The Premier League is back after a 43-day absence - and there is plenty for each team to ponder after the World Cup break.
Well over a month has passed since the last set of fixtures took place before players went their separate ways either to Qatar or on holiday. The last few weeks have seen all 20 clubs ramp up preparations to get back in action with training camps around the world.
Now, Boxing Day will see top flight action in England return with a host of fascinating games. With that in mind, here's a club-by-club look at the season so far, where they must improve and who is on their radar entering the January transfer window.
HAVE YOUR SAY ! What will happen over the remainder of the Premier League season? Join the discussion in the comments section.
Arsenal
By John Cross
Current Premier League position : 1st
Prem form before break: WWWDW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Martin Odegaard 6
Expectations: They are top now but it could be so difficult to keep Manchester City at bay even though Mikel Arteta’s are currently five points clear at the top. If you had offered Arsenal top four at the start of the season, they’d have bitten your hand off. So that still has to be the aim.
Areas of weakness: Squad depth. There can be no doubt Arsenal just do not have strength and depth and they will be looking to do two deals if they can.
Transfer targets: Mykhaylo Mudryk (Shakhtar Donetsk) £50m.
Aston Villa
By James Nursey
Current Premier League position : 12th
Prem form before break: WWLWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Danny Ings 5
Expectations : New boss Unai Emery won his first two League games and admits his aim is to bring silverware to Villa Park but would settle for a top half finish this term after inheriting a side battling relegation.
Areas of weakness : Emery is keen to address Villa’s lack of width after wingers Anwar El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Bertrand Traore were all moved on under predecessor Steven Gerrard.
Transfer targets: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) £85m, Arnaut Danjuma (Villarreal) £30m.
Bournemouth
By Neil McLeman
Current Premier League position : 14th
Prem form before break : LLLLW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Philip Billing/Kieffer Moore 4
Expectations : The South Coast club are the latest Premier League club to be taken over by Americans with businessman Bill Foley buying a controlling share and actor Michael B Jordan also investing.
The first act of the new regime was to hand Gary O’Neil an 18-month contract during the break as a reward for steadying the ship after the sacking of Scott Parker. Now Cherries fans want to see how much will be spend in the January window with last last season’s Championship runners-up only three points above the drop zone
Areas of weakness : Conceding goals. Bournemouth have let in 32 in 15 Premier League games - the most in the division. They conceded 10 in a four-game losing streak before cup and league wins over Everton.
Transfer targets: Antoine Semenyo (Bristol City) £15m.
Brentford
By Neil McLeman
Current Premier League position: 10th
Prem form before break : DLDDW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Ivan Toney 10
Expectations : So much depends on the fate of Toney, who is facing an FA ban for betting on matches. The former Peterborough striker reacted to his omission from the England World Cup squad by scoring twice at Manchester City just days before the charges were confirmed. The Bees are so reliant on his physicality and his goalscoring talent.
Areas of weakness: Reliance on Toney. Thomas Frank’s side coped with the departure of Christian Eriksen in the summer and will have to adapt again if Toney faces a long absence.
Transfer targets: Jerry Yates (Blackpool) £5m, Morten Hjulmand (Lecce) £18m.
Brighton
By Neil McLeman
Current Premier League position: 7th
Prem form before break: DLWWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Leandro Trossard 7
Expectations : To the amusement of Albion fans, Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain above Graham Potter’s Chelsea after the latter’s defection to Stamford Bridge in September. Trossard has been one of the players of the season with fine support from Pascal Gross and Alex Mac Allister.
Finishing eighth - behind the new Big Seven and ahead of the likes of West Ham, Everton, and Aston Villa - will be a remarkable achievement. De Zerbi’s first transfer window will be interesting - and holding onto Mac Allister and Moses Caicedo key.
Areas of weakness: The midfield is superb by Brighton striker’s do not score enough. With Neal Maupay gone, Danny Welbeck has not found the net in 13 appearances.
Transfer targets: Mykola Matviyenko (Shakhtar Donetsk) £10m.
Chelsea
By Darren Lewis
Current Premier League position : 8th
Prem form before break : LLLDD (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Raheem Sterling /Kai Havertz (3).
Expectations : Given their horrendous form going into the World Cup, Graham Potter needs to regain the winning thread fast in order to get the club into the top four. Some of the fanbase is already pining for Thomas Tuchel who boasts more experience at this level. With increased competition for a Champions League place, the heat is on Potter to deliver.
