Leicester
Well, we’re not bottom, but there’s no getting away from the fact that we have, at times, looked like the worst team in the league, and by some distance. Danny Ward, Wout Faes and James Justin have turned in some astonishingly bad performances this season. Facundo Buonanotte has been a rare bright spark.
Happy with the manager? I’ll confess to having been a fan of Ruud van Nistelrooy since I was a kid, and I truly believe that whatever fate befalls us this season it won’t be his fault. That said, he hasn’t exactly been the clean break with Cooperball that we thought he’d be.
We will finish … 18th. I struggle to believe there are three worse teams than us in this division. The disaster against Wolves felt like a sliding doors moment.
What we need in January … Where do I start … At least two starting defenders, one right-back and one centre-back. Striking and wide reinforcements would be very helpful too. That said, having avoided PSR breaches by the skin of our teeth we probably don’t have a proverbial pot to … well, you know the rest.
Funniest moment of 2024? Having our biggest rivals thrash us on our own patch, spearheaded by Chris Wood who was nothing but a donkey for us, and then going on to sing about how our own manager hates us was so tragic I couldn’t help but smile. If he didn’t hate us then, he must now.
-
Chris Whiting clippings.me/chriswhiting; @ChrisRWhiting
Liverpool
Top at Christmas, in the Champions League knockout stage and a Carabao Cup semi – it couldn’t have gone much better. The team have been formidable and adapted with ease to a shift in style, showing both swagger and diligence. Getting the better of Real Madrid was a standout, as were the game at Old Trafford and the performance against Spurs, which, apart from a sloppy few minutes, was relentless. Salah again deserves every plaudit that comes his way but others, like Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Jones and Gakpo merit all the acclaim they’re now getting. And the boss …
Happy with the manager? And some. He’s been outstanding, galvanising the squad with no additions (Chiesa doesn’t count yet), and solving the defensive midfield role by putting Gravenberch there. He has instilled a new confidence in the team who are all playing with smiles. He is erudite and funny, batting away contract talks, and he can get pretty het up as his yellow cards and touchline ban show.
We will finish … First.
What we need in January … New deals for Van Dijk, Alexander-Arnold, a future captain, and Salah. After that, signing Murillo from Forest could help with our defensive injuries.
Funniest moment in 2024? First game of the season at Ipswich and the home fans aggrieved at the referee belt out: “Who’s the Scouser in the black?” Instant retort from the away end: “Alisson! Alisson!” Made me laugh.
-
Steph Jones
Manchester City
It started well, but since November it’s been a total disaster. The warning signs were there beforehand (Wolves away, Fulham at home) but the drop-off has been spectacular. It’s become clear that Rodri was papering over some serious cracks. The club’s lazy/arrogant (take your pick) approach to squad-building over the last two seasons has come back to bite them, combined with Pep’s decision to run with a small squad (again), and most importantly of all, the injury crisis. I thought bottling a 3-0 lead at home to Feyenoord (H) was our nadir, but then the United game happened.
Happy with the manager? Of course, but Pep has massively tested my patience in these last two months. It feels absurd questioning arguably the greatest manager of all time, but I think he’s made some really poor decisions, such as sticking with Walker/Gündogan/Bernardo despite their form, and playing half-fit defenders, causing new injuries.
We will finish … If we don’t make proper additions in central midfield and defence I genuinely think we could finish bottom half. I appreciate that may shock people, but if it does, you probably haven’t watched us regularly this season. But if we do, we we’ll get 4th relatively comfortably.
What we need in January … My expectations have diminished since City’s comms team shot down the Bruno Guimarães/Zubimendi stories. They’re the calibre of player needed to raise the levels and arrest the slide. Our key needs are two central midfielders given Rodri’s injury and our shocking recent recruitment in that area, a right-sided defender and a back-up forward to take some of the strain off Haaland.
Funniest moment in 2024? It has to be Madueke calling Wolverhampton a shithole online, before dropping a 10/10 and bagging a hat-trick. Top lad.
-
Lloyd Scragg ninetythreetwenty.com; @lloyd_scragg
Manchester United
Our Christmas turkey came early in that stuffing Bournemouth gave us – and we followed it up by losing at lowly Wolves. Both laid bare the fact that this team lack belief and, against teams prepared to run themselves into the ground to bridge the gap in quality, we come unstuck. We’re once again in transition with a new manager who has been landed with a large number of players who don’t have the heart for the battle or the technical nous to succeed. There has been the odd bright spot, at least, from Amad, Mazraoui and Ugarte – and Yoro will be an excellent player.
Happy with the manager? Too soon to be sure; he is integrating his coaches and coaching and trying players out in different roles. Apart from seeing the defensive system improve we are still lacking all over the pitch. At least the players are beginning to understand that he is not a man to be messed with, and that is no bad thing. He will be a success, and I expect him to turn things round quicker than most. I wouldn’t rule out success in the Europa League.
