Liverpool
A good start, which is why we’re up at the top. We haven’t always played brilliantly, and often left it till late – Darwin Núñez at Newcastle, Harvey Elliott at Palace and Trent Alexander-Arnold against Fulham at home spring to mind – but mostly we’ve found a way to win and surprised a few along the way. Our new boys have settled in well, and after a few below‑par games we properly rediscovered our touch against West Ham, with five top-class goals to make the Carabao Cup semi-final. Alisson has been outstanding in goal again and Salah passed goal No 200. We’ve lost just once, away to Spurs, but would need a whole page to dissect that one.
Happy with the manager? Super happy, as Klopp himself might say. We’re lucky to have him. We’ve won the lot with him and now we have his Liverpool mark two, which is looking good so far. He is phenomenal.
We will finish … We could just finish 1st.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Bin it. In its short time, VAR has gone from being a tool to help negate human error to a force that increasingly commands more attention than the action on the pitch. Huge stoppages as decisions are looked over and over while simultaneously strangling the joyous spontaneity of celebrating a goal. And did I mention Tottenham away?
• Steph Jones
Luton
Luton Town is first and foremost a community club; we have a special connection to it through everything we’ve gone through down the years. So when we saw what happened to Tom Lockyer, it hit everyone hard. We care about these players, we care about their lives way beyond what profit they could potentially bring the club. Tom is at the forefront of that and exemplifies what it means to be more than you are supposed to be. Without him we wouldn’t be in the Premier League and I hope he can play for us again. But for now I just hope he can have a good Christmas with his family and loved ones and recover the best he can. That incident obviously overshadowed a lot of the season so far, but we’ve mostly enjoyed the football, even if some of the results haven’t reflected how well we have played, such as against Arsenal, City and West Ham. Chiedozie Ogbene and Ross Barkley have been outstanding.
Happy with the manager? He shows his class in every aspect of the job. I hope he’s at Luton for years to come.
We will finish … 17th, avoiding relegation. Just…
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? The problems aren’t hard to spell out: VAR sucks spontaneity out of the game, has created more controversy and totally disregards the fans in the stadium while the rest of the watching world sees the reviews and replays. I guess it’s here to stay, but if the choice was mine, I’d bin it.
• Dave Gregory Oh When The Town Podcast
Manchester City
It’s not been great, albeit by our very high standards. I said there would be a natural drop-off after the treble, so I can’t be too much of a hypocrite, but the recent draws (in succession) to Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and Palace, after leading in every game, deep into the second half, are immensely frustrating. That said, we’re somehow still only five points off top … Rodri and Foden have probably been our best players, alongside Doku who’s had an incredible impact. He’s so much fun to watch and has been a real difference-maker against low-block sides. Our worst player? In recent weeks, it’s been Kyle Walker.
Happy with the manager? Of course, it’s Pep. There’s no manager I would rather have. But that doesn’t mean some of his decisions this season haven’t been baffling, such as opting to go with a naively small squad, Walker/Dias’s continued selection despite their form, playing Álvarez centrally instead of Foden, etc.
We will finish … 1st. I’ve got a nagging feeling this might be the year we don’t nail our trademark late-season surge. But I can’t bet against us!
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Pare it back. Most of the “clear and obvious errors” it checks are subjective. I’d introduce semi-automated offside instead, establish a “benefit of the doubt to the attacker” margin, and go forward with just that and goalline tech. Let’s go back to referees making on-field decisions.
• Lloyd Scragg ninetythreetwenty.com; @lloyd_scragg
Manchester United
There’s a real air of despondency about the place. At times it has felt like a chore going to games not knowing if the team were going to turn up. We’ve had Bournemouth, Palace and Brighton come to Old Trafford and beat us and we were hanging on to a 1-0 win against Luton … Given that we also went out of the League Cup and Champions League with a whimper, there hasn’t been a lot of cheer about. Rashford has to find his form, Højlund needs service, and losing Lisandro Martínez to injury was a huge blow. Positives? Garnacho’s overhead goal, and Kobbie Mainoo’s breakthrough: such maturity for a teen.
