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After this year's Boxing Day fixtures, we've reached the halfway point of the Premier League season and while your eyes are naturally drawn to the top of the table, there's a gripping battle taking place just below.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are the undisputed best teams in England in terms of both the quality of their players and financial might.
Placing higher than any of them after 38 games played is a huge ask for the other 14 top flight clubs, but there's a lot at stake for the side that finishes seventh and "best of the rest", so to speak.
If both the League Cup and the FA Cup are won by a top 6 side, Europa League qualification is earned by the side that finishes 7th. With that being said, who is looking the most likely to win the unofficial Premier League midfield title come May?
7th - Leicester City (28 points)
Top Scorer: Jamie Vardy (6 goals)
Best Performer: James Maddison (5 goals and 3 assists in 18 games)
An away win against Chelsea and another victory against the champions has given a huge boost to Leicester City's chances of finishing best of the rest at the end of the season. The Foxes are a long way off repeating their sensational title challenge of 2015/16, but they've enjoyed a solid season nevertheless.
Leicester have a solid squad and a good spine, something that's key to success at all levels of the game. Kasper Schmeichel in goal, Wes Morgan and Harry Maguire at the back provide defensive stability and Jamie Vardy up front is always a threat at the other end.
The loss of Riyad Mahrez was always going to negatively impact the squad, but James Maddison has proved to be a class signing for £25m, the youngster being similar to Vardy in that he's got lightning pace and a deft finish.
Claude Puel's side are up in 7th on merit and they're understandably one of the favourites to retain that spot, although they will come under serious pressure from some of the chasing pack...
8th - Everton (27 points)
Top Scorer: Richarlison (9 goals)
Best Performer: Gylfi Sigurdsson (8 goals and 3 assists in 19 games)
After a 6-2 thrashing by Tottenham before Christmas, the Toffees got back to winning ways in style by demolishing Burnley at Turf Moor on Boxing Day. That 5-1 victory sent Everton up to eighth and showed fantastic bouncebackability by the Merseyside club who have spent some time bedding in their new signings.
Marco Silva is a fine manager as well, so there's little surprise that Everton were one of the favourites for seventh before the season started. They haven't gone more than four unbeaten in the league so far, but Everton have also not suffered more than two losses in a row.
A five-game winless streak threatened to derail Everton's season but they've remained firmly in the upper midfield pack and have the quality to challenge, especially when you consider their strength in depth.
9th - West Ham (27 points)
Top Scorer: Felipe Anderson (8 goals)
Best Performer: Felipe Anderson (8 goals and 2 assists in 19 matches)
A dismal start to Manuel Pellegrini's tenure-ship saw West Ham United stick to the bottom of the Premier League table in the first four matches of the season, but the Hammers are now soaring up the ladder.
Their good recent form (5 wins in their previous 6 games) has been, in part, down to new signing Felipe Anderson, who is the Hammers' top scorer despite playing on the wing. Indeed, Anderson highlighted his importance in Thursday's game against Southampton, sparking a West Ham comeback, turning the match on its head in 6 minutes with a pair of goals.
Pellegrini's side are still suffering from a lack of home form at the London Stadium, though, registering as many wins (4) at home as away, which will have to improve if they're to continue their impressive run and usurp Leicester and Everton.
10th - Watford (27 points)
Top Scorer: Roberto Pereyra (6 goals)
Best Performer: Roberto Pereyra (6 goals and 1 assist in 19 matches)
Marco Silva's old side Watford (one he was desperate to leave, which eventually led to his sacking) are ironically level with Everton after nineteen games. After winning all of their opening four matches (including a scintillating victory against Tottenham), the Hornets have fallen away somewhat but still find themselves just a point off seventh place.
Javi Gracia has built a solid side, one that nobody looks forward to facing, especially at Vicarage Road. They may have lost their last game to Chelsea and their star striker Richarlison to Everton but they can't be discounted for the 7th spot, as the Hornets have recruited well in the summer, Gerard Deulofeu and Ben Foster being the biggest standouts.
Like Everton, though, Watford have to improve their consistency, so far going through good winning runs and then neutralizing it with lengthy winless streaks.
11th - Wolves (26 points)
Top Scorer: Raul Jimenez (5 goals)
Best Performer: Raul Jimenez (5 goals and 4 assists in 19 matches)
Wolverhampton Wanderers are back in the Premier League with a bang in 2018/19! Nuno's side was the cream of the Championship crop last campaign and were understandably tipped for success on their return to the promised land.
With huge investment in top players, their midtable status at the moment could be classed as slight underachievement but the difficulty of the Premier League cannot be underestimated. A concerning aspect of this side for Wolves fans, though, is perhaps that their side is learning to run before they can walk.
Let me explain what I mean by that, Wolves have some amazing players, but most have joined from top European sides that are used to playing in the Champions League or the Europa League.
Rui Patricio, Willy Boly, Jonny, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota and Helder Costa have all arrived from top Spanish and Portuguese clubs and perhaps that is showing in that they perform better against top teams. This ultimately boils down to motivation and their record against the top 6 teams when compared to that of their mid-pack rivals backs this up too.
Wolves have remained unbeaten 75% of the time against the top 6 sides while they've avoided a loss against just 62% of their fellow bottom fourteen teams, a remarkable statistic. If Wolves are to improve their position, they'll have to improve the latter of those records, but they definitely have the quality to do so.
12th - Bournemouth (26 points)
Top Scorer: Callum Wilson (8)
Best Performer: Callum Wilson (8 goals & 5 assists in 18 appearances)
Bournemouth's poor recent run has seen them fall down the table, but the Cherries are still hanging onto the coattails of the teams above them thanks to their impressive early season form.
Seven losses in their previous 9 games is a huge contrast to 2 in their opening 10 and Eddie Howe's men were even above Manchester United for a certain period of time. This has been thanks in part to Callum Wilson's excellent start to the season, which has seen the striker net 8 times and pick up his first England cap.
To limit the praise to the forward, though, would be criminally selling short what a fine job Howe as done as Bournemouth boss, taking the south coast club from the brink of oblivion in League 2 to the verge of challenging for a European place.
If they're to rediscover their early season form, though, Bournemouth have to tighten up at the back; they've kept one clean sheet since the end of October.
The Verdict
With just two points separating 7th placed Leicester and 12th placed Bournemouth, the midfield scrap is the best battle in the Premier League. Who's going to come out on top is anybody's guess, but if I had to pick, Leicester, Everton and Wolves are the most likely candidates, due to their players' quality and ability to get results against the top 6.
Watford may look solid, but I predict they'll fall away, as should West Ham, although Pellegrini is proven in the Premer League and could spring a surprise. Bournemouth will pick up again but I can't see them putting up a good enough challenge for seventh, their team isn't quite there yet.
But who do you think will finish seventh in the Premier League? Let us know in the comments below!
