- Nemanja Matic has been one of top of the table Chelsea's star performers
- Alexis Sanchez has scored 11 goals in 17 league games for Arsenal
- Harry Kane has proven a revelation at Tottenham since breaking through
- Stoke's Steven Nzonzi has covered more miles than any other player
- West Ham are 16 points better off in this campaign, than 12 months ago
The 2014-15 Premier League has served up non-stop thrills and spills as we hit the halfway mark of the campaign.
19 games in Chelsea sit three points clear of defending champions Manchester City, while bottom side Leicester endured a 13-game winless run before Sunday's 1-0 win at Hull.
Below Sportsmail's reporters review each club's progress so far this season and where they can improve going into the New Year.
ARSENAL (currently 5th) - By Sami Mokbel
What’s been good?
The fact they are still in touch with the Champions League positions after such an indifferent start.
What’s been bad?
Their crippling injury list. Key players have missed large chunks of the season.
Who’s the star?
A no-brainer. Where would Arsenal be without Alexis Sanchez? Nowhere near the top four. Brilliant start to life at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal centre back Per Mertesacker has failed to convince at the heart of the Gunners' defence
Who’s let the side down?
Per Mertesacker’s performances have not been up to his usual standards this season.
What do they need in January?
A central defender and, if their budget stretches that far, a holding midfielder. There is £20million to spend so they need to be creative.
Did you know...
If Arsenal had won all the games in which they have taken the lead this season, they would be second — two points behind Chelsea.
Alexis Sanchez has scored 11 goals in 17 Premier League games since joining Arsenal this season
ASTON VILLA (13th) - By Laurie Whitwell
What’s been good?
A new passing style, the return of Christian Benteke from injury, the improvement of Jores Okore and Ciaran Clark.
What’s been bad?
Too many red cards, too many injuries and too few goals: just 11 in 19 — the lowest in England’s four divisions.
Who’s the star?
Gabriel Agbonlahor has approached his best form, giving Villa a pacey, powerful outlet up front. Clark has shone, too.
Who’s let the side down?
Leandro Bacuna would want to do better.
What do they need in January?
Possibly another striker to share the burden with Benteke and a left back as cover for Aly Cissokho.
Did you know...
Aston Villa scored only 11 goals in the first half of the season. The lowest scorers in an entire Premier League season are Derby in 2007-08 with 20.
Fabian Delph's (centre) red card on Sunday was the latest sending off Aston Villa have occurred this season
BURNLEY (19th) - By Chris Wheeler
What’s been good?
Even after 10 games without a win, Burnley and manger Sean Dyche never gave up hope.
What’s been bad?
Being without striker Sam Vokes for the first half of the season as he recovered from a serious knee injury.
Who’s the star?
Ashley Barnes came into the starting line-up and scored the winner against Hull and Southampton.
Who’s let the side down?
Yet to see the best of Marvin Sordell, Michael Kightly, Steven Reid or Matt Taylor.
What do they need in January?
Dyche has already acknowledged the need for another central midfielder to take some of the workload off David Jones and Dean Marney.
Did you know...
On average Burnley are covering more distance (72.2 miles per game) than any other Premier League team this season.
Ashley Barnes (centre) scored a late equaliser for Burnley at champions Manchester City on Sunday
CHELSEA (1st) - By Matt Barlow
What’s been good?
Goals from Diego Costa, energy from Eden Hazard, vision from Fabregas and Oscar and solid defensive unit.
What’s been bad?
Mourinho didn’t like the atmosphere at the Bridge. Others didn’t like the diving.
Spain striker Diego Costa has been in freescoring form for the Blues since signing this summer
Who’s the star?
Nemanja Matic - keystone who allows Mourinho to balance the team.
Who’s let the side down?
Filipe Luis and Loic Remy have made limited impact. Mo Salah appears to have been discarded.
What do they need in January?
Maybe an upgrade on the right wing. They will need another striker, assuming Drogba is near the end.
Did you know...
Since 2006-07 Chelsea have picked up 17 yellow cards for simulation, more than any other Premier League side.
Nemanja Matic (centre) has been one of Chelsea's standout performers as they sit top of the table
CRYSTAL PALACE (18th) - By Neil Ashton
What’s been good?
A stirring 3-1 victory over Liverpool and a decent win at Everton.
What’s been bad?
Losing two managers in five months. Tony Pulis is the manager of the year and yet is out of work.
Who’s the star?
Mile Jedinak. They will miss him when he is away for the Asia Cup in January.
