PREMIER LEAGUE REPORT CARD – PART TWO: Man United face a relegation battle, City are a shambles, and who’s going to cease Liverpool?

The 2024-25 campaign has brought a sense of unpredictability that we haven’t seen in the Premier League for years. Who would have thought in August that, at the half-way point of the season, Man City would be struggling to stay afloat in the Champions League and be on the fringes of the top six?

Man United are seven points off the relegation zone, Nottingham Forest are looking like the real deal in third place, and Southampton are at risk of breaking Derby’s unenviable record of holding the lowest points tally in a top-flight season (11).

At the top of the table, Arne Slot is well-positioned to become the fifth manager in Premier League history to win the title in his first season in charge.

Liverpool maintain a comfortable six-point margin over Arsenal in second, and still have a game in hand, in their bid to match United’s record of winning the most top-flight titles in history (20).

Here at Mail Sport, we kicked off our Premier League report cards by assessing Arsenal all the way through to Ipswich Town. Sadly, fans of the other 10 Premier League clubs have had to wait to see the grade their side has been given.

That wait is now over: here is the second batch of mid-season report cards for you to sink your teeth into.

Leicester City

Position: 19th  Points: 14

Leicester City fans were fairly pessimistic upon their return to the Premier League. It’s fair to describe their preparations for the new season as inadequate.

The Foxes failed to strengthen their squad sufficiently due to worries over a potential points deduction. After gameweek 12, they languished in 16th place, just a point away from the drop zone. Steve Cooper was promptly replaced by former Manchester United assistant manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.

However, the tide has not turned for Leicester since the Dutchman’s arrival, as they are now feeling the heat of a relegation battle even more, rotting in 19th place.

Disorganised is how I’d describe the Foxes’ season. After topping the Championship in 2023-24, their comeback to the top-flight has been underwhelming. 

Grade: D-

Liverpool

Position: 1st  Points: 45

Arne Slot has had a fairytale debut season on Merseyside, breaking some long-standing club and league records. His side won 14 of their first 16 league games, making him the most successful Premier League manager in history over this many games.

As well as this, Liverpool won their first six away games of the season under the Dutchman, a first for any manager in the club’s 133-year history. They have lost just one game in all competitions this season – a 1-0 defeat by Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

Liverpool have scored the most goals (45) and conceded the joint-least (17) in the league; it’s been a rampant season for Slot’s side.

With a near fully fit squad and a six-point lead at the top (with a game in hand on second-placed Arsenal), the Reds are in pole position in the title race. 

Grade: A+

Manchester City

Position: 6th  Points: 31

After nine games, I was braced for the usual script – an excruciatingly close title race for the majority of the season, only for City to remind everyone who’s boss come May. Pep Guardiola’s side topped the table, leading Liverpool by a point at the end of October.

Even after Rodri’s ACL tear a month earlier, City went on to win six of their next seven games, only dropping points in a 1-1 draw at Newcastle. It was a 2-1 defeat by Tottenham in the EFL Cup that kick-started the slump; since then they have won just two of their last 13 games.

The goals have dried up for Haaland and City are wide open at the back. The Norwegian has netted just three times in his last 10 league games, while City have conceded 26 times in their 13 games since they lost at Spurs. 

Now, they’re treading on the fringes of the top six, just a point ahead of Bournemouth in seventh, and four points off Chelsea in fourth. Guardiola has never failed to make the Champions League in any of his 15 seasons as a manager.

He recently signed a two-year contract extension in Manchester; if City’s results do not improve, he is staring at the prospect of enduring Europa League away days at Dynamo Kyiv, AZ Alkmaar and the like in his penultimate season.

Grade: D+

Manchester United

Position: 14th  Points: 22

If the grading system went down to Z, that’s where I’d put United. The Red Devils are well on track to eclipse their worst points tally in a Premier League campaign.

After 19 games, United have logged 22 points; at this rate, Ruben Amorim’s strugglers would finish on 44 points and blow their previous record-low of 58 points in 2021-22 out of the water.

They are rotting in the bottom half of the table – closer to the relegation zone (seven points) than the top four (13 points) – in the middle of a four-game losing streak. United have not won consecutive league games since May 2024.

There are many more stats that can be flown off, but the bottom line is that this is a historically poor season for the 20-time champions. Granted, Erik ten Hag’s disaster start to the campaign did not aid proceedings.

However, since Amorim’s arrival, United have dropped from 13th to 14th and have managed just seven points in eight games – their affairs have regressed. The Red Devils receive the lowest rating possible in our report card.