We will finish … 8th.
What we need in January… A left wing‑back. Shaw is perpetually injured and Malacia and Dalot aren’t good enough. The left side of the park is a big weakness and leaves us unbalanced. We also need a quality centre-forward and someone who can bring mobility to the middle of the park. Who we bring in will undoubtedly be based on who we can move on. We have found to our cost that moving players on has proved to be very difficult over the past few years.
Funniest moment of 2024? The wonderful chaos of the FA Cup win over Liverpool will live long in the memory. That and City’s record-breaking evacuation of Wembley when we beat them in the Cup final.
-
Shaun O’Donnell
Newcastle
Being forced to sacrifice Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh at the altar of PSR – and a lack of high‑grade signings – set the tone for the first chunk of this season. Popular figureheads Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi departed and there’s been a feeling that the post-takeover momentum has been lost. But there has been real progress lately: Joelinton, Bruno Guimarães and Sandro Tonali are gelling, Lewis Hall is looking like a real international full-back and the sublime Alexander Isak is back to his best. Performances against Liverpool, Arsenal, Villa and Brentford showed what this team are made of. We’re heading into 2025 with plenty to play for.
Happy with the manager? Absolutely, he’s an outstanding coach: just look at how he has nurtured Hall. The only downside is his loyalty to certain players, which can be frustrating.
We will finish … 6th.
What we need in January … We desperately need a top class right‑winger – Bryan Mbeumo would be ideal – and, with Callum Wilson battling injury after injury, a proven centre-forward should be a priority (and has been for the last three windows). But as we’re hobbled by PSR, we’re not expecting much. Perhaps hanging on to our A-listers is the best we can hope for.
Funniest moment of 2024? Sunderland redecorating a stadium bar in our honour before January’s FA Cup tie. We thought the images were photoshopped at first.
-
David and Richard Holmes
Nottingham Forest
At the risk of stating the bloomin’ obvious, we’re absolutely delighted. It has surpassed all expectations, and there’s a lovely symmetry: 30 years ago, Forest were also fourth at Christmas having just beaten Man Utd at Old Trafford. Highlight so far? Beating Liverpool away for the first time in 55-odd years: really special.
Happy with the manager? He’s outstanding. For a few fans the jury was out on Nuno after last season, which really wasn’t fair – the stress of refereeing battles, points deductions and the rest was always going to make it difficult. This season he has proven the benefit of a pre-season (and the players have said the same), and has been tactically astute.
We will finish … 4th – I never thought I would say that, but we just keep going and quite a few other teams are knackered from playing in Europe.
What we need in January … A striker is the priority – Chris Wood might not play the whole season and poor Taiwo Awoniyi cannot quite get his sharpness back. There’s lots of talk about Yuri Alberto from Corinthians and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush.
after newsletter promotion
Funniest moment in 2024? Some would choose the debut of our song for last year’s player of the season, Murillo, to the tune of Salt ’n’ Papa’s Push It, but as our regular podcast listeners will know, I just love the clip of Warriors United, a group of young supporters with Down’s syndrome, doing a press conference with Nuno: “I love chips, with lots of ketchup!” Warm, funny and community-focused – just what we like at Forest.
-
Rich Ferraro 1865: The Nottingham Forest Podcast; linktr.ee/nottm_forest
Southampton
While the points total probably doesn’t reflect some of the overall performances, it’s hard to paint this as anything other than an unmitigated disaster so far. We’ve mostly been competitive but have really lacked the quality at both ends to turn any sort of dominance into actual points. And we’ve thrown in some absolutely suicidal defending for good measure.
Happy with the manager? Ivan Juric’s only had one game so far, 1-0 to West Ham. It was certainly more energetic but it did see us once again fail to convert chances and switch off at the vital moments. So perhaps the manager isn’t (or wasn’t) our biggest problem. Unfortunately Russell Martin, who had overseen a huge squad overhaul last season to lead us back up, didn’t survive the 5-0 home pumping from an out-of-form Spurs. Difficult to pin all of our woes on him, though: the transfer business in the summer was woefully inadequate for a start, but an apparent refusal to deviate from his vision did for him.
We will finish … 20th. We just don’t score enough to overturn what is already a nine-point gap to safety. Frankly, though, anything above Derby’s record low would be a result now.
What we need in January … Attacking talent, someone who can unlock defences with a bit of pace and power. Of course, players with that ability are famously known for wanting to sign for the team on a small budget who are bottom of the league. And perhaps a centre-forward who can finish off some of the chances we do end up creating.