Who’s let the side down?
Jimmy Kebe. Complete waste of time.
What do they need in January?
Organisation, structure and discipline. They will spend a few bob on a left back. Expect striker Yaya Sanogo to come in on loan.
Did you know...
Crystal Palace have exactly the same number of points as they had at the halfway stage of the 2013-14 campaign (16) — they ended last season in 11th place.
Neil Warnock was sacked as Crystal Palace boss following their 3-1 Boxing Day defeat to Southampton
EVERTON (12th) - By Dominic King
What’s been good?
Smooth progress into the Europa League knockout stages. Home games against Wolfsburg and Lille were terrific.
What’s been bad?
Domestic form. The tone was set with four points thrown away in the first two games against Leicester and Arsenal.
Who’s the star?
James McCarthy is a short price to be club player of the year.
Who’s let the side down?
Romelu Lukaku hasn’t done enough to justify that £28million outlay yet.
What do they need in January?
Roberto Martinez could do with signing a central defender soon.
Did you know...
Everton have conceded 31 goals already after only letting in 39 in the whole of 2013-14.
Everton have conceded 31 league goals so far this term - just eight less than the whole of last season
HULL CITY (17th) - By Craig Hope
What’s been good?
Deadline day was exciting as Hatem Ben Arfa, Mo Diame, Gaston Ramirez and Abel Hernandez all arrived.
What’s been bad?
The football and the results. The new signings have not gelled.
Who’s the star?
Left back Andrew Robertson has been a hit.
Who’s let the side down?
Hatem Ben Arfa. The French playmaker has already been let go from loan.
What do they need in January?
Who knows? They’ve got good numbers but something just isn’t working.
Did you know...
Hull have had fewer touches in the opposition penalty area than any other team (256).
Young left back Andrew Robertson (centre) has starred for struggling Hull so far this campaign
LEICESTER CITY (20th) - By Laurie Whitwell
What’s been good?
That astonishing 5-3 victory over Manchester United.
What’s been bad?
A winless streak of 13 games. Nigel Pearson’s outburst at a fan.
Who’s the star?
Leo Ulloa cost upwards of £8million but has repaid fee with seven goals in 16 starts.
Who’s let the side down?
Pearson decided to cut short Nick Powell’s loan from Manchester United after the midfielder made just three substitute appearances.
What do they need in January?
Another striker to share the goal burden with Ulloa, a top central defender, a goalkeeper to cover for injured Kasper Schmeichel.
Did you know...
Leicester’s 13-match winless run was the 29th in Premier League history. On 19 of those occasions (65.5%), the team in question has been relegated.
Leonardo Ulloa has scored seven league goals in 16 Premier League starts for Leicester this term
LIVERPOOL (8th) - By Dominic King
What’s been good?
Raheem Sterling. He’s emerged from a sticky patch to show why he is one Europe’s top young players.
What’s been bad?
Where to start? A dismal Champions League exit and so many wretched performances in the Premier League.
Who’s the star?
Sterling is on course for 15 goals.
Who’s let the side down?
Too many players have failed to recapture last season’s sparkle. Simon Mignolet and Mario Balotelli look ill-suited to the club.
What do they need in January?
A goalkeeper and a striker. Liverpool can’t keep being flimsy at the back.
Did you know...
18.8 per cent of the errors leading to a shot or goal in the Premier League this season have been made by Liverpool or Everton.
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has come under scrutiny after several dodgy displays for the Reds
MANCHESTER CITY (2nd) - By Chris Wheeler
What’s been good?
The manner in which Manuel Pellegrini’s team have recovered from a stuttering start in the Premier League and almost certain elimination from the Champions League.
What’s been bad?
The decision to allow Alvaro Negredo to return to Spain on loan in the summer without signing a replacement striker.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has netted 19 goals before a recent knee injury halted his form
Who’s the star?
Sergio Aguero. The Argentine scored 19 goals before a knee injury ruled him out.
Who’s let the side down?
Early on, it was Yaya Toure on the back of last summer’s ‘Cakegate’ controversy but the Ivory Coast star is getting back to his best.
What do they need in January?
Another striker would be nice but it probably won’t happen. Oh, and sort out Frank Lampard’s future.
Did you know...
Manchester City and Chelsea have both won 88 Premier League points in 2014.
Yaya Toure (left) has started to recapture last season's form, after a slow start this term at Manchester City
MANCHESTER UNITED (3rd) - By Ian Ladyman
What’s been good?
