Half-term is almost upon us and whilst itÂ’s usually an exciting time and a much needed break, some students dread the inevitable half-term report that tell their parent just how they are doing
With the Barclays Premier League just returning from their break, I thought it would be fitting to grade them on how they are getting on.
AFC Bournemouth C
ItÂ’s almost impossible to hate Bournemouth, but despite being everyoneÂ’s favourite underdogs they have failed to meet the high expectations that they have accumulated throughout their rise from the lower leagues
They currently sit 17th in the table with eight point from nine matches, which any other season would usually be a decent start, but this being the most competitive season the Premier League has seen and they fact that they lost some of their best players to long term injuries, I canÂ’t see them surviving.
Arsenal A
Arsenal seem to be the only team that are going to challenge Manchester City for the title this season
They may be ahead of Manchester United on just goal difference but they destroyed the Red Devils 3-0 at the Emirates
They have one of the best in-form players in the league at the moment in Sanchez and Ozil looks like a new player this season
If they keep up this kind of performances I donÂ’t see why ArseneÂ’s men canÂ’t take away a trophy this season.
Aston Villa - F
I had high hopes for Aston Villa this season
They have been floating around the relegation zone for several years and with the appointment Tim Sherwood and the amount of money they have spent this summer, I thought they would have finally be able make a push for a mid-table finish
However itÂ’s not to me and it looks like they will be fighting for survival yet again this season
They have lost seven of their first nine games, more than any other side in the Premier League, and unless they start to get their stuff together soon I wouldnÂ’t be surprised to see their name highlight in red at the end of the season.
Chelsea E
Watching Chelsea this season is like watching a completely different side compared to last season
Mourinho seems to be out of his depths for the first time in a long time and the off the field controversy has clearly affected the camp
IÂ’m not one to single out players, luckily Mourinho has done that for me, most notably Ivanovic and Fabregas
No matter how many people Mourinho throws under the bus that he parked throughout last season, he canÂ’t hide the fact that he is the one under pressure and Chelsea could finish outside the top four if he doesnÂ’t take action.
Crystal Palace B
Crystal Palace are definitely over achieving this season
They currently sit 6th in the league but have more losses than anyone in the top half of the table and I canÂ’t see them keeping up their form until May
Alan Pardew has got them playing effective football that gets results but can struggle to maintain any real form for an entire season
Having said that thereÂ’s no doubt that they have made a great start to the season and that they deserve to be where they are.
Everton C
EvertonÂ’s performances have improved a lot since last season, however, they still arenÂ’t living up to their true potential
This is probably down to having a young and relative inexperienced squad, compared to recent season
They currently sit 9th in the table but I feel like they have what it take to step it up in the run up until in Christmas and can place much in the top 8 come May.
Leicester City A
By far the biggest surprise package of the year, Leicester have carried on their form from the tail end of last season and have looked good doing it
Mahrez and Vardy both made it into my BarclayÂ’s Premier League Team of the Season and they both deserve it
I donÂ’t expect them to keep this momentum up for the whole season but I can see them finishing in the top half of the table.
Liverpool C
ItÂ’s been a very difficult season for Liverpool
They had by far the hardest first six away matches of any team in the BPL and couldnÂ’t compensate by having a good run at home
After drawing 1-1 in the Merseyside Derby they sacked Brendan Rodgers and brought in Jurgen Klopp
Klopp has had only one match so itÂ’s hard to judge were they might finish this season but just going off KloppÂ’s reputation he should be able to lead the Reds to qualification for Europe this season.
Manchester City A
Man City are by far the best team in the league after the first nine matches
They seemed unstoppable until they played against Spurs
Despite being tactically outplayed at White Hart Line I think that Man City have the best team in the league and on their day could beat anyone.
Manchester United B
Controversial but I couldnÂ’t give Man U more than Arsenal after the 3-0 hounding they received the other week
Man U have done well against the smaller teams but havenÂ’t made an impact against team they will be competing against for places in the table come the end of the season
The loss to Arsenal is a prime example of this, but they good make me eat my words if they pull off a good result against Man City this weekend.
Newcastle United F
ItÂ’s hard to not be too harsh on Newcastle, because they have genuinely been horrendous
Hats off to them for their 6-2 win over Norwich but I feel like it said more about Norwich than it did about Newcastle
It will still be a relegation battle for Steve McClaren and his men this season but after spending over £50 million in the summer on new players, they deserve nothing more than an F.
Norwich City E
Speaking of Norwich, theyÂ’re next up
They may have spectacularly lost to Newcastle but they deserve a better grade than them on merit
They are a newly promoted side and are currently outside of the relegation zone
I predicted them to return to the Championship on the first time of asking but so far they are proving me wrong and I feel like that deserves at least a little bit of a grade boost.
Southampton C
This really has been a mediocre season for the Saints
TheyÂ’ve showed moments of brilliance but they have also lost 3-0 to Everton and drawn four matches, a number which is only bettered by Spurs
They will more than likely finish around mid-table which is disappointing considering they have been so good at improving despite losing their best players in recent years.
Stoke City D
Stoke have transformed from a club they spend not very much money and just managing to stay in the league every year to an established Premier League team
They finally splashed some cash this summer in a bid to make it into the top eight and it seems to have been their demise
TheyÂ’ve gone backwards rather than forwards and everyone had very high hope for them this season
Come the end of the season they will probably be hovering just below the midpoint of the table.
Sunderland F
ItÂ’s not looking good for teams up north this year and Sunderland are no expectation
They are rock bottom of the Premier League and are by far the worst team in the league
No shape, no skill and no hope, well maybe
They have just sacked Dick Advocaat and hired Sam Allardyce, who has never managed a team thatÂ’s been relegated from the Premier League.
Swansea City D
Swansea looked like they were going to qualify for the Europa League but has fizzled out and now they look like they are destined for a mid-table finish
Gomis was brilliant at the beginning of the season, scoring four goals in four games but was given a four out of ten against Stoke on Monday and hasnÂ’t looked the same player we all saw.
Tottenham Hotspur C
SpursÂ’ best achievement this season be far is the 4-1 win over league leaders Man City
Even though they currently sit 7th and they havenÂ’t got the goal scoring form of last seasonÂ’s Harry Kane but they have showed glimpses of excellence so far
They have also made some good transfers in the summer, most notably Son.
Watford D
Watford are currently sitting 15th which is pretty good going for a newly promoted team
They sacked their manager after getting promoted and made many new signing, mostly from the Serie A, so a lack of togetherness and unfamiliarity with the league and the manager made me think that they would struggle
However thanks to five goals from Odion Ighalo so far this season they may be on course to surviving.
West Bromwich Albion D
Much like Stoke, West Brom saw this as a season that they could use to take the next step but have gone backwards rather than forwards
They spent a lot of money too and managed to keep hold of some of their best players
Needless to say this will be yet another season of rebuilding from West rom, unless they manage to turn things around before Christmas.
West Ham United A
And finally West Ham
They have beaten Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool, which has to be the most impressive record so far this season
They have a few stand out players but none more so than Dimitri Payet who seems to score or assist at least once a game
They are fourth at the moment and I canÂ’t see them placing that highly come the end of this season but I wouldnÂ’t be surprised if they qualified for the Europa League come May.
Source : DSG
Source: DSG