Football writer Alex Keble looks at the key talking points from a thrilling first 11 Matchweeks of the 2024/25 season.
The final international break of the year marks an important moment in the Premier League calendar.
It is the end of the beginning – and the moment the foot goes down on the accelerator.
There will be no more breaks in domestic football until after Matchweek 29, four months from now, and to kick it off, the Premier League plays nine rounds in just six weeks, beginning on 23 November and ending on 6 January.
Normally at this point the table looks set and the hectic winter schedule is a period of consolidation. But this is no ordinary season.
For the first time in Premier League history, only four points separates third from 13th after 11 matches played. There is everything to play for over the coming weeks.
Here, we look at what we’ve learned from the 2024/25 season so far.
Liverpool look almost unstoppable
December is a critical moment for Liverpool and Arne Slot because if they can maintain the standard set between August and November, they won’t just be league leaders, they’ll practically have the title sewn up by Christmas.
Fast starts do not always indicate strong seasons (Tottenham Hotspur were similarly placed last season, only to finish fifth) but Liverpool look unstoppable, not because the transition from Jurgen Klopp has been so smooth, and not because Mohamed Salah is in the form of his life, but because Slot has proven himself to be an elite problem solver.
His in-game tactical rejigs - from rotating his central midfield to turn defeat into victory against Brighton & Hove Albion, to recalibrating the lines of attack to rescue a point at Arsenal – have revealed a composure and sophistication that should see Liverpool march steadily on.
Liverpool are slower and more self-assured than under Klopp yet carry the same sense of energy and chemistry; are more detailed and precise in central midfield yet possess the same variety of attacking options.
The Premier League title is now theirs to lose.
Chelsea's inexperience the only thing in their way
The biggest surprise package of the Premier League season so far is Chelsea.
That might sound like an overstatement considering the vast amounts of money spent assembling Chelsea’s squad, but most pre-season predictions assumed Enzo Maresca would struggle to create a cohesive team out of a bloated and highly inexperienced squad.
He’s made it look easy. The Chelsea squad appears balanced, self-assured and of course supremely talented, while Maresca already has them playing an attractive style of football that leans more heavily into fast transitions than we expected.
The patient possession game, the football as chess, hasn’t come to fruition. Instead Cole Palmer, with seven goals and five assists in 12 Premier League matches, has led a more entertaining style at Stamford Bridge.
The naivety of youth is the only thing holding Chelsea back; they have the youngest starting XI in the league, currently averaging 23 years and 191 days.
Game management has been a slight issue for a side understandably looking more emotional than their savvier, more grizzled opponents.
Man City's issues run deeper than missing Rodri
Rodri’s absence from central midfield is without doubt the single biggest factor behind Manchester City’s decline at the beginning of 2024/25.
He was their anchor screening against counter-attacks and their most important creative player in deeper areas, spraying clever passes that opened up the pitch.
But he isn’t the sole reason Man City have lost four matches in a row in all competitions, or why Pep Guardiola has been in a more sombre mood of late, even telling BBC Sport that “after seven years winning six Premier Leagues, maybe one year another team deserve it.”
Phil Foden does not look his usual self. Injuries have restricted game time for Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and John Stones, among others. Kyle Walker appears to have lost a yard of pace, weakening City’s capacity to recover when their high line is broken.
And City have become remarkably reliant on Erling Haaland. He tops the Premier League charts for Expected Goals (xG), with 11.1, but the next-highest Man City player on the list is Savinho, way down in 57th, with an xG of just 1.7.
Guardiola’s side are only five points off the top. But a lot has to change for Man City to gain ground on Liverpool.
Arsenal need Odegaard’s return to save season
There is no getting away from it: this has been a disappointing season so far for Arsenal.
They are nine points off the top of the table and have won just 45 per cent of their Premier League matches, thanks mainly to one injury.
Martin Odegaard’s assist in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea last weekend showed just how much Arsenal have missed him.
Creativity has been the big problem for Mikel Arteta's side. Arsenal have had an xG below 1.0 in five of their 11 Premier League matches and during Odegaard’s absence, they looked shrunken.
But there have been other factors at play, from red cards in early matches to a creeping sense that performances are becoming too emotional again.
Arteta needs Odegaard’s return to inspire a significant improvement in both performances and results.
Nuno and Forest's throwback style
There are some people who will tell you there is a "right" way to play football; that aesthetic and exciting football is by definition about possession and passing moves.
They are wrong. The Premier League is richer for having a variety of different styles and suffers when there is a trend towards playing a certain way.
Nottingham Forest’s start to the 2024/25 is a handy rebuke to those who disagree.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side play in a low block, allowing the other team to dominate possession before counter-attacking the other way, with direct and sometimes long-ball football.
They have the third-lowest possession share in the league (41.6 per cent), the second-lowest pass accuracy (75.1 per cent) and have been involved in the fourth-most aerial duels, with 334.
Nobody who watches their matches would say the football is dull.
Forest might just lead a renaissance of a style that has fallen out of fashion, because in an age of high pressing and defensive errors passing out from the back, their system is a reliable counterforce.
