
Most Valuable Player: James Maddison
Most Surprising Player: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
Most Disappointing Player: Danny Ward

I am tired of watching this Leicester City side.

The squad is stale. The club has been relying on Jamie Vardy for far too long, and father time has finally caught up with the legendary striker. At 36 years old, Vardy has finally regressed to the point of no return, having scored just 1 goal in 11 league starts this season. Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans has been angling for a move away from the club for a few years now, and it might be affecting his performances on the pitch. I have a hard time finding any other explanation for his disengaged demeanor and general laziness out of possession. The only player in Leicester’s midfield who has shown any sort of passion or workrate on a weekly basis is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, as the 24 year old Englishman has burst onto the scene from relative obscurity. Other English talents in the squad include James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, with Maddison being the best player (and chief free-kick taker) at the club and Barnes having scored 7 goals in the league already. The reason Leicester are dropping so many points is obvious: the Foxes desperately need to shore up their defense. Danny Ward is the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League, and it’s not close. His distribution is horrible, his shot-stopping instincts are subpar, and he routinely makes ridiculous errors. Granted, the defense in front of him is pretty bad too, but Ward needs to step up his game.

Many of the players from Leicester City’s 2015-16 title winning squad are still playing on a weekly basis, and while it’s nice to see those familiar faces to be reminded of the club’s glorious past, it’s time for the club to refresh the roster and look to build toward a brighter future.

Grade: D

Leeds (18 points, 19/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 15th Place (4-6-9)
Most Valuable Player: Tyler Adams
Most Surprising Player: Rodrigo
Most Disappointing Player: Patrick Bamford

Leeds are uniting America under one club badge.

At the World Cup, Tyler Adams captained his country and put in some inspired performances. At Leeds, he looks remarkably composed in defensive midfield despite being just 23 years old. He fearlessly matches the intense physicality of the Premier League and his development as both a player and a leader is evident with each passing matchday. Fellow American starlet Brendan Aaronson has been a tad inconsistent, but he brings a level of pace and energy that is irreplaceable in Jesse Marsch’s system. Marsch is an American manager who climbed his way up the Red Bull Football Group ladder (NY Red Bulls -> RB Salzburg -> RB Liepzig) before becoming the Leeds boss in 2022. Since then, the club’s identity has undergone a complete transformation. Gone are the days of bowing to opponents and parking the bus clawing for draws. Instead, Marsch opts for a more “guns blazing” approach to the sport. His team presses high like their lives depend on it, and as soon as they regain possession, they fly forward on the counter-attack. This is a risky tactical setup which often results in Leeds giving up easy scoring opportunities for their opponent, but this progressive style of play has been relatively effective and incredibly entertaining to watch. Given the context – Leeds being a club which knows that it will be embroiled in the relegation battle from matchday 1 to matchday 38 – Marsch’s boldness has to be admired, and 26 goals in 19 matches is nothing to scoff at. Spanish striker Rodrigo, once deemed a transfer flop after becoming Leeds’ record signing a few years back, has enjoyed a breakout season in the Premier League, bagging a team-high 10 goals so far. He has been crucial for Leeds, especially since the usual man up front, Patrick Bamford, has dealt with a myriad of injuries which have kept him from returning to peak form.

Goalkeeper Illan Meslier has his work cut out for him with Leeds’ breathtaking all-out-attack style of play, but there’s a lot to like about Leeds. The vibes are great, the team is full of young talent (Willy Gnonto and Crysencio Summerville have looked phenomenal in recent weeks), and they’re in good standing in the relegation battle as of right now. Many Americans, myself included, hope that Leeds are able to stay up.

Grade: C+

West Ham (18 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 16th Place (5-3-12)
Most Valuable Player: Declan Rice
Most Surprising Player: Said Benrahma
Most Disappointing Player: Michail Antonio

They may be forever blowing bubbles, but there’s no childlike joy for West Ham fans right now.

The Hammers were supposed to be competing for European football, and now they’re in a relegation battle. It’s been a failure to launch on all fronts. Declan Rice is still the best player at the club, and the defensive midfielder has formed a wonderful partnership with Brazilian newcomer Lucas Paqueta, but there’s very few bright spots in the rest of the squad. Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek have been decent, Said Benrahma has provided a spark in what little playing time manager David Moyes offers him, and Nayef Aguerd has impressed in his first 4 starts at center back for his new club. Outside of the aforementioned players, there’s nothing to be excited about here. The squad is stale and age is catching up with many of them, including Michail Antonio.

Your move, David Moyes. I know you can feel your seat getting warmer.

Grade: D-

Wolves (17 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 17th Place (4-5-11)
Most Valuable Player: Ruben Neves
Most Surprising Player: Nathan Collins
Most Disappointing Player: Diego Costa

Someone please help out Ruben Neves. He is the only player in the Wolves team who puts in a good shift week in and week out. The Portuguese midfielder has been rewarded for his efforts with the captain’s armband. The Wolves defense is still somewhat solid with Jose Sa in between the posts and a promising young center back duo of Nathan Collins and Max Kilman, but there’s no goals in the team. Raul Jimenez is still nowhere to be seen post-injury. The Diego Costa experiment has not worked. He has more red cards (1) than league goals (0) this season. Bruno Lage was axed in early October, but the arrival of Julen Loputegui hasn’t resulted in an escape from the foot of the league table.

If only Wolves still had Nuno Espirito Santo at the wheel… I get weirdly nostalgic over his 2020-21 Wolves side.

Grade: D

Bournemouth (17 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 18th Place (4-5-11)
Most Valuable Player: Philip Billing
Most Surprising Player: Neto
Most Disappointing Player: Mark Travers

This team got beat 9-0 by the worst Liverpool side in years.

They’ve no significant transfer activity in the summer window or the January window.

Bournemouth are going down. Shocker.

Grade: F

Everton (15 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 19th Place (3-6-11)
Most Valuable Player: James Tarkowski
Most Surprising Player: Amadou Onana
Most Disappointing Player: Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Sell the club, Moshiri. The only thing more criminal than the way you manage this historic club is your tax statement, presumably. A British businessman based in Monaco with financial ties to the Russian oligarchy? A net worth of nearly $3 billion from being involved in the cutting-edge mining and metals industry? Waiting THAT long to fire Frank Lampard when it was clear he was a hack as a manager? Refusing to do anything in the January transfer window when the club is embroiled in a relegation battle? Making up a story about Everton fans plotting to “make an attempt on your life” in response to a protest against your ruinous dictatorship of their beloved club?

Everton are a club in crisis, and the downfall is happening before our very eyes. Their fans don’t deserve this, but Moshiri and his cronies absolutely do.

Grade: F

Southampton (15 points, 20/38 matches played)
PL Table Position (W-D-L): 20th Place (4-3-13)
Most Valuable Player: James Ward-Prowse
Most Surprising Player: Armel Bella-Kotchap
Most Disappointing Player: Mohamed Elyounoussi

It’s been a long time coming, but Southampton have finally been swallowed up by the relegation zone they’ve been narrowly escaping for a few years now. James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick masterpieces can only take you so far.

The Saints are going down because they’re shocking at football, but at least the squad is very young! That’s some sort of consolation, I guess.

Grade: F

Who’s winning the league? Who’s getting relegated?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

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Author: Ben Pawlak

Published: 2/6/23 at 3pm EST

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Sources/Works Cited:

“Football Transfers, Rumours, Market Values and News.” Transfermarkt, https://www.transfermarkt.com/.

“Fotmob.” FotMob, https://www.fotmob.com/.

Google Images, Google, https://images.google.com/imghp?hl=en.

Whoscored.com, https://www.whoscored.com/.