Happy with the manager? Yes. I think he’ll get it right but I doubt there’s a manager on earth who could make us a title-winning side under the current ownership structure. There are obvious issues though: there’s no defining style, he’s tough to listen to when the results are poor, he repeats the same mistakes, and sets up in such a way that our holding midfielder is having to do the job of two players.
We will finish … 4th
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Get rid. A monstrosity of the modern game: one minute you are bouncing about having scored, then it all stops for several minutes while they decide a manicured fingernail is offside. And if they won’t scrap it, then at least have the discussions between the referee and VAR officials broadcast live on TV and inside the ground.
• Shaun O’Donnell
Newcastle
So far, it’s been a heady mix of exhilaration and frustration. We knew this campaign would be tougher than the last – and so it has proved. The excitement of wins over both Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Villa has been tempered by poor away form, an inability to see off games and an almost unprecedented injury crisis. And while demolishing PSG at St James’ Park will live long in the memory, so will Mbappé’s last‑minute penalty in Paris. We’re still in touching distance of the top four, though, and are blessed with talented, passionate players who leave everything on the pitch. Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimarães and Fabian Schär have been outstanding, and in Tino Livramento and Lewis Miley we have two of the finest young players in the division. Long term, the future looks bright.
Happy with the manager? He’s a class act who talks sense and has developed an excellent team, both on and off the pitch. He unified the fans, squad and staff, and has drastically improved players such as Jamaal Lascelles and Emil Krafth.
We will finish… 5th. Top four may have been possible, but with half of our squad on the treatment table and Tonali banned, it looks a stretch too far.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Tweak it. VAR is a good idea in principle but the checks take too long and disrupt the game’s flow, and we still end up with contentious decisions.
• David and Richard Holmes
Nottingham Forest
This season should be a reality check for Forest – you need a strategy, and you don’t get stability from changing staff and buying all the players on deadline day. It all started promisingly but fell away alarmingly, culminating in the 5-0 defeat at Fulham. Steve Cooper went back to trusted formations and players, which saw an improvement, but it clearly wasn’t enough. Highlights? Murillo, the young Brazilian. Expect to see him at one of Europe’s top clubs next season.
Happy with the manager? *Crying emoji for Cooper*. Bringing in Nuno has underwhelmed some, especially when Oliver Glasner was mentioned, but it might work: he prefers three at the back with quick counters; he made Jorge Mendes’s players into a unit at Wolves; and he’s experienced. A worry is that Cooper was our most charismatic manager since Sir Brian, whereas Nuno is more introverted; it remains to be seen how that works out.
We will finish … I predicted 14th in the summer and I am going to stick with that. And probably would have done even if Cooper was still in charge.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Howard Webb says he doesn’t want games to be re-refereed, but what we actually have is laissez-faire refs leaving it to Stockley Park to advise (which they often don’t). We are seeing refs losing control of games and players – see Brentford v Villa – as well as many bookings for managers. So, although I like VAR in principle, something needs to change.
• Rich Ferraro 1865: The Nottingham Forest Podcast; linktr.ee/nottm_forest
Sheffield United
As the meme goes, “our expectations for you were low, but…”. The Premier League feels a very different beast to the division we played in as recently as 2021, but there’s also an element of reaping what we’ve sown in terms of the summer transfer business. Very few players have played close to their potential, with some disastrous team performances (8-0?!). Having said that, the two home wins over Wolves and Brentford were very enjoyable, and we are at least starting to look more competitive.
Happy with the manager? I feel sorry for Paul Heckingbottom, who wasn’t so much dealt a bad hand as dealt no cards at all and having half his stack of chips thrown out the window. All the same, it became unfathomable that he could continue as manager after a brutal run of performances. Chris Wilder is the familiar pair of slippers that the board has chosen to put on for the rest of this season at least, but it’s hard to imagine him overcoming the same set of problems Heckingbottom faced.
We will finish … 20th.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Definitely get rid for anything remotely subjective. Another layer of controversy mired in suspicion of moving the goalposts on what should and should not be overturned almost every week. At least with pre-VAR controversy we spent less time standing around waiting.