If you reach Christmas with the feeling that the best may be ahead of you then you are in okay shape. United don’t defend well enough and they don’t keep the ball well enough. But they are an increasingly dangerous force on the counter.
What’s been bad?
United still aren’t great at putting 90-minute performances together.
Dutch striker Robin van Persie has failed to lead the line for Manchester United this season so far
Who’s the star?
David de Gea. Watching goalkeepers in prime form is a privilege. De Gea has given us that already this season. It won’t always be as good but we will remember this.
Who’s let the side down?
Robin van Persie needs to learn how to lead this team’s attack once more.
What do they need in January?
A world class central defender and a holding midfield player. May have to wait for the summer.
Did you know...
Wayne Rooney needs two more goals to become the first player in Premier League history to score 10 or more goals in 11 consecutive seasons.
David de Gea (right) has been Manchester United's star performer this season in an unconvincing defence
NEWCASTLE (10th) - By Craig Hope
What’s been good?
A run of five straight league wins which lifted them from bottom to fifth. It kept Alan Pardew in a job and silenced those fans who had campaigned for him to be sacked. In the end, he walked anyway.
What’s been bad?
The subsequent run of five defeats in seven which quickly killed talk of a surprise European push. The League Cup exit at Spurs was a blow, as was a fourth straight derby defeat.
Who’s the star?
Ayoze Perez. At £1.6m from Tenerife, the 21-year-old forward is arguably the find of the season.
Who’s let the side down?
Remy Cabella. The France playmaker arrived for £12m but has been lightweight and off the pace.
What do they need in January?
A new manager and a new striker. Nine-goal top scorer Papiss Cisse is off to the Africa Cup of Nations and Perez needs support.
Did you know...
Newcastle’s substitutes have scored eight Premier League goals this season — more than any other side. Manchester City and Southampton are next-highest with five.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is soon expected to leave the club for Crystal Palace
QPR (15th) - By Sami Mokbel
What’s been good?
Their performances at home have ensured they have been able to keep their heads above water.
What’s been bad?
They are yet to pick up an away point this season. One win would have seen them as high as 12th.
Who’s the star?
Charlie Austin has been a revelation. Rangers would be in dire straits without his goals. Can he maintain it for the second half of the season though?
Who’s let the side down?
Rio Ferdinand. The move hasn’t worked out how QPR would have liked. Ferdinand has found himself warming the bench in recent weeks, although his experience is still said to be invaluable at training.
What do they need in January?
At least one centre forward. Mauro Zarate looks certain to sign on loan from West Ham. They may need a left back, too.
Did you know...
QPR have already won four more points at Loftus Road this season (18) than in the entire 2012-13 campaign (14).
QPR striker Charlie Austin (right) has scored 12 goals in 17 Premier League appearances this season
SOUTHAMPTON (4th) - By Sam Cunningham
What’s been good?
Southampton made an unbelievable start to the season. Written off by many as potential relegation candidates after losing their stars in the summer, they shocked everyone.
What’s been bad?
Their run of defeats since the end of November. Their first real test came in facing Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United in eight days. They lost all of them.
Who’s the star?
Nathaniel Clyne. The right back’s strong displays this season earned him an England call-up and, potentially, he looks like the national team’s first choice there now.
Who’s let the side down?
Florin Gardos. The £4million summer signing has failed to impress and was sent off in his last match against Sheffield United during the dismal Capital One Cup defeat.
What do they need in January?
More depth. Their starting XI is strong, but injuries and tiredness have left them playing weakened sides. The return of Jay Rodriguez from injury cannot come soon enough.
Did you know...
Before surrendering the lead to Chelsea on Sunday, Southampton had not dropped a single point from a winning position this season.
Nathaniel Clyne's (left) excellent form this season saw him earn his first England international cap
STOKE (11th) - By Laurie Whitwell
What’s been good?
The continuing evolution of style allied with big wins against Manchester City, Tottenham (away) and Arsenal (again).
What’s been bad?
The Britannia has been breached too many times – with home losses to Aston Villa, Leicester and Burnley.
Who’s the star?
Bojan has lived up to his billing with a series of creative displays at No 10, including three valuable goals
Who’s let the side down?
Oussama Assaidi has not matched his high levels of last season following his second loan spell from Liverpool.
What do they need in January?
Possibly a striker to support Peter Crouch and Mame Biram Diouf — who has played on the wing — and a centre back to add options.
Did you know...
Steven Nzonzi has covered the greatest distance of any player in the league — 133.6 miles.
