20: Southampton.
Collecting only six points during this season, Southampton is plagued by lack of chemistry and poor defensive mistakes. They’ve kept it close with bigger clubs, but find themselves getting slaughtered often and scoring few goals. Racking up a goal difference of -27.
19: Leicester City.
Newly promoted Leicester have fourteen points so far, and have continued to be a D tier side in the league who has potential with young upcoming players. After going on a Cinderella run in the 2015/2016 season, winning the league. Leicester is now a dad entering his fifties, letting loose and sinking down like the Titanic.
18: Ipswich Town.
Competing in the premier league for the first time since 2002, Ipswich generally impressed considering their smaller size and lower funding. Coming off of a big 2-0 win against Chelsea, Ipswich labelled themselves as a wild card and a mix of the good, bad, and the ugly.
17: Wolverhampton.
Making a climb out of the relegation zone in the last few games. Wolves have been on a good run of form with stars such as Matheus Cuhna leading the team, considered one of the best players in the league. There is still much more work to be done at Molineux, but I hold hope for the Wolves throughout the second half of the season.
16: Everton.
Everton has been clowned on social media for the last few years for being unable to win anything. Everton is not great, but has held two 0-0 draws with Chelsea and Arsenal, two impressive performances. They have a severe goalscoring problem, which cancels out their stellar defense.
15: Crystal Palace.
Surprisingly, Palace had a disappointing start to this season. Hoping to ride the momentum of a very successful campaign last year, they had a rough beginning with only twenty points so far. Missing last season’s star Micheal Olise, a crucial part of their success. Palace hasn’t found the proper replacement for Olise, but that might change in the January transfer window.
14: Manchester United.
If Leicester City was a fifty year old dad that fell off, then United is the present day Ronaldo Nazario. Manchester United used to be the unstoppable powerhouse of the English Premier League. Winning thirteen titles (last winning in 2012/2013), the club raised worldwide talents such as Wayne Rooney, David Beckham, Robert Van Persie, and Cristiano Ronaldo. This season, and the few seasons prior, United have been incredibly disappointing. Dropping points against bottom table sides, they now find themselves near the bottom as well. The mountain to climb for them is high, and is going to take a wicked turnaround to find success.
13: West Ham United.
West Ham isn’t great, but they are consistent. Being a fairly mid table team for years and years, following their season is like watching a F.R.I.E.N.D.S re-run over and over again. They have a few players that are starting to find a run of good form such as Lucas Paqueta, Jared Bowen, and Mohammed Kudus. West Ham could find success this season if they utilize the talent they have, finally getting out of the loop.
12: Brentford.
Brentford has been a mid table team for years like West Ham, however they were promoted in 2021 and weren’t expected to stay above water. They have defied all odds and have become a decently formidable team to face for even the stronger competition. Even after losing their star-striker Ivan Toney due to a betting scandal, they bounced back and have proven themselves as a true Premier League team.
11: Tottenham Hotspur.
Another team being clowned on social media, Tottenham has fallen off compared to their younger days. Dating back to the pandemic, the Spurs were a common feature in the UEFA champions league. Now, they are a severely mixed bag. Seemingly under a curse to never win a trophy, they have been struck in a wild storm of inconsistency and poor luck.
10: Brighton & Hove Albion.
Brighton has slowly improved since their promotion in 2017, initially being a basement battle team, fighting for survival in the league. Brighton has kept a lot of experience in their team and has proven that knowledge and chemistry does just as much as raw talent and money. This season specifically they have matched their impressive start from last season and continued to wow fans around the world.
9: Aston Villa.
“Holy crap” is what everybody said after Aston Villa made the top four last season, and “what the actual hell” is what everybody said seeing that Villa is fifth in the UEFA champion leagues ranking. Making a huge jump in table position over the last few years, and catching the eyes of the world. Giving talented players such as Emi Martinez, John Duran, and Morgan Rodgers a chance to shine on the national stage. Aston Villa still needs a lot of work to reach the accolades they got last season, but they are fully capable of that.
8: Fulham.
Fulham has a dense squad of talent built over time and this success has shown throughout the first half of the season. After a crucial 2-2 draw over league leaders Liverpool on December fourteenth, they hit the spotlight. Craven Cottage has hosted and built up a quality soccer team in England. Finally getting the recognition they’ve been looking for for so long, Fulham are making a push to play European Soccer next season.
7: Bournemouth.
Continuing the trend of surprises, frequent basement team Bournemouth climbed up the table recently becoming only one point from European Soccer placement. They have taken down many of the bigger names in the league already and don’t seem to be slowing down soon.
6: Manchester City.
“Stay Humble Eh?” The citizens are the only champions toddlers can remember. Winning the previous four premier league titles and winning the league cup and champion league as well in that span. City were the obvious favorites to win the title this year and started off the campaign strong, being in the title race until November. Under Richarlison’s voodoo magic after the Ballon D’or scandal and losing the winner of that award, Rodri due to injury. Rodri was the maestro of the team and after a crucial knee injury, the team completely capitulated. Only winning one game in their last thirteen matches.
5: Newcastle United.
Back in the 90’s and early 2000’s the magpies were one of the top teams in the league, playing out thrilling matches with the toughest competition at the time. It wasn’t until recently that Newcastle started to find a good run of form. Their attacking force is one of the strongest in the league and thrills spectators with goal filled matches. Their journey to European soccer next season looks entirely possible and finding consistency will lead them to major success this season.
4: Chelsea.
Last season Chelsea hit one of their major slumps in their history, finishing at a disappointing sixth. They spent sixty seven quadrillion pounds on random teenagers to help build their squad and that crashed and burned. They frequently dropped points against lower level teams and found themselves struggling and being made fun of by basically everyone. They’ve turned around this season and are now firmly in the top four race.
3: Nottingham Forest.
Somebody is playing career mode with Forest this season. Usually a shoe-in to be struggling for survival, they find themselves third in the league and have beaten almost every team they’ve crossed so far racking up thirty seven points in the process. A huge surprise and fairytale of the season so far.
2: Arsenal.
During the pandemic, Arsenal were one of the most unserious joke clubs I’ve ever seen. Known as “the bottlers,” they seem to put themselves in a good position to win something, and then absolutely blow it by the end of the campaign. Their fans are hoping the same fate doesn’t await them this time, because they are one of the strongest teams in the league and the world at the moment.
1: Liverpool
Under new management after their legacy manager Jurgen Klopp retired at the end of last season, Dutch manager Arne Slot replaced him and has thoroughly impressed so far. Liverpool has only lost one game thus far in the season, and are undefeated in the champions league after six matches. Mohammed Salah is on a Ballon D’or performance level at the moment with seventeen goals and thirteen assists in just eighteen games. The team is incredibly well balanced and managed and are obvious favorites to win the league.