Areas of weakness: Up front. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has failed to deliver and young striker Armando Broja will be out for months injured.
Transfer targets: David Datro Fofana (Molde) £8m. Rafael Leao (AC Milan) £86m.
Crystal Palace
By Neil McLeman
Current Premier League position: 11th
Prem form before break: WLWWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer : Wilfried Zaha 6
Expectations : Patrick Vieira has developed a more attractive playing style and the team are not as reliant on Wilfried Zaha. But the Ivory Coast winger is out of contract in the summer and his fate risks overshadowing the rest of the season. Palace lack consistency and followed their only back-to-back Premier League wins with defeat at Nottingham Forest. The South London club can still better their best ever Premier League finish of 10th in 2014-15 under Alan Pardew.
Areas of weakness : Goals - and the lack of them. Only 15 in 14 Premier League games with the strikers not getting on the scoresheet enough.
Transfer targets : Haji Wright (Antalyaspor) £3m.
Everton
By Chris McKenna
Current Premier League position : 17th
Prem form before break : LLDWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Anthony Gordon/Demarai Gray 3
Expectations: Avoid relegation at all costs. There had been hope that Everton could move up the table this season but they can’t find any form and are struggling at the bottom again. Boss Frank Lampard needs some wins straight after the return to ease pressure.
Areas of weakness : Goals. Lack of goals. Only bottom club Wolves have scored less than Everton this season. Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s injury issues haven’t helped.
Transfer targets: Ben Brereton Diaz (Blackburn) £10m, Ismaila Sarr ( Watford ) £35m
Fulham
By Mike Walters
Current Premier League position: 9th
Prem form before break: LLDWW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer : Aleksandr Mitrovic 9
Expectations: Pre-season relegation favourites are flying way ahead of the curve. Ever since they got stuck into Liverpool on the opening day of the season, leaving Jurgen Klopp complaining that the Craven Cottage grass was too dry, Fulham have been a breath of fresh air. Target for their league campaign has now been upgraded to a top-half finish.
Areas of weakness: Too reliant on Mitrovic for goals, and for all their progressive football under coach Marco Silva, the next defensive calamity never seems too far away.
Transfer targets: Pablo Maia (Sao Paulo) £8.5m, Vladimir Coufal (West Ham) £9m) Rick Karsdorp (Roma) £9m.
Leeds United
By David Anderson
Current Premier League position: 15th
Form before break: LWWLL (most recent game on left)
Leading scorer: Rodrigo 9
Expectations : Leeds recorded back-to-back wins to climb out of the bottom three and ease the pressure on Jesse Marsch from the fans calling for his head. Time will tell if they have truly turned the corner and they face another fight to stay out of the bottom three.
Areas of weakness: Defence is their biggest problem and they have kept just two clean sheets and they conceded 11 goals in their last four games before the break.
Transfer targets : George Hall (Birmingham City) £15m.
Leicester City
By James Nursey
Current Premier League position: 13th
Prem form before break: WWLWW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: James Maddison 7
Expectations : Brendan Rodgers’ side have hauled themselves off the bottom of the table and will be looking to kick on and target a top half finish. They are also still in the Carabao Cup.
Areas of weakness: Leicester have often struggled under Rodgers and slipped down the table when injuries bite as their squad has a lot of talent lacks depth and have been further hampered by a lack of spare cash.
Transfer targets : Azzedine Ounahi (Angers) £20m.
Liverpool
By Chris McKenna
Current Premier League position: 6
Prem form before break: WWLLW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Roberto Firmino 7
Expectations : Liverpool’s aim will now be getting into the Champions League position. They’re 15 points off top spot so a title shot is not on the cards but top four is a must for their future plans.
Areas of weakness: Injuries and their midfield. The form of Fabinho this season has been worrying for them. They’ll hope the break has helped him.
Transfer targets : Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina) £35m, Enzo Fernandez (Benfica) £80m.
Manchester City
By Jeremy Cross
Current Premier League position: 2nd
Prem form before break : LWWWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Erling Haaland 18
Expectations: The equation is simple. Hunt down Arsenal in the title race and exploit the scoring exploits of Haaland to go on and finally win the Champions League. That’s why they bought him, after all.
Areas of weakness: The champions are not great at defending set pieces, while the left side of their defence can be vulnerable, especially when Nathan Ake plays.
Transfer targets: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) £150m.
