Glorious Villa, Cool Cole and Injuries - a midseason review of the Premier League

The Premier League season has reached its midway point, and what a season it's proving to be. The 2023/24 season has proven to be a breath of fresh air for fans, with several clubs across the league having showcased the ability to launch a solid run at the title, and many more being able to play spoiler to the league's big fish any given match day.

All of this is without mentioning the number of players who have been able to greatly elevate their statuses as some of the league's best players as a result of their tremendous performances on the pitch this season.

Aston Villa's Rise

Despite a strong transfer window, where the club was able to secure some of the hottest names in the market, like Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby and Villareal's Pau Torres, it would be safe to assume that not even the biggest Villa fan would have seen this coming - after Villa's relegation from the Premier League just 7 years ago, the Lions have roared back and now are contenders to win the league.

When their season started in the worst imaginable way possible, with the Villans being trashed 5-1 away to Newcastle on the first matchday, Villa were certainly at risk of being awarded the title of the league's most disappointing team.

The outside pressures did not get into the heads of the Villans, who were able to nullify the impact of their matchday 1 trashing, and kickstart an impressive run of results, that now see them second in the Premier League table, only 3 points behind a resurgent Liverpool side.

Villa can thank their form at home for where they are in the league. Their 1-1 draw to Sheffield United at Villa Park was the first time this season that had seen the home side drop points. It is no secret how important turning your home ground into a fortress can be for teams wishing to be title hopefuls. Just look at Liverpool at Anfield or Jose Mourinho's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Both these legendary teams can largely attribute their home form to their success in the league.

There's also no denying the impact thatshrewd business has had on Villa's unprecedented success. Diaby and Youri Tielemans (who, at the time played for Leicester City) seemed destined to join one of Europe's historically elite teams, such as the likes of Arsenal, who showed interest in the pair.

On the other side of the ball, Pau Torres was (and, still is) arguably the best Spanish defender right now, and had a slew of Premier League clubs vying for his signature, although the defender ultimately chose to don the claret of Aston Villa.

The Lions even managed to get Clement Lenglet (from Barcelona) and Nicolo Zaniolo (from Galatasaray) on loans, continuing the trend of Villa being able to punch above their weight in the transfer market.

However, arguably the single biggest reason for Villa's upsurge in their form has to be manager Unai Emery. After taking control of the Villans' sinking ship in late 2022, he has turned them from being relegation threatened to one of the league's best teams. To simply say that he has saved the sinking ship would be a massive understatement. His work at the club has turned Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings into some of the best defenders in Europe, although the latter has been ruled out of the season after sustaining an injury early in the season.

As absurd as it may sound, John McGinn has been arguably the player of the season, and Emery's influence on the Scotsman's uptick in form is undeniable, while Douglas Luiz continues to perform as arguably the Premier League's most underrated player.

However, Emery's best work can be seen in the fortunes of striker Ollie Watkins. While there was no denying his class before the appointment of Emery, the Spaniard has significantly elevated his game. While the striker endured a slow start to 2023/24, it's safe to say he has picked his game up, as he has netted 9 goals in the season far. Even more outrageous is the fact that he has already netted three hat-tricks this season. To top it all off, his splendid form for his club has also seen him get recalled by Gareth Southgate to represent England once again.

Villa have been the beneficiaries of the perfect storm, and are now in second place, only three points behind Liverpool. Emery is a lock to win the Manager of the Year award, and rightfully so.

Looking into the future, I do expect Villa to qualify for the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League. I would expect them to finish fourth in the final standings, behind Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal. A slight drop-off should be expected, as the Premier League season lasts for 38 games. The large amount of games played does not favour underdog teams like Villa in the long run, and I think we will see the more traditional teams be able to, in some part, offset the threat that Villa pose.

As for the Conference League, however, I firmly expect them to continue to steamroll through their competition and have no difficulty in winning their first European trophy since the 1980s.

