Premier League at the Halfway Mark
Almost all the teams are now half way through the season let's check in on things
It was suggested to me that at the halfway mark of the season, people would be interested in how things have changed for teams since the start of the year. I thought that was a wonderful idea so I will put it into practice here.
If you ever have these I am generally open to these pitches, so feel free to fire them in.
Change in simulated points
Most teams have seen some pretty big swings from expectations at the start of the season. I am going to run through the ones that surprise me the most here.
Newcastle is way down, they were a very strong team last year but this year the bottom has fallen out for them, with injuries and perhaps the rigors of the Champions League coming a year too early.
Burnely way down, they came in very hyped, and honestly, after watching them I think trying to figure out promoted teams will be a very interesting topic to try and get right. This is one of the bigger misses and I don’t like it.
West Ham, remain confusing to me because I don’t think that they are actually a good team (maybe 11-13th) but here they are in the top 6. I think that they still fall back towards where their true talent level is and perhaps this might be a high water mark for them.
Bournemouth way up! I am excited about this one even if the model missed because it had no idea they were moving on from a manager that I think limited them and got very lucky to one that looks very good and exciting.
Change in team ratings
The ratings for the teams haven’t changed nearly as much as the points have but there are still a few teams that have seen their numbers change a lot.
I am not surprised that Manchester United have dropped like a stone, they have played poorly all season and the trend is still point down (even if they have new ownership and got a win against Aston Villa).
Everton have moved the other way and without the points deduction, they would probably be on the edge and in the discussion for a European spot this year.
The one that jumps out that doesn’t surprise me and goes against the narrative is that Spurs have not moved up much, in fact, they have gone down. I think if you only watched or saw the mainstream soccer coverage that would shock you but the numbers have not supported this team all year.
Top 6 in a bit more detail
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