Funniest moment in 2024? The drunken antics of players at the post-promotion party in the car park. It’s just a shame that some of them took that instability into the new season …
Steve Grant @SteveGrant1983, Total Saints Podcast, @TotalSaintsPod
Tottenham
It’s all been frustrating proof that the club have to do more, with ruthless intent, to give us a squad that’s robust enough to negate injuries and other calamities. Last season shook us; the same has happened again. We wanted to play more than a game a week but we’re struggling with the congestion. Tottenham either win magnificently or lose limply. City away and Villa at home were joyful; the manner in which we lost to Ipswich and Bournemouth was jarring. As for players: Kulu has been a beast, Archie Gray a revelation, Solanke a leader of the press. But the list of inconsistencies is long.
Happy with the manager? After José, Nuno and Conte, Spurs needed to galvanise themselves. Rebuilds done properly are not easy and I’m unsure if the club – board and fanbase – have the backbone to pull together. Siege mentality isn’t something we do well when the focus is on ticket prices. Ange’s football is brilliant but, right now, flawed because of the lack of depth and perhaps also some stubbornness from the big man himself. We need to see it through because we rarely attempt to.
We will finish Form-wise right now, mid-table. Possibly 8th. But the Prem is messy so I’m going to happy-clap and say fifth because belief is free and hope makes you feel good.
What we need in January … We need a keeper. Caoimhín Kelleher keeps getting mentioned. I’ll be happy with that. But the summer is the real test for the club because we probably need one or two players for every area of the team (defence, midfield and attack).
Funniest moment of 2024? Kudus sitting on a chair when he scored against us and then getting sent off still makes me chuckle.
Spooky @dearmrlevy.com; The Fighting Cock podcast; @LoveTheShirt
West Ham
Considering the money spent it’s been a poor first half of the season. The possession-based style is ponderous, Paquetá has remained distracted, Mavropanos makes too many mistakes, Kudus auditioned for WWE at Spurs and earned a five-match suspension and Álvarez received two silly red cards. We’ve been embarrassed by Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Liverpool. Loaning corner specialist Ward-Prowse to Forest was baffling and, to top it all, Antonio was involved in a horrific car crash. On the positive side Jarrod Bowen has as usual given everything, Soucek has got important goals and Fabianski has excelled at 39. Wan-Bissaka has been surprisingly good going forward, though I’m not sure about his inverted full-back position.
Happy with the manager? It was never going to be easy implementing a new style and rebuilding an ageing side. Lopetegui’s been unlucky with the injury to Füllkrug. But he hasn’t won the hearts of the fans and has struggled to communicate his ideas. Loppy doesn’t seem to know his best side or what to do with the £27m Summerville, who is the first to be dropped. The defence, despite being rebuilt, has looked as leaky as last season – we’ve collapsed against the top teams. Technical director Tim Steidten must also take some blame for misfiring signings and spending £25m on Guilherme who has barely played. However, beating Newcastle was impressive and we did manage to win El Sackico, but things must improve as there’s a lack of identity to the side.
We will finish … 12th.
What we need in January … A young hungry striker to replace Antonio and challenge Füllkrug, though money is tight. And another centre-back would help, and a midfielder if Paquetá’s form continues. After appearing in a West Ham kit on Gavin and Stacey, Uncle Bryn might be worth a punt.
Funniest moment in 2024? Man City suddenly playing like West Ham – though I still think they’ll stay up. Also David Coote and VAR awarding us the dodgiest penalty ever against Man Utd after a brutal assault on Danny Ings.
-
Pete May Author, Massive: The Miracle of Prague; hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk
Wolves
Up until the last two games it’s been a disaster. Failure to reinvest the money received for Max Kilman into defensive reinforcements was costly. We were conceding more than two a game under Gary O’Neil. But there’s new hope here now, especially with the possibility of January splurging, and with Matheus Cunha’s stock still rising despite the chaos around him. His goals in the 4-1 win at Fulham demonstrated his supreme quality. We’ll do well to hold on to him beyond next summer, regardless of the division we’re playing in.
Happy with the manager? Delighted. Two games, two wins, five scored and zero conceded. Keep it going Vítor. In retrospect, the club should have binned O’Neil a few weeks earlier as the team had become calamitous in those final games. Even allowing for limited options at the back, much of the blame for our pitiful defensive efforts lay at his feet. We’ve had consecutive clean sheets since he left.
We will finish … I’m still hopeful, based on the three promoted clubs not looking too sharp. It’s hard to see us finishing above anyone else though. Much depends on the business the others conduct in January but I’ll back us to just about scrape it – 17th.
What we need in January … At least one centre-half and a defensively-minded full-back. Semedo and Aït-Nouri are capable moving forward but I think our inability to shut teams out stems from physical weakness and lack of aggression in those wide defensive areas.
Funniest moment of 2024? The opening day of the season at Arsenal, when defender Yerson Mosquera came up with a novel way of encouraging Gabriel Jesus to his feet. The Brazilian didn’t appreciate it.
-
Thomas Baugh @thomasbaugh
-
Part one: Arsenal to Ipswich
Source: theguardian.com
