5️⃣ Festive Premier League Questions 🎄: Arsenal, City, Chelsea, United...

5️⃣ Festive Premier League Questions 🎄

Christmas time is upon us and what better time to relax around a warm fire, open presents and ponder these burning Premier League questions.

Are table-toppers the favourites?

For only the fourth time in Premier League history, Arsenal sit atop the table at Christmas.

Taking advantage of Man City’s dramatic December drop-off and Liverpool’s slip against Manchester United, they have put themselves in pole position for the festivities, albeit marginally – leading the Reds and Aston Villa by a point after their gutsy draw at Anfield last Saturday.

And in truth, they do like the team to beat, clicking with a consistency and quality that has wowed even their closest rivals lately.

“I think this season that Arsenal are maybe the best team in the Premier League,” Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi after being defeated by the Gunners last week.

Are they now the team to beat as they aim to deliver a long overdue league championship?

Will the world champions return revitalised?

Lingering just behind Arsenal are Manchester City but they can afford little to no more slips if they hope to win a fourth straight title, which would be a first in the English top flight.

Since thrashing Bournemouth 6-1 behind a stunning Jérémy Doku performance in early November, things have gone off the rails for the defending champions.

They have picked up seven points from their six games following that win, dropping points from winning positions in four of this fixtures – a very un-City like trait under Pep Guardiola.

But victory at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia a few days ago has put some fresh silverware into the City cabinet and may re-ignite that taste for trophies.

Could their latest victory be a catalyst to kickstart their defence of the Premier League?

Who will cope best with injuries?

Some of the Premier League injury lists at the moment do not make for pleasant reading.

As things stand, Chelsea have eight first team players ruled out long-term including Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella.

Newcastle’s problems have been well documented and over the busy festive period, they remain without Joelinton, Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Fabian Schär, Matt Targett and Joe Willock, while Sandro Tonali is also a long-term absentee through suspension.

Ange Postecoglou is facing similar problems in north London without James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perišić and Manor Solomon are among the most notable stars who all remain missing.

That is without even extensively mentioning the issues currently blighting Aston Villa and Manchester United too.

And it is by no means exclusive to those sides but with squads already considerably stretched and a packed calendar to cope with, could things get even worse?

Could things get worse for Man Utd?

Erik ten Hag’s side are setting several unwanted records for their poor start to the season that sees them sit an underwhelming eighth as we near the halfway stage.

Their latest disappointment came last weekend at West Ham, where they were soundly beaten by a Hammers outfit coming off a chastening 5-1 loss at Liverpool in the EFL Cup.

The 2-0 defeat means it is now over six hours since United have hit the back of the net and their four games without scoring is their longest such run since 1992.

Their 13 losses in all competitions are also the most before Christmas in almost a century, last doing so in 1930.

And things don’t get any easier. Next up they host high-flying Aston Villa before facing Nottingham Forest who may benefit from a new manager bounce. Could the crisis deepen further over the festive period at Old Trafford?

Will the bottom three stay there?

As the old saying goes, what goes up must come down.

But in the case of the three newly-promoted sides this season, they weren’t hoping that would transpire so quickly.

Only once before in Premier League history have each of the three sides who came up all went back down immediately when Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace were relegated in 1997/98.

Unfortunately for Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton, the same fate looks likely to repeat itself once again.

The Blades appeared set to threaten Derby’s record low points tally for a time, Vincent Kompany has yet to see his side reap the rewards of staying true to their footballing philosophy in the top flight and Luton’s away form looks like being fatal, having picked up just four points on the road.

A surprise win over Newcastle has given the Hatters fresh hope and cut the gap on Nottingham Forest just above the drop zone but is the status quo going to remain?