The dying embers of the World Cup will be firmly extinguished this weekend as top level domestic football returns to the foreground.
The Premier League roars back into action on Boxing Day following the unprecedented break for Qatar 2022, and players will be desperate to pick up where they left off – well, maybe not all of them.
There are plenty of unknowns heading into 2022/23 Pt. 2. Will teams return in the same form? Who will benefit most? Are World Cup stars ready to go again?
Answers to those questions will be distributed in good time, but for now, get your head back in the game with our sweeping round-up of the season so far.
RadioTimes.com brings you a full recap of the Premier League 2022/23 season so far, including top scorers and a brief run-through of every team’s situation.
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Top scorers 2022/23
- Erling Haaland (Man City) – 18
- Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 12
- Ivan Toney (Brentford) – 10
- Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) – 9
- Rodrigo (Leeds) – 9
Most assists 2022/23
- Kevin De Bruyne (Man City) – 9
- Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – 6
- Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal) – 5
- Alex Iwobi (Everton) – 5
- Dejan Kulusevski (Tottenham) – 5
Most clean sheets 2022/23
- Nick Pope (Newcastle) – 7
- Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal) – 7
- Ederson (Man City) – 6
- Danny Ward (Leicester) – 6
- David de Gea (Spain) – 5
Title race
Arsenal lead the way with a youthful team swinging confident punches at all who cross their path. Manchester City – buoyed by Erling Haaland’s outrageous goal tally – have failed to turn up in a handful of matches, being duly punished for their complacency, but remain top contenders. Manchester United are finding form under Erik ten Hag, while Antonio Conte’s Tottenham show flickers of an elite team threatening to burst out.
European battle
Eddie Howe has hauled Newcastle up through the gears and up through the league with Bruno Guimarães proving to be a monumental signing for the Magpies. Liverpool and Chelsea appear to be out of the title race after failing to adapt to circumstances in 2022/23. Jurgen Klopp’s men have struggled without Sadio Mané, while their failure to sign an elite central midfielder to cope with injured and ageing players has proven costly. Graham Potter is still settling into Chelsea with a fundamental rebuild likely to run beyond this season.
Mid-table
Premier League returnees Fulham have their best shot at survival – and then some – in years thanks to the continued fine form of Aleksandar Mitrović, Brentford are being propelled by Ivan Toney, Brighton are coasting nicely despite the exit of Potter, while Crystal Palace and Aston Villa have both shown recent signs that they could mount outside challenges to crack the top eight.
Relegation battle
Leeds, West Ham and Leicester find themselves in the bottom half but should claw their way clear of danger before May. Everton have faltered to another disappointing campaign, though a lack of serious investment and injuries to key players has made this uphill battle more inevitable for Frank Lampard. Bournemouth have given it a good shot so far, but they are expected to run out of gas as the long season wears on.
The current bottom three has Nottingham Forest, Southampton and Wolves scrambling for air. Forest’s legion of new players are yet to fully settle into a groove, Southampton have dispatched boss Ralph Hasenhüttl for Luton hero Nathan Jones and Wolves have struggled for goals this term, leading to Julen Lopetegui replacing Bruno Lage.
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