Arsenal – A
The Gunners will be hoping that the old adage 'you have to lose one before you can win one' proves to be true for them, after they went so close to toppling Manchester City last season.
Having fallen short last season there were questions as to whether Arsenal could mount another title push this season but as they look down from the top of the table on Christmas Day, those questions appear to have been answered.
Mikel Arteta’s summer gamble to pay West Ham €116m for the services of Declan Rice is paying off handsomely with the midfielder already proving to be one of his side’s key players, offering defensive solidity by screening the back four while breaking forward at the other end to showcase his creativity.
Rice’s addition has helped Arsenal to look more secure and exert a greater level of control in games, while their other big summer signing Kai Havertz is finally starting to settle and produce the goods after a tricky start.
The only slight concern that Arsenal fans may have is that the fixture list has been kind to their side so far. They face trips to Manchester City, Tottenham and Manchester United towards the business end of the season along with games against Chelsea and Aston Villa but they showed against Liverpool at Anfield that they can dig in and grind out a result when they have to.
Aston Villa – A+
The standout side of the season thus far, Unai Emery has remoulded and rebuilt Villa into a team that not only have realistic Champions League ambitions but one which are now being taken seriously as potential dark horses to break Manchester City’s stranglehold on the league.
Initial signs weren’t entirely positive. An opening day 5-1 defeat away to Newcastle and a 3-0 reversal at Anfield a few weeks later came about as a consequence of Emery’s high-line approach as the players got used to his new system.
They’ve suffered just one defeat since losing to Liverpool at the start of September and their home form is the best in the league - Saturday's 1-1 draw against Sheffield United is the only time they've dropped points.
Under Emery, Villa play with an aggressive high press and high defensive line and with a buoyant Villa Park crowd behind them, they’ve conceded just six goals at home all season. Meanwhile at the other end, Ollie Watkins is in the form of his life with 14 goals in all competitions.
A thin squad is perhaps Villa’s only real concern at the moment and one or two injuries in key positions could potentially derail them, but Emery is expected to receive transfer funds in January to reinforce.
Bournemouth – B
Nine games into the season and things were not looking good for Bournemouth. With no wins and just three points to their name, the Cherries were firmly stuck in the relegation zone.
However, since then they’ve hit a purple patch of form and with six wins from their last eight games, are heading in the right direction, having already played some of their toughest games of the season.
The fact that the three promoted clubs have been so firmly rooted in the drop zone has helped their ascent but there’s also the feeling that things are starting to click on the pitch for the Cherries.
Up front Dominic Solanke is finally starting to show just why Chelsea and Liverpool had such high hopes for him as a youngster while at the back they’ve been able to tighten up so early season leakiness and since suffering a 6-1 defeat to Manchester City have conceded just three goals, taking 16 points from a possible 18.
Brentford – C
Sitting comfortably in midtable before the festive season fixtures get underway, Brentford are on their way to securing another season of Premier League football.
Consistency has proved to be an issue for Thomas Frank’s side who started the season strongly before a run of three defeats and a draw were followed by three consecutive wins.
Their form took a dip again after that and the Bees currently have just one win from their last six games – coming against relegation candidates Luton.
Frank hasn’t been helped by the suspension of key striker Ivan Toney, who will be available again in January after serving a ban for gambling offenses, while injuries to key players have also been a problem. Rico Henry and Bryan Mbeumo have both suffered injuries and remain months away from a return to action.
The postponement of their pre-Christmas clash with Manchester City due to the Champions involvement in the Club World Cup offers a welcome break for Brentford, who like others likely to finish in the bottom half, will be thankful for the weakness of the three promoted sides.
Brighton & Hove Albion – B+
There were big questions surrounding Brighton coming into the season. Finishing sixth in the Premier League and qualifying for European competition represented a high-point in the club’s history.
Losing key players Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister, albeit for big money moves, led to further doubts that they could repeat last season’s success as did their participation in the Europa League.
However the Seagulls have answered all their doubters, shaking off the loss of their two star midfielders to continue their fine form while quickly adapting to their first ever European campaign – winning their Europa League group, while avoiding a dip in domestic results.
Losing Solly March, Julio Enciso and Pervis Estupinan to injury coincided with an autumnal dip in results where they went six games without a win but even during that spell, they only lost twice.