This season will go down as one of the most successful seasons that Villa Park has seen, and it sure looks like the Villans are here to stay. It will be interesting to see how the club not only fares in the near future but also if they can remain one of English football's biggest threats for the foreseeable future.

An analysis of the transfers

This season has also seen several high-profile players moving clubs, with all 20 Premier League clubs spending nearly $3 billion over the summer transfer window, which was a new record for money spent in a transfer window.

Chelsea continued to spend big on young players yet to hit their potential. The result has been a mixed bag, with almost every player donning the Chelsea uniform failing to impress.

A notable exception is Cole Palmer, who the Blues signed from Manchester City for £40 million. I will be the first to admit I was very sceptical of this transfer. Palmer, although he had shown glimpses of himself at City, his performances certainly did not warrant the fee that Chelsea ended up paying. Coupled with the fact that Chelsea under new owner Todd Boehly had a history of transfers failing to impress at Stamford Bridge, it seemed as if Palmer should have allowed himself to nurture into a star under the genius of Pep Guardiola.

However, fast forward four months, 8 goals and 6 assists later, the Englishman has asserted himself as the best young talent that the Premier League houses currently. Palmer has emerged as a leader in Chelsea's bloated locker room.

More than his stats, Palmer has proven himself to be a "big game player", with his performance against Tottenham Hotspur inspiring his team to a much-needed victory. He followed this performance with a legendary showing against his former club, Manchester City, by scoring a penalty and ensuring that Chelsea took home a point from the game.

His performances could see him get into the English squad for Euro 2024, although it is hard to see him start games for the Three Lions who boast of a midfield comprising of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and Conor Gallagher.

Speaking of Rice, the former West Ham star has swapped the Hammers' claret for the red of Arsenal, and has seen his performances for the Gunners make him the signing of the season.

Much was expected of Rice when Arsenal broke the transfer record over the summer to bring him over to the Emirates Stadium, and he has more than surpassed those expectations.

Rice's leadership skills have seen him tipped to become a future captain for the Gunners, and his performances against Brentford, Luton Town and Manchester United, coupled with the midfielder winning his club's Player of the Month award, have all but solidified visions of his future captaincy.

His performances for the Gunners have helped define the output that clubs should expect from a signing worth £100 million, in an age where football transfer fees have been rising exponentially, and the performances required to fulfil huge price tags have steadily declined.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Premier League has also seen its fair share of players who have underperformed, relative to the transfer fee that they commanded. While it certainly is too soon to begin labelling these players as "flops", they sure are in danger of falling into the much-dreaded category if their performances do not pick up soon.

After the magic that had followed most of his career at his boyhood club Chelsea had begun dwindling, Mason Mount was sold to Manchester United for a fee of £55 million.

While there was no denying the potential that the Cobham graduate possessed, a fee of £55 million seemed excessive, especially given that he only managed 5 G/A the season prior.

With the pressure very much on Mount, he has, to say the least, flattered to deceive. Admittedly, he did pick up an injury In October that has seen him ruled out for 2 months. However, there is no denying that only one assist throughout the entirety of this season is a huge disappointment for Mount, who was once tipped to be one of England's great midfielders.

In his short time on the pitch, he has not shown any promise, which has placed great danger on his starting position for England at the Euros, especially coupled with Chelsea's Conor Gallagher's great form this season.

With the unenviable position that the Red Devils are in, the pressure is certainly on for Mount to turn his career at Old Trafford around.

Another player struggling to justify his high price tag is Chelsea's Moises Caicedo. Admittedly, it would be unfair to label his performances for the Chelsea Blue as "disastrous" or "unpromising". However, there is no denying that the expectations that followed Caicedo, following Chelsea paying his former club Brighton a fee of £105 million, which is the British transfer record, have not been met.

It could be argued that the Ecuadorian has fallen victim to a poorly constructed Chelsea squad, who currently sit mid-table.

Furthermore, Chelsea secured his signing after the season had begun, which meant that he did not have a preseason with the Chelsea squad and Mauricio Pochettino. His lack of knowledge of the playing system could be a reason for his performances this season, which could be labelled "average" at best.

