Nineteen of the English Premier League’s thirty-eight matchweeks have passed, and if there’s one thing we know for certain about this season, it’s that no win is guaranteed. The 2024/25 Premier League season has featured upsets, table shakeups, and unpredictability. Take, for example, how Manchester City, who won the league for a record fourth time in a row last year, have fallen to sixth place. Or, how Nottingham Forest were fighting a relegation battle seven months ago and are now sitting in a European spot.
Some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs – the so-called “big six” – have floundered this season. Tottenham finished sixth last year and went ten matches undefeated in 2023. It’s been a much different story in the first half of this season; Tottenham sit in eleventh with half of their fixtures played. They’ve been a rollercoaster ride of a team, winning and losing in dramatic fashion. To name a few: falling 2-1 to Ipswich Town at home to give the visitors their first win of the season, and then immediately responding with a 4-0 win at Manchester City. Or, letting go of a 2-0 lead against Chelsea to lose 4-3. The most bizarre thing about Spurs is that despite being in eleventh place, they still boast a plus-thirteen goal differential. Perhaps manager Ange Postecoglou will focus more on defense in the new year, but it seems unlikely.
The other fumbling “big six” sides are the two Manchester clubs. City would still be seen as relatively successful — they sit in sixth — if they were any other club, but considering their success in season’s past, coupled with a run in which they won one out of thirteen matches, their performance this year has been a shock. United, on the other hand, have been unsurprisingly poor this year. However, even by their recent standards, the first half of 24/25 has been a disaster. They fired manager Erik ten Hag after two-and-a-half seasons in charge of the Red Devils after a poor start that left them in thirteenth, but when Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim took over, hopes were high. Amorim’s performance with the club, though, has proven that the problem lies with the club’s structure and players, not the manager. After falling to fourteenth place, Amorim bluntly admitted in a post-match presser that United are “in a relegation battle.”
Whether that statement is true or not remains to be seen, as the three promoted Championship sides are all in the relegation zone. Southampton and Leicester City have very little to take pride in so far, and both clubs have fired their managers, but Ipswich Town have posed a surprising threat to the league’s big clubs. They got their first win of the season away at Tottenham, and although most of their impressive performances have been draws, they capped off 2024 with a 2-0 win against Chelsea.
Fulham and Bournemouth were a pair of surprising clubs in the first half of the season. Both sides can attribute part of their newfound success to summer signings: Fulham, with Emile Smith Rowe from Arsenal; Bournemouth, with the transfer of Brazilian striker Evanilson to replace Dominic Solanke. Fulham and Bournemouth both finished in the bottom half of the table last year, but both are primed for better things this season. By far the most impressive team this year, though, is Nottingham Forest. Forest were facing relegation all the way into May last season, but thanks to a strong back line anchored by Aina and a lively attack headed by Chris Wood, they sit in their best table position in almost thirty years.
While Forest look to recreate Leicester City’s 2016 magic, Arsenal and Liverpool will being duking it out for the Premier League title. Liverpool have seemed infallible this season, with their only loss in all competitions coming at the hands of Forest. They’ve consistently displayed an ability to come from behind in matches, as well as a penchant for establishing an early lead and not looking back. Mohamed Salah, who’s said he’s in his last season with the Reds, is having the best season of his career with eighteen goals and thirteen assists in nineteen appearances. With a game in hand, Liverpool have a six-point lead against second place Arsenal.
Although Liverpool seem inevitable, it’s in the Scouse side’s best interest to remember that Arsenal also had a six-point lead on Manchester City around this time last year but went on to lose the title on the final day. Additionally, the last time Liverpool were top of the table halfway through the campaign was in 2020/21; they ended up finishing third. If Liverpool were to win the title this year, Arne Slot would become the fifth debutant to win the Premier League, joining Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte — all Chelsea managers – and Manuel Pellegrini.
Despite the fact that the narrative surrounding Arsenal this season says they’ve been a disappointment, they’ve outperformed their results at this same time last season; the Gunners have also been one of several clubs to fall victim to an injury crisis. Arsenal will be hanging their title hopes on the run they went on in the second half of the season last year; in eighteen matches, they won sixteen, lost once, and drew once. In the words of the Gunners’ manager Mikel Arteta, “If Liverpool slip in the title race, we’ll be there” (Sky Sports).
