Arsenal
It’s been a struggle to fire on all cylinders at times, but none of us are churlish enough to whinge about being in the title race and the Champions League last 16. And not since the days of Tony Adams have we had quite such a dominant force as Declan Rice: a Rolls-Royce engine at the heart of both defence and attack. He’s a steal at a mere £105m; fans set up a GoFundMe page to compensate the poor Irons properly. The foundation he has formed with Saliba and Gabriel has sustained our title bid so far: now we just need others to find their consistent groove.
Happy with the manager? There’s one reservation: evidence so far suggests David Raya wasn’t a sufficient upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale in goal to warrant his introduction, resulting in the sort of tension that’s had a detrimental impact on both.
We will finish … If Mikel’s reluctance to rest some of our star turns doesn’t end up with him running them into the ground, our squad is equipped to go the distance. 1st.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? I’ve stopped celebrating when the ball hits the back of the net now because of the VAR doubt. Denying fans in the ground that magical, euphoric moment means that, sadly, this is no longer football as I’ve always known it. If, as I suspect, they’re too invested to bin it entirely, it’s essential they find a way for VAR to have a lighter touch.
• Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5
Aston Villa
It really is Christmas every day for Villa fans at the moment: our Basque Santa and his coaching elves keep producing gift after gift. My use as an employee, a parent and a husband has hit rock bottom: I just want to gaze at the league table all day. We’ve played some electric stuff, some gritty stuff: we fully deserve to be where we are at this stage. I just don’t want anyone to wake me up from this dream.
Happy with the manager? Every game seems to include some sort of Unai masterstroke, and the level of improvement we’ve seen in every player is verging on the incredible. Emery’s careful communications with the fans have ensured that the long-elusive “terrace 12th man” has returned to Villa Park after a very long absence … although even he gets 10 emails a day from the club’s marketing department. Whatever happens now, I speak for every Villa fan in saying: “Eskerrik asko, Unai.”
We will finish … I’m not sure we’ll have a better chance of qualifying for the Champions League: it will be difficult to battle on two, maybe three fronts but I think we have enough momentum going into the new year to grab fourth place. What an achievement that would be.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Get rid – but they won’t do it. So, instead, let’s introduce a two-minute clock: if they haven’t worked out what they think in that time, the on-field decision stands.
• Jonathan Pritchard
Bournemouth
After a difficult start, we’ve really clicked since that first win over Burnley. It looks like, after all that chopping and changing in the first two months, we now have the right players in the right positions to implement Iraola’s tactical plans. As a result, good individual players are looking exceptional in this side: Cook, Christie, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Semenyo, Tavernier and Solanke are all delivering, with the massive moment of the season so far being the 3-0 win at Old Trafford. We totally outplayed United on their own patch in what goes down as our greatest ever performance. Solanke is on fire, and, in short, all is well as we head into the second half of the season. A special mention, too, for the abandoned game against Luton. No one who was there will forget it, and the way that both sets of supporters came together in support for Tom Lockyer was incredibly moving. We wish him and everyone connected with Tom and Luton well.
Happy with the manager? The majority of Bournemouth fans who know football have always backed him, even with that dreadful start. It felt like it would eventually come together, and it most definitely has. He’s now getting the results, with energetic, positive and exciting football.
We will finish … 10th
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Get rid.
• Jeff Hayward Back of the Net podcast; @afcbpodcast
Brentford
Toney’s ban was our first big setback; the second was when Bryan Mbeumo and Mathias Jensen, who really stepped up, fell to long-term injuries – as did Rico Henry. Add to that injuries to Hickey, Ajer, Collins (basically our whole defence), Dasilva and Schade, and take into account we’ve only just had Damsgaard, Baptiste and Lewis-Potter come back, it’s a testament to Thomas Frank’s management and the players who have covered that we find ourselves still causing teams problems from mid-table. There have been some wonderful moments of celebration – the 2-0 away victory at Chelsea (our third in three years) just pipping the 3-0 hammering of Fulham. And special mention to Saman Ghoddos: we released him on a free in the summer, then re-signed him as injuries piled up, and he’s been magnificent in his new utility role.
