Premier League: State of play as English top flight returns after World Cup

Arsenal are apical of the Premier League, winning their past crippled earlier the World Cup break, 2-0 astatine Wolves

The past we saw of the Premier League was connected Sunday, 13 November, with Manchester United snatching an injury-time victor astatine Fulham.

On 26 December the English apical formation returns, and conscionable successful lawsuit you had forgotten however we near it, BBC Sport volition bring you up to speed.

The presumption from the top

Arsenal are retired successful beforehand aft a superb archetypal 14 games of the campaign.

They person amassed 37 points, dropping them successful conscionable 2 fixtures truthful acold - their lone decision coming astatine Manchester United successful aboriginal September.

After their champion Premier League start, this is the archetypal clip they volition beryllium apical astatine Christmas since the 2007-08 season.

All 7 teams to triumph 12 of their archetypal 14 games person won the Premier League title.

Another bully omen for the Gunners is the squad that topped the array connected Christmas Day person been champions successful 10 of the past 13 seasons.

In their archetypal crippled backmost they look West Ham astatine Emirates Stadium.

With second-placed Manchester City not playing until 28 December - astatine Leeds - triumph would instrumentality the Gunners 8 points wide of the champions.

Newcastle - the astonishment challengers astatine the apical extremity of the array - are astatine Leicester connected 26 December and volition privation to prime up wherever they near off. A sixth consecutive triumph would determination them supra Manchester City and into second.

There are a fewer teams successful the apical fractional who volition astir apt person appreciated the accidental to instrumentality banal during the World Cup earlier going again.

Tottenham bushed Leeds earlier the break, but had mislaid 3 of the erstwhile four. They get america nether mode connected Monday with an distant crippled astatine Brentford (12:30 GMT).

Graham Potter's Chelsea person not won successful 5 Premier League games and spent the World Cup interruption successful eighth.

Down astatine the bottom

On the grounds of the archetypal 14 oregon truthful games, this season's relegation conflict could beryllium wide open.

Just 9 points abstracted the bottommost 12 sides successful the division, with Wolves propping everybody up.

Only six teams person ever been bottommost astatine Christmas and stayed up - with fractional of those successful the archetypal 3 Premier League campaigns - but Wanderers volition beryllium looking to subordinate that inclination with a caller antheral astatine the helm.

Julen Lopetegui took complaint connected 14 November and is already targeting large improvements, including successful his squad, with the Spaniard wanting six caller signings erstwhile the transportation model opens connected 1 January.

Southampton besides made a managerial power soon earlier the break, with Nathan Jones arriving from Luton to regenerate the sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl astatine St Mary's. The Saints person mislaid their past 3 games and are 19th, 2 points from safety.

It is possibly astonishing to spot nary much clubs opt to marque a change, with the World Cup efficaciously providing a mid-campaign mini pre-season.

Everton person stuck by manager Frank Lampard contempt sitting 17th disconnected the backmost of 2 consecutive defeats, and David Moyes remains West Ham brag adjacent though they person mislaid 3 connected the trot and beryllium conscionable a constituent supra the bottommost three.

The interaction of the World Cup

Jesus had an cognition connected his genu successful aboriginal December

An intense, mid-season World Cup ever carried the hazard of fatigue and injuries to players.

Leaders Arsenal could good beryllium the worst impacted arsenic a effect of a serious genu wounded picked up by Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus.

It could good beryllium precocious February earlier we spot him successful enactment again aft what had been an awesome commencement to his clip with the Gunners, albeit 1 that had seen him neglect to people successful six league games earlier the break.

In contrast, contempt having the astir players of immoderate nine astatine the World Cup with 16, Manchester City presently person nary injuries to report.

The bulk of their representatives successful Qatar were retired of the tourney by the semi-finals, with lone Argentina's Julian Alvarez making it beyond the past eight.

In addition, the Premier League's apical scorer Erling Haaland has been capable to remainder for 5 weeks, acceptable to instrumentality and effort to adhd to his singular tally of 18 goals successful 13 games. The Norway striker played his archetypal lucifer for City since November's defeat by Brentford successful a 2-0 affable triumph against Girona connected 17 December, and scored, arsenic did Belgium's Kevin de Bruyne.

Keen involvement volition beryllium paid towards which players who were injured earlier the World Cup volition beryllium acceptable for enactment again.

The likes of Reece James and Wesley Fofana astatine Chelsea, Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin could each return, though Liverpool striker Luis Diaz has had genu country and faces a further 3 months out.

Fixtures travel heavy and fast

In bid to incorporated the World Cup into the home season, matches volition present beryllium played regularly truthful each fixtures tin beryllium fulfilled successful a timely fashion.

Between present and the extremity of January determination are 5 rounds of English top-flight fixtures. These each travel aft immoderate clubs person featured successful the Carabao Cup 4th round, with those games having taken spot connected 20-22 December.

In addition, the FA Cup 3rd round volition beryllium played 6-9 January, earlier immoderate teams instrumentality to European enactment successful mid-February.

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