
By Francesco Cautillo
The English Premier League has arrived at the 20-game mark of the 2024-25 season, providing us with inspiring underdog storylines, new stars, and burning questions. Here’s five takeaways from the beginning of this season:
A fresh start for Liverpool
It only seems right to start off with our league leaders. Liverpool went into the 20-game mark with a record of 14-4-1 with 46 points. Coming into the new season, manager Arne Slot had big shoes to fill as Liverpool’s legendary Jurgen Klopp decided to retire from his managerial career. However, Slot seems to be right at home, bringing with him the success of his past three seasons with Dutch side Feyenoord.
He has some help, though, from Liverpool’s main man, Mohamed Salah. Salah is a player reborn thanks to Arne Slot’s tactics of forward runs and space creation, which allows the Egyptian forward to find the back of the net or fellow teammates on a consistent basis. Currently leading the golden boot race with 18 goals, Salah also dominates the Premier League in goal contributions with 31 G/A in only 19 games. He is on pace for his best, and potentially last, season with the English giants.
Goals:
Win the league
A Golden Boot for Salah would be a nice touch
Forest’s Great Form
Arguably one of the biggest stories in European football this season comes from Nottingham Forest. Forest find themselves tied for second with Arsenal at 40 points and a record of 12-4-4. Some, if not most, of the credit for this surprising season is thanks to Nuno Espirito Santos. In May 2021, Nuno was sacked from Wolverhampton despite a legacy of back-to-back 7th place finishes in 2018/19 and 2019/20. He returns to England with his reputation from his time at Wolverhampton as well as a recent 2022 title win with Al- Ittihad in Saudi Arabia. Now, in Nottingham, Nuno’s use of off-possession tactical awareness shines for all to see.
As well, his new narrow attack strategy has lit a spark in veteran striker Chris Wood. Standing at 6'2, the Australian national is a constant threat in the air for defenders and is tied for first (with Alexander Isak) for most headed goals this season with four.
Goals:
Qualify for UEFA Champions League
Capture and harness whatever magic Nuno is doing
The Downfall of Man City
Going into the 2024/2025 season, Manchester City were one of, if not the favourite to win the title for their fifth consecutive time. Halfway through the season, however, they sit in sixth, with 34 points and a 10-4-6 record.
World-renowned manager Pep Guardiola has led Manchester City to six titles in the past seven years, but after losing Ballon D’Or midfielder Rodri to an ACL injury, the Spanish gaffer has struggled to fill the void. It started on October 30th with an EFL Cup loss to Tottenham Hotspur, beginning a slump which rendered City with only 3 wins in 15 games across all competitions. Fans believe that the cause could be the underperformance of players who they have relied on in the past, such as Phil Foden and Jack Grealish. The two English wingers have a combined transfer market value of £187-million and have created just 4 G/A between them.
Man City will also have to deal with a mid-season departure. With the January transfer opening, Manchester City right back Kyle Walker has asked Guardiola to leave the club effective immediately. The England national player has played for the Manchester side since 2017 and has been part of the team’s dynasty and success over the past decade, yet he faces backlash from fans and pundits due to his older age and lack of defensive consistency.
Goals:
Regain form with a Rodri replacement. Check out our article on Man City transfer recommendations
Qualify for UCL
Can Amorim fix United?
United have, much to their dismay, found themselves in a rough place at the midpoint of the season. The iconic club is positioned thirteenth in the standings with 23 points and a record of 6-5-9. Many fans blamed these difficult years on former manager Erik Ten Hag, who was sacked on Oct. 28, 2024. Former Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim has stepped in to try to fix the situation, with mediocre results so far. Although he has brought signs of hope for the United faithful, inconsistent results have fans concerned. The Portuguese manager hopes to gain approval by bringing in one of the most dangerous strikers in the world at the moment, Victor Gyokeres (who he coached at Sporting CP).
Nevertheless, despite their disappointing form, the Red Devils have found themselves a new young talent in Amad Diallo. The Ivorian winger bagged himself a goal in the draw against leaders and rivals Liverpool FC on Jan. 5, 2025, as well as the game winner in the derby against Manchester City on Dec. 15, 2024.
Goals:
Find the problem and fix it. (Manager musical chairs won’t work. Take time with the process given this season is already a write off)
Let the youngsters develop naturally and take care of them, unlike the past.
Chelsea back to winning ways
After spending the last two years outside of the top five, Chelsea currently hold fourth place in the EPL and are knocking on the doorstep of the top three. Manager Enzo Maresca’s tactics focus on ball possession, in which they contain an average of 58.55% per game, according to FCTables.
Another decision made by the Argentinian gaffer was to put 22-year-old Cole Palmer at the number 10 position rather than out wide, as previous managers have done. This gives Palmer much more freedom to show off his dynamic and agile playstyle, resulting in 13 goals and six assists so far this season. Harnessing Palmer’s skill and a clicking play style under Maresca will be key if Chelsea want back in the UCL for the first time in three years.
Goals:
Compete for the title
Qualify for UCL at best
All stats retrieved from https://www.premierleague.com/stats
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