Premier League: Where things stand in 2022

The majority of Premier League clubs have now reached the halfway point in their seasons and it feels like a good time to take stock of what we have seen so far and how things might shape up for the rest of the campaign.

We’ve been treated to some thrilling matches, particularly the recent clashes between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool as well as Sunday’s draw between Jurgen Klopp’s side and Chelsea. There have also been six managerial changes with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s departure being the most high profile.

With a title to be decided and relegation to be avoided, let us have a look at the state of play.

The Title Race

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It would be unwise to make bold predictions with half of the season still to be played and many people could be made look very foolish, but the title race looks the clearest cut of all aspects of the division.

Manchester City currently sit 10 points clear of Chelsea at the top of the table and are currently on an 11 game winning streak. Liverpool sit a further point back and do have a game in hand but they have dropped points in recent weeks and will now lose Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane for the next month to the African Cup of Nations.

Ten points is by no means insurmountable but City have an air of invincibility about them at the moment and can control games in a way that their rivals are failing to do. There are few obvious weaknesses to Pep Guardiola’s side and in recent weeks they seem to have teams psychologically beaten before kick-off.

Either Chelsea or Liverpool would have to go on a run similar to City and hope the Manchester club drop points along the way. Neither look a particularly strong prospect at the moment.

Relegation

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The relegation battle does not look as cut and dry as the top of the table but it does appear as if it will be three from four as Norwich City, Newcastle United, Burnley and Watford duke it out.

Watford and Burnley do have games in hand on the teams above them but wins have been hard to come by so far this season and Burnley’s 3-1 defeat to Leeds United felt significant as it opened up a six-point gap between the bottom four and the rest of the table.

Norwich briefly looked like they may have been on an upward curve after Dean Smith’s appointment but the Canaries had a truly miserable December, losing every game and failing to score a single goal. Survival looks a tall order but as of now they are just three points from safety.

Newcastle will feel confident with their newfound wealth that their transfer activity may help them to safety. Although that money still needs to be spent wisely, the expected arrival of Kieran Trippier is a good start.

Watford will be glad to keep hold of top scorer Emmanuel Dennis during January while Sean Dyche could do with a couple of new recruits to freshen things up at Turf Moor, particularly with Maxwell Cornet also off on international duty.

There are plenty of teams bunched up just above those clubs and one of those are bound to slide precariously close at some stage, but right now it’s hard to look past the bottom four.

Battle for Top Four

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This looks to be the most intriguing and unpredictable battle in the league. Arsenal currently hold the coveted fourth and final Champions League place with West Ham United just a point behind. Spurs and Manchester United are currently sixth and seventh but have more games to play than the other two. A lack of firepower probably means Champions League football is beyond the reach of Wolverhampton Wanderers as well as Brighton and Hove Albion.

Mikel Arteta’s side have looked good in recent weeks after a slow start and finishing in the top four this season would be transformative for his project. Manchester United on the other hand would consider the season an abject failure if they don’t make it. It remains to be seen what kind of impact Ralf Rangnick has for the remainder of the campaign.

Antonio Conte has had a positive impact at Spurs and has experience at the top end of the league. They may just be the favourites while West Ham are right in contention. David Moyes will be hoping the attacking flair continues and no more injuries are suffered in defence.