Happy with the manager? What is there not to be happy about? He’s smart. He loves Brentford. He understands what makes us tick. The only worry is the world is starting to wake up to how good he is.
We will finish … 12th.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Tweak it. The footballing world has forgotten why the offside rule was introduced – to prevent goal hanging. So let’s reel it back and focus on clear and obvious: if a player is a shoelace offside, does it really affect the game? Let’s concentrate on using VAR for major decisions that actually matter.
• Billy Grant Beesotted podcast and blog; @Beesotted; @BillyTheBee99
Brighton
Our first time in Europe has been absolutely incredible – we won our “group of death” despite looking like rabbits in the headlights in our first game. To draw at Marseille and win at Ajax, and then beat Marseille at home was remarkable, and we’re into the knockouts. Everyone has worked so hard to achieve that progress: Lewis Dunk is critical; João Pedro, Igor, Van Hecke and Adingra have really hit the ground running. Gilmour (big quality, big attitude, says Roberto De Zerbi) improves every game, and a huge shout out to 18-year-old Jack Hinshelwood who has seized his chance after a depressing number of first-team injuries. Just hope Mitoma’s injury isn’t too bad after Thursday’s annoying draw with Palace.
Happy with the manager? Over the moon with De Zerbi. He says we’re not a “top, top team” yet and that maybe he isn’t a “top, top coach” but we’re on such an exciting journey: the players clearly love working with him and he seems to make everyone better.
We will finish … 6th, so long as we don’t get more injuries.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Get rid of it. It’s become so boring listening to debates about where the system has gone wrong every week. We had three apologies from the PGMOL last season after VAR mistakes, and there’s really nothing worse than to be celebrating a goal only to be told minutes later that a toenail was offside in the buildup.
• Steph Fincham
Burnley
We haven’t had too much to be pleased about so far this season – so the great win at Fulham could be, and needs to be, a turning point. The start has otherwise been grim; having had a wonderful season in the Championship, most of us hoped for, and expected, better, based on building a tight unit defensively. That’s obviously not been the case in the first part of the season - we rarely defend well enough as a team.
Happy with the manager? Vincent Kompany looked like the greatest manager on earth last season. That image has slipped a bit this time round. There’s absolutely no suggestion, though, that he’s losing the support of the Burnley fans: he knows the league, he knows what’s required and with our backing I’m sure he’ll deliver more results like the one at Craven Cottage, turn it all round, and prove again what a good manager he is.
We will finish … I have to have some confidence that we’ll get out of trouble: 17th would bring a huge sigh of relief. It’ll take some doing but we’ve seen teams turn their seasons around at the halfway point before.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? How do you tweak something that just doesn’t work? Many of the poor decisions are just passing the buck from one official to another. There have been far too many errors, so let’s just get rid. One year back in the Championship highlighted just how much better the game is without VAR..
• Tony Scholes UptheClarets.com; @utcdotcom
Chelsea
We knew patience was needed, but still – it’s been frustrating. The City and Arsenal games show we can compete, but home form has to improve fast. It’s been mixed all round: Cole Palmer is proving an outstanding signing and Conor Gallagher has given everything, but Enzo Fernández has been poor – something doesn’t feel right with him. Overall, it’s hard to see how we’ve spent a billion pounds. The highlight so far was the win at Spurs, how they must love us; the low point was losing to a very poor West Ham.
Happy with the manager? Early days still for Pochettino: at times you can see what he’s trying to do and we’ve played some superb football, at others our defence has been all over the place and finding a way to break down defensive teams is still a major issue. As the injuries subside we’ll hopefully see improvement. The owners worry me more than the manager to be honest.