Manchester United
By Jeremy Cross
Current Premier League position: 5th
Prem form before break: WLWWD (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Marcus Rashford 4
Expectations : United are starting to develop into a competitive side under Erik ten Hag and trophies have to always be the target for a club of their size. But in the coming months the immediate target will be to secure a top four finish and place in the Champions League again. It would help them sign the players they what to.
Areas of weakness: United still need a world class midfielder who can change a game, while two new forwards must be added to the squad if they are to score the goals needed to compete for honours. Marcus Rashford cannot carry the side on his own in this department now Cristiano Ronaldo has left.
Transfer targets: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) £150m, Declan Rice (West Ham) £100m, Jonathan David (Lille) £65m.
Newcastle United
By Simon Bird
Current Premier League position: 3rd
Prem form before break: WWWWW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Miguel Almiron 8
Expectations : Recalibrated after a storming start, top four is an outside possibility, top six likely but seventh the bare minimum wanted. A Carabao Cup run is on the cards and the FA Cup will be a huge target after suffering just one defeat, to Liverpool in injury time, all season.
Areas of weakness: Momentum of the season being ruined by the World Cup. Vulnerable to injuries to key leaders like Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes or Callum Wilson. How will they handle pressure if in the mix at the end of the season?
Transfer targets: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (Napoli) £50m, James Maddison (Leicester) £50m, Harvey Barnes (Leicester) £30m.
Nottingham Forest
By James Nursey
Current Premier League position: 18th
Prem form before: WDLWD (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer : Taiwo Awoniyi 3
Expectations : Boss Steve Cooper is determined Forest survive and prove critics wrong who ridiculed his summer spending spree on 22 new signings. The club have just spent £2.5m on new training pitches and are rebuilding to establish themselves
Areas of weakness: Cooper is yet to find a successful system which accommodates arguably his best two attacking talents Morgan Gibbs White and Jesse Lingard together.
Transfer targets: Lassana Coulibaly (Salernitana) £10m, Moussa Dembele (Lyon) £10m.
Southampton
By Darren Lewis
Current Premier League position: 19th
Prem form before break: LLLDW (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Che Adams 4
Expectations : A fierce fight against relegation on their hands with the teams around them appearing to be far better equipped for the battle. Before the break, Saints had won just once in the league since August. The victory, at Bournemouth, had given them their only clean sheet of the season so far.
Areas of weakness : In defence. Nathan Jones needs to add experience to his young defence if they are to stand a chance of staying up.
Transfer targets: Jesper Karlsson (AZ Alkmaar) £13m, Ryan Kent (Rangers) £5m.
Tottenham Hotspur
By John Cross
Current Premier League position: 4th
Prem form before break: WLWLL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Harry Kane 12
Expectations : They are in fourth now and holding onto Champions League football will be key for Antonio Conte as well as also having a decent run in Europe as they have AC Milan up next. Conte always looks to challenge but that surely is beyond them this year and a place in the top four plus a cup run is their target.
Areas of weakness: The manager’s future. There’s no doubt the biggest talking point is whether Conte stays, goes and if the club spend to keep him happy in January.
Transfer targets: Weston McKennie ( Juventus ) £26m.
West Ham United
By Darren Lewis
Current Premier League position: 16th
Prem form before break: LLLWL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer: Michael Antonio, Said Benrahma, Jarrod Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca 2
Expectations : A significant rise up the table into the European places. Club are understandably concerned at their Premier League position despite their impressive form in Europe. Fans will demand more goals and to see more of the summer signings on a regular basis with a feeling persisting that David Moyes is too loyal to the old guard.
Areas of weakness: Defence and up front. Too few goals scored, too many goals conceded.
Transfer targets: Sofyan Amrabaat (Fiorentina) £35m, Moises Caicedo (Brighton) £42m.
Wolves
By James Nursey
Current Premier League position: 20th
Prem form before break: LLDLL (most recent game on left)
Prem Leading scorer : Ruben Neves 4
Expectations : New boss Julen Lopetegui has an impressive CV including Real Madrid and coaching Spain but needs to hit the ground running if Wolves are to avoid relegation.
Areas of weakness: Wolves have only scored eight goals in 15 Premier League games and have struggled in front of goal since Raul Jimenez‘s serious head injury back in November 2020.
Transfer targets: Matheus Cunha (joining on loan in January from Atletico Madrid), Felipe (Atletico Madrid) £3m.