• Ben Meakin @BladesPod – the Sheffield United Podcast
Tottenham
Tottenham fans finally have something tangible to anchor themselves to. We have an identity on the pitch and in the stands. There’s a synergy between players and supporters. James Maddison and Micky van de Ven (before their absences) have been pivotal; Pape Matar Star (Sarr) looks mature beyond his years; Cuti Romero, a composed colossus (studs-up aside); and Son, a leader to replace that bloke who left for the German league. Those opening 10 games, before the emotional implosion at Chelsea, were a teaser for the future.
Happy with the manager? Celtic fans told us we’d fall in love. The relentless swarming of energy, the high line, the togetherness, the workrate. As a manager and custodian of our hopes, he is everything this club needs. He cuts through all the noise, no agenda other than to make us truly competitive. He might have a gravelly voice, but all I hear are angelic hymns. Tottenham’s mindset has been reset.
We will finish … In a European spot. It’s a shame our squad got stretched
and snapped in a single game. The Premier League this season is more open, the quality is tighter. It’s no exaggeration to suggest we’d be in among the contenders if Son had stayed onside to make it 2-0 against Chelsea.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Bin it. It’s the humans, not the computers. It needs a reset, not tweaks.
• Spooky @Spooky23; patreon.com/SpookyInPurgatory; @LoveTheShirt
West Ham
A definite improvement on last season’s league form – and we’ve done well to overcome the sale of some midfield bloke to a trophy‑less side at the Emirates. The new signings have worked: Edson Álvarez has been a solid shield, Mohammed Kudus gets better and better, and James Ward-Prowse seems cheap at £30m. Konstantinos Mavropanos has produced a couple of rickets, though. Elsewhere, Jarrod Bowen has been attracting the attention of the fire brigade; chant of the season is: “Just sold my car to Lucas Paquetá!”; and we’ve got to be happy with winning the group in the Europa League. Match highlights were ending the Brighton hoodoo, beating Spurs away and Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. Lowlight was the 5-0 thumping at Fulham.
Happy with the manager? Some fans will never accept Moyes’ brand of football, but he’s provided our best three seasons since Lyall and Greenwood. Counterattacking isn’t always pretty, but the side has resilience and, with Paquetá full of flicks, plus Kudus and Bowen, there’s entertainment. Moyes has vast experience and gets results even if he isn’t as fashionable as de Zerbi and co.
We will finish … 8th.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Tweak it. There should be a high bar for its use. All decisions should be made within two minutes, if not the ref’s ruling stands. VAR should always try to find ways of allowing goals rather than disallowing them. No more being offside by a toe, and the stupid handball rules should be scrapped.
• Pete May Author, Massive: The Miracle of Prague; hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk
Wolves
I predicted a difficult 17th-place finish back in August so I’m pretty happy to be closer to mid-table at this stage. Many of the performances and results have been a lot better than anticipated – with the clear highlight being that injury-time turnaround to see off Spurs at Molineux, via two stoppage-time goals from Pablo Sarabia and Mario Lemina.
Happy with the manager? Yes, he’s done well. Nobody, including me, wanted Gary O’Neil when Julen Lopetegui left us high and dry on the eve of the new season but his stock has risen significantly, and fear about what would happen under him is slowly giving way to hope that he can build a top-half team. What we need now is a positive January transfer window to keep things fresh: O’Neil wants a winger, but I hope we’re also looking seriously for a centre-forward.
We will finish … 13th. We’re occasionally brilliant but still soft-centred – exactly what you’d expect from a mid-table side at this level. There’s plenty to work on, but I’ll take that given the pessimism that was around at the start.
VAR – keep it, tweak it or get rid? Tweak. Technology is fine for offsides and goalline decisions, but everything else should just be left to the on-field referee. I would, though, give them licence to review major incidents themselves using the screen at the side of the pitch. No more eye-in-the-sky on that stuff.
• Thomas Baugh wolvesblog.com; @wolvesblog
• Part one: Arsenal to Fulham
