2023/24 Premier League season overview: Winners and losers so far

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Another international break is upon us so now is a good time to look back at the 2023/24 season and assess how the top teams have performed so far. I break it down in to two simple categories; winners and losers.

Winners

Arsenal

After a shock title charge last season that saw them lead the way for the vast majority of the campaign only to fall short at the final hurdle, many expected Arsenal to struggle this season. Some felt last year was a one-off, that the Gunners had over achieved and they’d fail to live up to those expectations this time around.

However, Mikel Arteta’s side have shown they have staying power and are right in the mix for the Premier League title once again. Despite a rough patch towards the end of 2023 that saw them lose to West Ham and Fulham, Arsenal have recovered since the winter break. They are on a stunning eight-game winning streak that has helped them close to gap on Liverpool and Manchester City. A win over Brentford last week combined with a draw at Anfield between their rivals saw Arsenal move top of the table on goal difference.

Early exits in the domestic cup competitions were a disappointment, but Arsenal made up for it by reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a penalty shoot-out win over Porto on Tuesday night. Arteta’s young squad is going from strength to strength and they could yet end the season with one of the top prizes in football.

Manchester City

The City juggernaut shows no sign of slowing. After winning the treble last season, many felt they’d struggle to motivate themselves this season. However, it’s March and City are just one point off the top of the Premier League table, breezed through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and have an FA Cup quarter-final against Newcastle United coming up on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola’s side are still in with a chance of repeating their historic treble. It’s highly unlikely they’ll win all three again, but if anyone can do it it’s probably Guardiola and Man City. Kevin de Bruyne is back from injury at just the right time and is clicking again with Erling Haaland. If they can tighten things up at the back, City will be hard to stop over the coming weeks. A huge showdown with Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium at the end of the month will go a long way to determining who’ll win the Premier League.

Liverpool

After a disastrous 2022/23 campaign that saw them miss out on the top four, some wondered whether Liverpool were past their best. However, they revamped their ageing midfield in the summer and they’ve been rejuvenated this season. Despite coping with a lengthy injury list for much of the campaign, Liverpool have dug deep to grind out results and they are in a strong position to go on and win the title.

Second only to Arsenal on goal difference after drawing with City last time out, Liverpool have the easier fixtures on paper so they could pull away during the closing 10 games if they don’t suffer any surprise slip-ups. Jurgen Klopp shocked the world after announcing he’ll be leaving the club in the summer, so the squad have galvanized to try and give the German a send off to remember.

Liverpool have already got one trophy in the bag after beating Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last month. They’re also through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and have one foot in the quarter-finals of the Europa League after beating Sparta Prague 5-1 away in the first leg. So, the Reds are still in with a chance of winning four trophies in what could be a sensational final season for Klopp at Anfield.

Aston Villa

Villa have continued to push on under Unai Emery and have now established themselves as top four contenders. They currently sit fourth in the table having won 17 of their 28 league games so far. A shock 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham last weekend was a major set-back as Spurs are now just two points behind with a game in hand. However, even if Villa end up missing out on Champions League qualification, it shouldn’t take away from what’s been an excellent season.

Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou arrived in North London last summer knowing he had a huge job to turn things around at Tottenham. It was a major project that was expected to take time to come to fruition. However, the Aussie coach has managed to get Spurs back on track immediately and has them playing some wonderful, attacking football. There have been bumps along the way but Tottenham have fourth place in their hands after beating Villa at the weekend. It would be a huge achievement if Postecoglou could get Spurs back in the Champions League at the first time of asking.

Losers

Chelsea

After finishing 12th last season, most thought it was virtually impossible for new manager Mauricio Pochettino to do any worse. He spent hundreds of millions of pounds on new signings last summer, and fans expected the club to at least be challenging for European qualification. However, the Argentinean coach has failed to turn things around at Stamford Bridge. The Blues languish way down in 11th place – 25 points off leaders Arsenal and 16 off fourth place – so it’s been another disastrous campaign. Fans are disgruntled and sites like seatsnet.com are reporting falling demand for Chelsea tickets, which is understandable given the last two years.

Chelsea did manage to reach the Carabao Cup final but lost to Liverpool. They play Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this weekend. Defeat could cost Pochettino his job, but if the Blues could go all the way and win the cup at Wembley they could salvage something from this season and give themselves something to build on.

Manchester United

Erik ten Hag was confident of competing for the title this year after finishing third last season. However, Man Utd have been hugely inconsistent this season and look set to miss out on Champions League qualification. They currently sit sixth in the table but are eight points adrift of Villa with just 10 games remaining.

United also crashed out of Europe after finishing bottom of their Champions League group behind Bayern Munich, Copenhagen and Galatasaray, so it’s been a season to forget so far. They do have a huge FA Cup quarter-final clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford on Sunday. Victory would keep their campaign alive, but defeat would pile the pressure on ten Hag’s shoulders.

Newcastle United

After finishing fourth last season, mega-rich Newcastle were expected to push on this campaign. However, they’ve failed to replicate last years form and flounder way down in 10th position in the table. They also failed to progress from their Champions League group so the pressure is on for Eddie Howe. If the Magpies lose to Man City in the FA Cup at the weekend, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Howe relieved of his duties either immediately or in the summer.

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