Grade: F

Newcastle United

Position: 5th  Points: 32

After an underwhelming third season in charge for Eddie Howe, Newcastle have seemingly re-centred their trajectory and are heading in the right direction this year. In 2023-24 they finished a disappointing seventh after qualifying for the Champions League in the year before.

Perhaps aided by Tottenham and City’s disastrous declines, the Magpies have seized their opportunity and are holding their weight in the top-four fight. They trail Chelsea by just three points.

Undoubtedly, the standout performer of the season for Newcastle has been Alexander Isak. Only Mohamed Salah (17) and Erling Haaland (14) have bagged more goals than the Swede.

The biggest improvement for Howe’s side is their defence. Last season, they conceded a whopping 62 goals, compared to just 21 at the half-way point of the current campaign. At this rate, there is a high chance that fans will be seeing European football on Tyneside come September.

Grade: A-

Nottingham Forest

Position: 3rd  Points: 37

Nottingham Forest are my pick for surprise of the season. I know City’s decline after almost a decade of dominance has been a shock, but I’ll turn to Winston Churchill for this one. ‘To build may have to be the slow and laborious task of years. To destroy can be the act of a single day,’ said the former Prime Minister.

Make of that what you will, but for Forest to go from relegation strugglers last season to potentially qualifying for the Champions League this season is as big of a shock as any.

Propelled by Chris Wood’s electric goalscoring run (11 goals) and the third-best defensive record in the league (17 goals conceded), Forest trail Arsenal in second by just two points.

If it were not for Slot’s dream debut season on Merseyside, Nuno Espirito Santo would certainly be my favourite for Premier League Manager of the Season so far – he may still be come May.

Grade: A+

Southampton

Position: 20th  Points: 6

Southampton have been bad. As in, only one team in top-flight history has ever been this bad before – that’s how bad. They are at risk of eclipsing Derby’s record of achieving the least points in a Premier League season.

Having taken only six from 19 matches so far, the Saints need a serious reboot to avoid being dragged into the conversation. Derby have the lowest points tally of the 646 teams to have completed top-flight seasons since 1992 – they collected a measly 11 points in 2007-08. 

Russell Martin was axed after gameweek 16, but new manager Ivan Juric has not  quite given Southampton that renowned ‘new manager bounce’ so many teams benefit from upon a change at the helm.

The future is looking bleak for Southampton. At this point, relegation is almost a certainty, and it would take a miracle to overturn that fact. 

Grade: F

Tottenham Hotspur

Position: 11th  Points: 24

It’s been a sophomore slump for Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side, who have regressed after narrowly missing out on Champions League football last season. 

The goals flow when you flick on the TV to watch Spurs; unfortunately, for their fans, they’ve been going both ways. Only Wolves (73) have seen more goals in their games than Tottenham (69). Nine of their 19 games have seen four or more goals for both teams combined – it’s never a bore-fest when Postecoglou’s side take to the pitch.

But entertaining football does not always correlate to results, as Spurs fans have found out the hard way. They’ve netted the second most goals in the league (41) but trail Chelsea in fourth by 11 points.

Postecoglou has stuck to his guns with his brave tactical approach, but may need to make some adjustments if he wishes to earn Tottenham qualification to their seventh Champions League competition in club history.

Grade: D

West Ham United

Position: 13th  Points: 23

The grass isn’t always greener, I suppose. After David Moyes’ departure at the end of last season, there was a renewed sense of optimism in the East End. Julen Lopetegui stepped up to the plate, but his time at the London Stadium has been underwhelming.

So underwhelming that, at one point, he was tipped by many to be the first Premier League manager to be sacked this season, before Erik ten Hag’s departure from United at the end of October.

Moyes guided West Ham to a strong ninth-place finish in 2023-24 and had the Hammers fighting for European qualification in seasons before that, bar a blip in 2022-23, when they finished 14th. 

It’s too early for me to turn my nose up at Lopetegui and be pessimistic about his future at West Ham, but all signs point to a stale mid-table finish in his debut season at West Ham.

Grade: C

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Position: 17th  Points: 16

Wolves are just about treading above the relegation zone and have been in a deep fight for survival all season. The loss of Pedro Neto last summer has not helped their cause and, despite Matheus Cunha’s impressive goalscoring record, they have regressed since last season.

Gary O’Neil was given the boot after gameweek 16, following a 2-1 defeat by Ipswich. Vitor Pereira succeeded the Englishman and has hit the ground running in the Black Country.

Wolves are undefeated under their new manager, winning twice and drawing once, including a 2-0 home victory against United and a 2-2 draw with Spurs last time out.

As much as I’d like to factor in my optimism about their future under Pereira, the fact is that Wolves have regressed. They went from scrapping in the mid-table last season to a relegation battle this term. So far, it’s been a disappointing year for them.

Grade: D