Stoke midfielder Steven Nzonz (left) has covered 133.6miles - more than any other player in the league
SUNDERLAND (14th) - By Craig Hope
What’s been good?
The Tyne-Wear derby win – their fourth on the spin – was the highlight and at least gave hope that better is to come.
What’s been bad?
Six goalless draws and the final slot on Match of the Day where they now permanently reside.
Who’s the star?
Seb Larsson. The Swedish midfielder has provided craft and graft in the engine room.
Who’s let the side down?
Jack Rodwell. It may take time to find his feet but much more was expected of the £10m midfielder.
What do they need in January?
Goals. Gus Poyet makes no secret of his desire for offensive flair and has challenged the club hierarchy to go out and get it.
Did you know...
Sunderland have kept four successive clean sheets away from home for the first time in their Premier League history. They last kept four in a row in the top-flight in February 1902.
Adam Johnson's (left) goal gave Sunderland their fourth Tyne-Wear derby win in a row against Newcastle
SWANSEA (9th) - By Riath Al-Samarrai
What’s been good?
Swansea are on course for their highest Premier League finish. Garry Monk has done an exceptional job so far.
What’s been bad?
16 points have been dropped from winning positions.
Who’s the star?
Wilfried Bony. Gylfi Sigurdsson has excelled, but Bony is surely heading for a top club. Prolific, strong and only 26.
Who’s let the side down?
Neil Taylor and Jonjo Shelvey. Taylor has underwhelmed and Monk was right to slate Shelvey’s attitude recently.
What do they need in January?
They have recruited a striker in Nelson Oliveira but need to strengthen at right and left back.
Did you know...
Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored (four) or assisted (eight) half of Swansea’s 24 goals.
Wilfried Bony has continued off from last season at Swansea by still consistently scoring goals
TOTTENHAM (7th) - By Neil Ashton
What’s been good?
The progress of Harry Kane, the reliability of goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and the improving Christian Eriksen.
What’s been bad?
The atmosphere at White Hart Lane is too negative. It should be Tottenham’s fortress.
Who’s the star?
Harry Kane. Not the best player, but he sets an example with his work-rate. Others in that team could take note.
Who’s let the side down?
Emmanuel Adebayor. Bad attitude.
What do they need in January?
Some wide players with pedigree. Lamela shows flashes but he’s taking an age to find consistency. Andros Townsend isn’t good enough.
Did you know...
Tottenham earned the same number of points as Manchester United in 2014 — 66. The last time United failed to earn more points than Spurs in a calendar year was 1990.
Harry Kane (right) has been a revelation at Tottenham since breaking into the first team this season
WEST BROM (16th) - By Laurie Whitwell
What’s been good?
That week in September when three wins on the spin, against Tottenham, Hull and Burnley, made it seem Alan Irvine might just last the season after all.
What’s been bad?
Yet another change in head coach following a downturn in form. It was this time last season when Steve Clarke’s dismissal sparked serious turmoil.
Who’s the star?
It would have been Saido Berahino before his form dipped in October, so Joleon Lescott’s consistency in the heart of defence edges that contest.
Who’s let the side down?
Brown Ideye cost £10million but has struggled. Injuries have not helped but he looks significantly off the pace.
What do they need in January?
A striker capable of scoring regularly in the Premier League, a genuine winger with pace and a new head coach.
Did you know...
West Brom have failed to score a first-half goal in nine of their last 11 league games.
Brown Ideye (right) has struggled to live up to his £10million price tag since joining West Brom
WEST HAM (6th) - By Sami Mokbel
What’s been good?
Pretty much everything. What a difference a summer transfer window makes. They have gone from relegation candidates to European contenders.
What’s been bad?
The continued uncertainty surrounding manager Sam Allardyce. He has worked wonders this season, yet there is a reluctance from the West Ham powerbrokers to extend his deal that expires in the summer.
Who’s the star?
There are a few contenders but Stewart Downing has been brilliant in a new, central role. The switch has given the former Liverpool man a new lease of life and West Ham are benefitting as a result.
Who’s let the side down?
No-one on the pitch. Winston Reid’s reluctance to sign a new contract, though, is a major concern for the club.
What do they need in January?
They’ll need to keep an eye out for a central defender given the uncertainty over Reid’s situation.
Did you know...
Compared to this stage last season, West Ham are a massive 16 points better off in this campaign.
Alex Song (right) is one of many summer signings that have proved a hit at West Ham this season
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