The 2021-22 Premier League season is over. The title, Champions League spots and relegation have been confirmed. But which sides did best and worst in the latter half of the campaign?
We’ve taken a look at the table since January 1st to see which Premier League clubs have performed in 2022.
In a season full of postponements and rearranged fixtures due to Covid, mysterious ‘injuries’ and adverse weather conditions, the table has been tough to properly read as many teams have had games in hand over their rivals for the title, European football and avoiding the drop.
The start of each year brings the January transfer window, which gives clubs the chance to reinforce their squad and some were very active in terms of both incomings and outgoings, and have reaped the rewards.
Some teams have seen a dramatic change in their form since the turn of the year, and big-spending Newcastle under Eddie Howe have been rampant, with new signings Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes doing as promised and helping turn the Magpies’ form around.
Surprisingly, the Geordies make the top four, just behind Spurs but ahead of Arsenal. Liverpool, meanwhile, are clear and comfortable at the top of the form table – which was so nearly enough to overturn Man City’s halfway-point lead in their hunt for the quadruple.
The Premier League table for 2022 makes for interesting reading, despite the differences in games played. It highlights the upturn in fortunes for Newcastle and Spurs, and the strife of Everton, who rallied just about enough in the final weeks of the season to stay up but have still averaged less than a point per game this calendar year.
Similarly, Aston Villa are still mired in the bottom half, despite swapping Dean Smith for Steven Gerrard, and relegated Watford did even worse since sacking their second manager of the season, Claudio Ranieri, and bringing in Roy Hodgson.
Here’s the table in full, with points and the number of games played, as well as goal difference.
1. Liverpool – 19 games, 51 points, +34 GD.
2. Manchester City – 18 games, 43 points, +34 GD.
3. Tottenham – 21 games, 41 points, +27 GD.
4. Newcastle United – 19 games, 38 points, +5 GD
5. Arsenal – 19 games, 34 points, +4 GD
6. Chelsea – 18 games, 32 points, +14 GD
7. Leicester – 20 games, 27 points, +5 GD
8. Brighton – 20 games, 27 points, -1 GD
9. Manchester United – 20 games, 27 points, -4 GD
10. Brentford – 20 games, 26 points, -4 GD
11. Wolves – 20 games, 26 points, -4 GD
12. Crystal Palace – 19 games, 25 points, +4 GD
13. West Ham – 19 games, 25 points, 0 GD
14. Burnley – 22 games, 24 points, -10 GD
15. Aston Villa – 20 games, 23 points, +2 GD
16. Leeds United – 20 games, 22 points, -19 GD
17. Everton – 21 games, 20 points, -15 GD
18. Southampton – 19 games, 19 points, -15 GD.
19. Norwich – 19 games, 12 points, -27 GD
20. Watford – 21 games, 10 points, -30 GD