Premier League Mid-Season Review: Ranking teams placed 11-20

#18 Burnley

Burnley are down in the dumps

Last season, Sean Dyche had moulded Burnley into one of the hardest teams to break down. However, in 2018-19, the Clarets have been anything but solid.

Dyche’s men have conceded an astonishing 41 goals over 20 games, a tally which is just two short of the appalling number of goals Fulham has conceded. Moreover, they have made the net bulge only 19 times, averaging under a goal a game.

Though the Clarets were never the free-scoring type, their ability to keep things tight at the back offset their constraints going forward. Yet, with their defence as rocky as it has ever been, they have enrolled their name for the Premier League’s annual relegation dogfight.

A poor season till now but I expect them to be in the top-flight come August 2020.

Rating: 4

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#17 Southampton

Hasenhuttl has brought freshness

Southampton endured a torrid 2017-18 season and just about scraped to safety courtesy a couple of timely victories. Many believed their poor showing to be an aberration yet in 2018-19, the Saints have tried extremely hard to prove it could become the norm.

The team from the South Coast were in absolute shambles at the start of the season and rightly gave Mark Hughes his marching orders. Since the instalment of Ralph Hasenhuttl at the helm, they seemed to have turned a corner but their home defeat to West Ham brought them crashing back to earth.

The Saints boast of a highly talented team and have no business flirting with the relegation zone. Yet, as things stand, they are embroiled in a war of attrition rather than sitting pretty in the top half.

Rating: 4.5

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#16 Cardiff City

Cardiff City have clawed their way to 16th

Many people might be scratching their heads at the rating given to a team languishing in 16th place. However, on closer introspection, one would surely appreciate the work Neil Warnock has put in.

As soon as Cardiff gained promotion in the summer, many believed the Welsh outfit to go straight down to the Championship. Yet, Warnock has squeezed every amount of energy and performance from a squad of limited ability.

Cardiff haven’t been pretty to watch with their play being static at best. Though extravagance has never been their biggest asset, they have been doing what do they perfectly: be hard nuts to crack and eke out the odd goal from somewhere.

With 18 games to go, the Welsh outfit might still find a place in the relegation zone come May but for a team with so many restrictions, they have performed admirably.

Rating: 5.5