Amorim has chance to make immediate impact
Manchester United appeared to be at their lowest ebb on the morning Erik ten Hag was relieved of his duties. Just over two weeks later, Old Trafford is buzzing.
It isn’t merely a reaction to Ruben Amorim, one of the most highly-rated coaches in Europe, taking charge.
It’s also because swashbuckling attacking performances under interim head coach Ruud van Nistelrooy have reminded everyone of the talent in the United squad – and because a hyper-compressed Premier League table means they can still enjoy a good season.
Remarkably, Man Utd are just four points behind Chelsea in third. If Amorim gets a new-manager bounce and dispatches of relegation candidates Ipswich Town and Everton in his next two matches, there is a good chance United will be within a point or two of the top four.
In other words, they could be on target for the season before Amorim has even settled in.
Brighton and Fulham continue to defy the odds
Fabian Hurzeler and Marco Silva must share the honour for manager of the season so far.
Brighton have been a little chaotic, but there is serious tactical intelligence to the way they are playing, and huge wins against Man Utd, Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle United suggest they are here to stay.
This is not a flash in the pan. They look distinctly more like a Hurzeler team each week; Kaoru Mitoma is yet to hit form; Evan Ferguson is finally scoring again and Matt O’Riley’s goalscoring debut revealed just how deep Brighton’s bench has become.
Fulham are unlikely to stay quite as close to Brighton, but nevertheless their ability to improve upon last season despite losing Joao Palhinha in the summer is hugely impressive.
Emile Smith Rowe and Joachim Andersen have proven to be excellent signings, while Raul Jimenez, Alex Iwobi and Adama Traore are all enjoying their best campaigns for a long time.
Race for Europe tighter than ever
Never before has the Premier League table been so compressed this late into a season.
Just one point separates third from ninth, three points separates third from 11th and four points separates third from 13th. All three are new Premier League records.
Inevitably that means the race for Europe is tighter than ever before, and likely to stay that way given that every challenger looks flawed.
Aston Villa are suffering from mental fatigue under Unai Emery and badly miss Douglas Luiz, leading to less-controlled performances in draws against Ipswich, AFC Bournemouth and others.
Spurs seem to alternate between winning and losing, a pattern that shows no sign of relenting after their 2-1 defeat to Ipswich last weekend.
Newcastle are currently on an upswing and benefit from free midweeks, but Eddie Howe’s side are streaky and goals are in short supply; only five clubs have scored fewer than their 13.
Along with Forest, Brighton, Fulham and Man Utd (four teams we’ve already covered), Brentford and Bournemouth are also in the hunt, although both have significant deficiencies.
Thomas Frank’s side have conceded two goals per game on average, while Bournemouth have only won once away from home, coming back from 2-0 down at Everton to win 3-2.
Promoted clubs look stronger than last season
In 2023/24 all three promoted clubs – Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town – went straight back down.
It was the first time it had happened since 1997/98, yet it triggered fear in some quarters this would become the new normal, despite the fact that 12 months earlier all three promoted clubs stayed up.
Thankfully, evidence so far suggests Ipswich, Leicester City and Southampton won’t all get relegated.
Ipswich’s first win of the campaign at Spurs was a huge moment that followed five draws from their first 10 matches. Kieran McKenna’s side, now out of the bottom three, have consistently proved they are competitive at this level.
Leicester are benefiting from the nous of Steve Cooper, whose conservative tactics are getting results. Jamie Vardy’s goals, Facundo Buonanotte's creativity and Wilfred Ndidi’s midfield battling make for a strong Premier League spine.
Southampton are bottom of the table and struggling the most of the three, although they are increasingly optimistic after their 1-0 victory against Everton at the start of the month.
Guardiola recently suggested he will learn a lot from watching back how Russell Martin’s side played in a recent 1-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
That’s high praise. Perhaps with time, Saints’ good performances will translate into better results.
Seven clubs could be dragged into relegation battle
All three promoted clubs are likely to be locked in a relegation battle, however, and they appear likely to be joined by Wolverhampton Wanderers, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Ham United.
Of these four, West Ham are best placed to pull clear. Julen Lopetegui’s side are in poor form at the moment, but the quality of their squad is such that they should be challenging for Europe – and might still, being just seven points off third.
Wolves, too, are in that ominous "too good to go down" territory, and Matheus Cunha’s superb performance in a 2-0 win against Southampton last weekend could trigger a surge up the table.
Everton are getting more and more resilient, winning six points from their last five matches and conceding just two goals in the process, while Palace’s victory over Spurs a couple of weeks ago tells us they will similarly become more competitive.
Certainly since the last international window every relegation candidate looks much-improved – and nobody remains winless.
It points to a very competitive relegation battle between seven good teams, complementing a European race that includes everyone else from 13th up.
The winter schedule arrives with the Premier League table perfectly poised.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |
West Ham
WHU
|
11 | -6 | 12 |
| 15 |
Leicester
LEI
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
11 | -7 | 10 |
| 17 |
Ipswich
IPS
|
11 | -10 | 8 |
| 18 |
Crystal Palace
CRY
|
11 | -7 | 7 |
| 19 |
Wolves
WOL
|
11 | -11 | 6 |
| 20 |
Southampton
SOU
|
11 | -14 | 4 |