With but a single matchday before the year’s end, this season of the Premier League is already one for the ages. There have been many storylines already and we are barely at the halfway mark. As we approach the end of 2024, each team has one game left to play before we welcome 2025. Before January comes with its tightly-packed schedule, the teams get a short reprieve for the celebrations. In this overview, we look at the 2024/25 Premiership so far and talk about the biggest stories. There will also be a look at the standings as well as some predictions about what is to come in the new year.
Current Standings
Three teams that have been dominating this season will probably end the year in their respective spots. Liverpool is firmly holding on to the top spot while the two London teams, Chelsea and Arsenal, are fighting for the second before making a final push for the title. That is going to be very difficult since the Reds are playing the best football in Europe right now. They have 12 wins, 3 draws, and only 1 loss, good for 39 points. They have scored 37 goals and only allowed 16. The team is also dominating in the UCL and it is very hard to beat them right now.
Still, Chelsea and Arsenal hope to do it. The Blues are second with 10 wins, 5 draws, and 2 losses, good for 35 points. They have scored the same number of goals and allowed 3 more, which is quite good. Behind them in third, the Gunners have the same goal difference of 18 as they scored 34 and allowed 16. However, they have 1 fewer win and 1 more draw, meaning -2 points and 33 in total. These three teams will make the title race very interesting as all are playing very well, scoring a lot of goals, and keeping their nets safe.
The Dominance of Liverpool
Be that as it may, Liverpool is on another level right now. Led by their star forward Mohamed Salah, they have been amazing to watch in 2024. More of that is sure to come in 2025 when the season enters its second half and when all the teams pick up their form even more. Salah is leading the league in both goals and assists right now, something that is very difficult to achieve in England. At the moment of writing, before Boxing Day matches, he has 15 goals and 11 assists to his name. This means that he is by far the best player in the league this season, but his teammates and their new manager Arne Slot deserve a lot of praise.
Manchester Struggles
On the other end of the spectrum, there are the two Manchester teams. It feels strange to say this as City has been dominating the league for years. United has been struggling for the better part of the last decade, though. This season, both are experiencing their worst stretches in years. City, the defending champion, is currently in 7th place with a single win in their last 5 games. In 17 matches, they have only scored 29 goals and allowed an incredible 25, which is unprecedented for Pep Guardiola’s tenure. They only have 27 points are are between Aston Villa and Newcastle in the standings.
United is fairing far worse, even for their recent standards. They are 13th with a negative goal difference of -1. In their 17 league matches, they have only won 6 times. The team has 4 draws and 7 losses, enough for a meager 22 points. With a new manager on the bench, the promising upstart Ruben Amorim who has done some great things in his home country of Portugal with Sporting, there is some optimism at least. It remains to be seen if he has enough knowledge and strategy, as well as decisiveness and a strong hand, to turn the legendary team around in 2025.
Boxing Day Fixtures and Predictions for January
December 26, the famous Boxing Day, brings us 8 games to help us get through the second day of Christmas. After overindulging and sharing some quality time with loved ones, there is nothing better than to spend the afternoon watching English football. Manchester City is hosting Everton in what is a prime opportunity for them to end the year on a positive note. Playing at the Etihad and desperately needing a win, they should be able to do it. Newcastle and Aston Villa will be facing off in a battle of the 6th and 8th seeds. It will probably be one of the better games of the slate since the teams are quite evenly matched. Newcastle is the slight favorite since they are playing at home.
In another exciting game, the biggest surprise of the season, Nottingham Forest (4th), is welcoming Tottenham. The Spurs are scoring a lot but cannot seem to string together a handful of good performances that would get them closer to the top. Forest will look to make use of their opponent’s streakiness and get a nice home win. The second-most surprising team, Bournemouth (5th), is hosting Crystal Palace and will look to capitalize on being the heavy favorites at home for another three points.
When it comes to the best teams, Chelsea will have an easy time at the Bridge against Fulham and should end the year with a win. Liverpool is hosting Leicester City in what will surely be another great performance with at least one goal by Salah. On Friday, December 27, Arsenal will host Ipswich Town and, barring a surprise, get three more points to their tally. The top three seeds should take care of business and continue their dominance. Make sure to follow these games and place bets on https://sportsbet.io/sports/soccer/england/premier-league/matches.
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