Grading the Premier League title contenders' seasons so far
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At the beginning of the season, many were anticipating a four-way battle for the English league title, with Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United all favoured in the odds to win the Premier League.
We've now passed the halfway point of the 2021-22 campaign, and it's fair to say that things aren't quite as tight as many had hoped.
With plenty of games to before the winners' medals are handed out, let's take a look at each of the four side's respective seasons so far, and give them a grade for their performances.
Manchester City: A
With a ten-point lead over second-place Chelsea, Manchester City are sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table once again, already looking likely to be crowned champions for a fourth time in five seasons.
Pep Guardiola's side have been sensational this term, and have hit form at the perfect time — currently on a run of 11 successive wins in the league.
The only reason City haven't got an A+ is due to their slightly shaky start to the campaign, where they lost to Tottenham Hotspur in their opening match before also losing to Crystal Palace at the end of October. Apart from that, it's been a hugely impressive campaign so far.
Chelsea: C+
So much was expected of Chelsea going into this season, especially after their Champions League success back in May 2021. It was seen as the logical next step that Thomas Tuchel's side should compete for the Premier League title, and for a while they looked like champions in waiting, showing superb form in the early stages of the season.
However, in the last couple of months, Chelsea's standards have slipped significantly, hence the gap between themselves and league leaders City. Sloppy results have crept in, and combined with unfortunate injuries to star wing-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James, the campaign has taken a dismal turn for Tuchel and co. Can they fight their way back into contention?
Liverpool: B-
In a similar boat to Chelsea, Liverpool were also looking like strong title contenders up until the last few weeks. They kept pace with Chelsea and City in the early stages of the season, but things have caught up with Klopp's men recently — a 1-0 loss to Leicester City the lowest moment so far.
There have been too many leads squandered by the Reds this campaign, a far cry from the team that won the title in the 2019-20 season. A lack of squad depth means they get a slightly higher grade than Chelsea, but Liverpool will need to recover their form quickly if they are to have any chance of catching City. They'll be tipped in the Premier League predictions this weekend to beat Brentford, and three points is badly needed.
Manchester United: D
It's been a hugely turbulent season for Manchester United to say the least. A disastrous run of form under Ole Gunnar Solskjær — defined by a humiliating 5-0 defeat to Liverpool at Old Trafford — saw the Norwegian leave the club in December. Ralf Rangnick is the man to have replaced him, although it's fair to say things have not been plain sailing for him either.
United's players have struggled to adapt to Rangnick's high-pressing tactics, as evidenced by a draw with Newcastle United and defeat at the hands of Wolverhampton Wanderers. The German will need to get his players signing from the same hymn sheet soon to avoid this season being a total catastrophe.
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