Injuries - a cause for concern?

This season has seen many players pick up far more injuries than previous seasons, giving cause for concern. The extraordinarily high number of players being ruled out of games has caused several clubs to underperform, relative to their preseason expectations, such as Newcastle, who were expected to qualify for Europe, but now sit ninth and finished dead last in their Champions League group.

Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United have the most players currently unavailable to set foot on the pitch, with 11 players each.

However, the team that has undoubtedly been affected the most by the injury crisis is Tottenham Hotspur. Injuries to key players like Ivan Perisic, James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have completely derailed an early title challenge posed by the team.

The absurd number of injuries has sparked a debate on whether the increasing number of fixtures that players have to play in is to blame for the injury crisis, a crisis which is certainly not endemic to the Premier League. People have argued that the increasing amount of game time given to players has made it physiologically impossible for players to remain fit for an entire season.

There's a clear culprit to the growing number of injuries - the growing number of games being played. 

Sadly, it seems as if the higher-ups of football couldn't care less, as they don't seem to be looking to limit the games players have to play - quite the contrary. 

A format change in the UEFA Champions League, which would come into effect from next season, would see teams play more games than they normally have done in the Champions League. The same can be said about an expanded FIFA World Cup, where teams will now be playing an extra round of games. 

However, most notably, FIFA has revamped the format for the Club World Cup, expanding the number of teams that would take part in the tournament. This means that certain players could play up to 80 games in just one season when you factor in league games, continental and domestic cups. 

Players are also expected to play every game that their team takes part in. Normally, this problem would be curbed by rotating squad players. However, rotation is not feasible in today's hyper-competitive environment, as the gulf between the best sides and mediocre teams has become too great, and middling teams are often forced to play their best players to have a prayer against the bigger fish. The concept of rotation is only a luxury afforded to teams with pockets so deep that when star players are rotated, the difference would be barely felt. Take Jack Grealish and replace him with Jeremy Doku as an example. 

Another reason contributing to the excessive injuries this season could be the growing number of additional minutes in the Premier League this season. Looking to emulate the 2022 World Cup, the Premier League decided to crack down on time-wasting by looking to compensate for as many minutes lost as possible. It certainly has had an impact on Premier League players, who now have to play more minutes than they already have to, undoubtedly giving rise to many more injuries. 

What's my proposal to this issue, you may ask? I recommend FIFA and UEFA stay with the current format of the Champions League and World Cup. 

Sure, the current format of the Champions League may be becoming increasingly predictable, but this can be attributed to a growing gap in the budgets of teams. If UEFA feels it is an issue that needs urgent addressing, they can introduce a salary cap, to level the playing field. This can also allow teams to rotate more, something which I said is hard to do so in the current dynamics of football, which will allow for fewer injuries. 

The new formats of the Champions League and World Cup will certainly yield more money to the respective organisations than the current formats will, but FIFA and UEFA have to realise that in their roles as some of the most influential organisations in football, they will have to sacrifice some of the profit they are to receive, all in the well-being of the footballers. 

In England, I feel the EFL Cup should be turned into a U-21 competition. While the revenue generated from this revamped competition may be way less than what the current format generates, it's important to consider the upside that this presents. Firstly, this will allow for younger talent to develop more effectively, as they will be given more game time in a U-21 game than they would with a senior team that features more developed and established players. This would allow for the players to get more publicity, which could spell positive news for their careers. 

While this idea may seem far-fetched, it's important to realise that the EFL Cup has no equivalent in other European countries, meaning that simply limiting the eligible players in this competition would not be as radical a change as one might expect it to be.

Having fewer preseason games or shortening the time of each preseason game would also ensure that players can have a longer recovery time. 

So here's my proposal to fix a very glaring problem in football. Can we see these changes take place in football any time soon? These changes are certainly very feasible, and seeing players in a healthy condition would be in the interest of every football fan. So, the higher-ups should be able to say goodbye to a few extra millions in their bank account, all for the sake of saving the game we love.