Premier League Crucible Report Card – Honor Roll | OneFootball

We’ve officially hit the halfway point of the Crucible, that tumultuous and hectic period of the Premier League season between late November and the New Year. The fixtures come fast and furious, with each team facing a minimum of 10 matches within seven weeks. For teams with European or EFL commitments, the number goes even higher.

So we took all the results and assigned grades to each club. Yes, the recently concluded EFL cup ties have been taken into account. Below are all those who made the honor roll, dean’s list, whatever you call excellence.

Aston Villa

Sheer perfection for Unai Emery’s side so far. If there’s any blemish at all, it’s that they’ve held clean sheets in only one of these seven matches. Also, every win has been by a single goal. Are these really negatives? Not when you’re winning, baby!

Arsenal

Arsenal still have five matches to play before they meet Liverpool on Jan. 8, thus ending their Crucible run. Five of these seven matches were in the Emirates; sadly two of those included the loss (to Aston Villa) and the draw (to Chelsea). The only universe in which this run of form is a disappointment is inside the perpetually doomy mind of dour manager Mikel Arteta.

Nottingham Forest

If you had suggested Forest would have the third best Crucible form back in mid-October when they were in full Ange-fuelled meltdown I’d have laughed in your face. But here we are. Under Sean Dyche, Forest have earned four clean sheets while shipping in ten goals, including three against title-holders Liverpool. On the bad side, they were also shutout in their two defeats while conceding five. But screw that negative talk! Their remaining five matches aren’t easy ones, but they are heading into them with significant momentum and, most importantly, belief.

Manchester City

City are one of three teams in the Honor Roll who have played eight games since the Crucible began on Nov. 22. That’s a game every 3.1 days. Along the way they’re averaging 2.3 goals per game, and their last three league matches were all clean sheets. So let’s all give a slow clap to Pep & co. for notching those wins and keeping the title race close.

Newcastle United

Those Magpies are tough birds. And like their mascot they can be skittish and easily distracted. That might explain how they dropped points against Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen. Or how Sunderland got the better of them in the Tyne-Wear derby. But no matter how you look at it, with only five games remaining, three of those at home, Newcastle are in a good spot right now.

Chelsea

Unlike Newcastle, most of Chelsea’s Crucible matches are on the road (eight, to be precise). Their run so far has mixed together the challenging (Arsenal and Barcelona) with the cushy (Cardiff and Burnley). The losses to Leeds United and Atalanta sting, but Maresca has to keep his side focused on the next five to stay within striking distance of Arsenal.

Everton

Everton’s Crucible is easier than most; only 10 matches evenly split between home and away. Still, they are sitting on the brighter side of the table. That zero goal differential comes courtesy of their two losses, which completely nulled out the three clean sheet victories. They’re like a contestant on Jeopardy! who knows they’re not as smart as the others, but occasionally buzzes in and gets the correct answer.