Premier League 2015/16 Post Christmas Review

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The packed festive Premier League fixture list is the most exciting period in the English football calendar. The foundations of title dreams are built upon or shattered while struggling teams begin to mount comebacks or drop further down into the mire. Football fans will only have to wait a few days between each round of EPL matches. It is intense and some will struggle to keep up. In preparation for the greatest period on the sporting calendar, here’s a look at what’s happened so far as we reach the halfway point in this rollercoaster season.

Leicester City

First of all, it’s fair to say that this has been one of the most unpredictable seasons since the league’s inception. To the astonishment of pretty much everyone, Leicester City have found themselves contesting at the top of the table. Let’s not forget that before the season began they were amongst the favourites for relegation and some bookies were offering markets of 2000/1 for them to win the league. Their eye-catching style of quick, counter-attacking football has been one of the highlights of the season so far, but can they keep it up through the busy schedule against some tough opponents? If Jamie Vardy (see below) can continue the form that saw him break the record of consecutive league goals, they are certainly in with a chance.

Arsenal

Hot on the heels of the Foxes have been Arsenal. Once again Arsene Wenger’s squad has been plagued with injury and he has lost many key players. The most high-profile injury has been Alexis Sanchez. Santi Cazorla has been another big loss who could be out for some time. The team have managed without these players, with Mesut Ozil finding serious form and Aaron Ramsey loving life in the centre of the park. Whether this can be sustained through the early 2016 schedule where players will be suffering from fatigue is another question.

Manchester City

Title favourites Man City have had a topsy-turvy time so far to say the least. After starting so impressively with clean sheets and emphatic wins in their first five games, they showed they weren’t invincible when they lost 2-1 to West Ham at home. Vincent Kompany missed that match through injury, along with many more since then. His absence has proved how valuable he is to the City team and the back four without him have looked susceptible. If they are to mount a serious title challenge they need their captain back on a regular basis, along with Sergio Aguero, who can provide a serious consistent goal threat. As it stands, their performances have been nowhere near consistent enough.

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are two teams who many would consider could break into the top four by the end of the season. In the first half of the season, Spurs had a much better run and have looked impressive. Their young talent has once again excelled with the likes of Eric Dier and Dele Alli proving themselves as valuable members of the team. Up to this point, Harry Kane hasn’t been quite as prolific as he was during the last campaign and he could do with some support up front to keep him fresh. Liverpool have made some headway under new manager Jurgen Klopp after parting company with Brendan Rodgers. But after the sobering defeat to Newcastle United, it looks as though there is still a lot of work to be done. From what we have seen so far, it appears Spurs will finish higher in the league come the end of the season.

Manchester United

Man Utd can boast an exceptional defensive record in the first have of the season, conceding fewer goals than any other team. This is an impressive statistic, but for it to continue they need Chris Smalling to stay fit. He was sorely missed in United’s away defeat to Bournemouth. The main problem the Red Devils have is their lack of bite in attack. The league leaders are way ahead of them in terms of goals scored. The fans have been voicing their displeasure at the lack of attacking football and, in this fickle world of football, if there isn’t a change soon, the club might find that the demand for Premier League tickets decreases.

Chelsea

Rounding things off are reigning champions Chelsea. They were almost dead certs with bookies to win the league at the start of the campaign, but things have changed dramatically, with Jose Mourinho being let go and Guus Hiddink coming in temporarily for the rest of the season. Pundits have been lost for words about the state of affairs at the club and the string of terrible performances. It seems that the top four is now out of reach, although Hiddink seems to have improved things. If this transformation doesn't continue then they could be facing a relegation battle. It sounds crazy, but stranger things have happened already! So that’s how things stand amongst the main contenders up to now, but there is plenty more that could be discussed and that’s why this season is one of the most exciting seasons ever. The start of 2016 is set to an absolute cracker.

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