De Zerbi’s side have since rediscovered their winning touch and with their injury problems improving, they look poised for another big campaign.
Burnley - D
Hopes were high for Vincent Kompany’s side at the start of the season. Having romped to the title in the Championship with and attractive, attacking brand of football, there was real optimism that they could continue that form in the top flight.
It hasn’t worked out that way sadly. Firmly rooted inside the relegation zone, Burnley efforts to translate what they did in the Championship to the Premier League have backfired.
Kompany has been criticised for his gung-ho, open style of play which, while proved successful last season, just isn’t working in the more competitive Premier League and their only victories had come against the two other promoted sides, before Friday's 2-0 win against Fulham.
"I won’t deviate and take myself into anything other than making sure we stay on plan," Kompany insisted when asked whether a more pragmatic approach might help results.
A lack of goals and a leaky defence have been their main problems and summer signing have not improved the side in the way that the manager would have hoped. However that win over Fulham on Friday points to signs of a recovery from the Clarets, who now have seven points from their last five games.
Chelsea – D
Mauricio Pochettino’s side seemed determined to prove that money can’t buy happiness, or at least happy fans.
The rumblings of discontent are growing ever larger among the Stamford Bridge faithful as they watch their expensively assembled squad struggled to claw their way into the top half of the table.
Question marks surrounded the club before the season even started given their blunderbuss approach to signings – paying a combing €176m for two defensive midfielders in the shape of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia still baffles.
Meanwhile the near €100m spent on attackers Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson has yielded a minimal return in goals, albeit with Nkunku only making his Premier League debut in Sunday's loss to Wolves due to injury.
Pochettino continues to struggle to work out just how to get the best out of his billion euro squad, and if results do not improve very quickly, he may not get the time to do so.
Crystal Palace - D
Roy Hodgson’s outfit are another of those who will be giving thanks that the three promoted side have fared so poorly so far this season.
With just one win in their last ten games – and that coming against Burnley – Palace would be fearing a relegation scrap most other seasons but they remain well clear of the danger zone despite their poor form.
Capable of producing big performance on their day – beating Manchester United and taking a point from City – Palace are struggling for consistency and finding goals hard to come by and they remain far too reliant on Odsonne Edouard up front.
With pressure mounting on Hodgson and the manager becoming increasingly spiky in interviews, the Christmas period will be crucial for the Palace boss, particularly with the now unemployed Steve Cooper seemingly waiting in the wings.
Everton – B
Ten points? Why not make it 12? Everton supporters certainly weren’t shy about their righteous indignation when the Premier League announced a 10-point deduction for their side in mid-November but that decision seems to have galvanised the Toffees who are suddenly in their best form for years.
Winning five of their six games after that disciplinary decision, Sean Dyche has circled the wagons and the ‘us against the world’ mentality had seen their claim four consecutive clean sheets – the first time the club has done so since the days of David Moyes - prior to their loss to Tottenham.
Everton’s transformation into a ‘Dyche side’ has been completed during this spell and they’re now every inch a side in the image of their manager. Defensively sound, physical in midfield and lethal from set pieces, the Toffees have taken 25 points from their last 13 games.
They’ll hope to get at least some of the 10 points they’ve been deducted back on appeal and if they do, and continue their form, a push for European football isn’t out of the question.
Fulham - C
One thing you can be sure of from Fulham matches this season has been goals. Whether scoring or conceding, they’ve played out just one scoreless draw and while their form has been all over the place, they’re rarely dull.
Back-to-back 5-0 victories at home against Nottingham Forest and then West Ham at the start of December grabbed the headlines but they’ve also been involved in some high-scoring defeats, most notably losing 4-3 to Liverpool and 5-1 to Manchester City.
After starting the season strongly, the wheels came off slightly when a run of six games where they took just four points saw them drift towards the bottom of the table.
They’ve recovered since then but their problems remain – a leaky defence and the lack of a focal point for their attack after they failed to adequately replace Aleksandar Mitrovic who left in the summer.
Manager Marco Silva will be hoping to bring in a striker as support for Raul Jimenez in January and given the rest of the team appears to have found their scoring boots of late, landing a new attacker who hits the ground running could see them finish the season strongly.