We will finish … 6th. We should benefit from the return of our many injured players, particularly Christopher Nkunku up front. No pressure…
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Scrap it and give us our game back. There’s no consistency and some of the released audio has shown how chaotic it can be. It feels like the refs are being refereed from Stockley Park. But football shouldn’t stop trying to use technology: the introduction of semi-automated offsides would be well worth having.
• Paul Baker in memory of Trizia Fiorellino
Crystal Palace
A flying start raised optimism, but it didn’t last: a dire run of just one win in 11, and only one home win so far, isn’t good enough. A huge injury list hasn’t helped, of course, but the last 10 minutes of Manchester City aside (in which some of our younger players finally got a chance to shine), there has been precious little to shout about. Positives: Marc Guéhi continues to show his England qualities, and Jordan Ayew’s relentless energy and wiliness makes him Palace’s best bargain buy in recent memory.
Happy with the manager? The fanbase is split. Many are upset by the lack of progress on results and playing style; others argue Roy hasn’t been given funds and we’ve been crippled by key injuries. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. The toxic atmosphere after the Bournemouth home defeat was a low point, and we had another insipid second-half display at home to Brighton, where Brazilian wonderkid França was once again unused on the bench. It has all left fans wondering whether Steve Cooper or Julen Lopetegui could get more out of this team before we are dragged into a relegation battle.
We will finish … 12th
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Keep it for offside, keep the goalline technology and bin the rest. It’s ruining the game in terms of delays, undermining the referee on the pitch, and somehow layers on even more inconsistency than before.
• Chris Waters @Clapham_Grand
Everton
A vastly superior season so far than even the most optimistic Blue
could have imagined. Despite the unjust and still disputed 10-point penalty (subject to appeal), Everton are right up there in the last-four and eight-game form tables.
Happy with the manager? Dyche has transformed relegation favourites into comfortable mid/upper-table operators albeit with a thin squad and no prospect of future transfer funds. He is winning over Evertonians with his own brand of “direct” football. Intelligent use of “the press”, a return to fitness of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and a solid-looking defence has produced stunning results away from home. Goodison has been more difficult, despite the incredible support of Evertonians week in week out.
We will finish … The return of the 10 points in exchange for a much more appropriate financial penalty will see us finish 8th or 9th, just outside of European qualification.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? In theory the most financially advantaged league in the world should be able to create a technical solution that sees VAR work, but the Premier League is inept. Lessons from other sports (particularly rugby union) need to be learned. Better camera positioning, better imagery, better real-time communications to fans inside the stadium and on TV is required. If this can be achieved (and quickly) VAR is good. If not, get rid.
• The Esk TheEsk.org; @TheEsk
Fulham
Successive 5-0 wins and a gritty showing to clinch a Carabao Cup semi-final spot lifted the mood – then we go and lose at home to Burnley: it’s been a mixed bag … Top-flight safety was secured in early spring last season, but yet again pre-season planning was protracted. And when the Saudis waved their wads our star striker scarpered sharpish. Lots of positives though: Bernd Leno has been ‘super’, Palhinha has tackled everything and, coinciding with Cairney’s re-emergence, a new identity has been established.
Happy with the manager? Silva finally signing a new deal in October points to a positive future. Yes, he can be spiky, but he seems to get the club.
We will finish … Top half again, hopefully; 9th seems about right.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Vehemently Against Retaining because of Variously Applied Rules. Even allowing for teething problems, the introduction of new technology should be beneficial from the off – whether that’s floodlights back in the 50s, improvements to the balls or, more recently, goal-line technology. It’s the implementation of VAR that’s the major issue, creating as many problems as it solves, and forcing ridiculous delays. Remember “minimal interference, maximum benefits” and “clear and obvious” as the selling points in 2018? Those values seem to have gone the same way as certain WhatsApp messages just recently.
• David Lloyd @DMLTOOFIF
