As we head into the New Year, the Premier League table is starting to settle down. We’re getting a pretty good idea of what it will look like in May, but until then, what should each club do to make sure that their season can be considered successful?

Arsenal: Get into Europe.

Although the first half of Arsenal’s season was, quite frankly, a catastrophe, the appointment of former club captain Mikel Arteta has brought a bit of excitement back to North London. The demolition of Manchester United in particular gave the players and fans some much needed confidence. The Gunners still languish in 10th place, however, and however much we enjoyed the United game, missing out on a place in Europe for next season would be a big blow for a club of this stature. Forget finishing in the top four, I highly doubt that we can mount a successful assault on it at present, but finishing in the top 7 is a must. Perhaps, if our form continues to get better, we could claim the Europa League title which would grant us a place in the Champions League. Fingers crossed.

Aston Villa: Hold onto Grealish.

Villa have been quite disappointing in all honesty. They’re in 18th, after their 6-1 demolition at the hands of Manchester City this weekend. They spent almost £135m in the summer, forking out large fees for players such as Wesley, Tyrone Mings and Douglas Luiz. Yet, these big names clearly haven’t made enough of an impact. But one player who has been a shining star for the club is their young captain, Jack Grealish. He has been superb, but the downside of this is that he’s the subject of serious interest from Tottenham and Manchester United. For a player like Grealish, who has brilliant potential, a move to a top six club might be irresistible. If he leaves this month, I can’t see them remaining in the top flight, so they have to do all they can to convince him to stay.

Bournemouth: Get Callum Wilson firing again.

The Cherries are in a pickle at the moment. They’re in the relegation zone, and their performances have dipped from the impressive Bournemouth side that we’ve seen in recent years. And I think one of the primary reasons for that is the disappointing form of their front-man Callum Wilson. Last season he was exceptional for the club, scoring 14 goals in the Premier League, propelling them to a respectable 14th placed finish. So far this season he’s managed just five, it’s clear that he’ll need to make more of an impact if they’re going to be playing in the top division this time next year. I hope it goes well for Wilson and Bournemouth, because he’s a great player at a very promising football club.

Brighton and Hove Albion: Be consistent.

Brighton have looked brilliant at time this season. I remember watching them play Tottenham on Boxing Day, and they were exceptional. It wasn’t like watching the typical small club away to a top six team. Brighton played with a confidence, a belief, a sophistication by which I was amazed. They were bitterly unfortunate to lose that game, because they dominated Spurs for most of the game. It was much the same story against Arsenal as well. But inconsistency has been a plague for them in the current campaign. I was surprised to see that they were in 14th at the time of writing, but then I look at their record, and I see winnable games in which they threw away points, against the likes of Southampton, West Ham, Burnley and others. I mean no disrespect to any of these teams, but if you’re going to cement yourself as a club with big ambitions, these are the sorts of games which you have to be winning. But they have a great deal of promise within their ranks, so it’s only a matter of time before they start threatening the European places.

Burnley: Solidify the defence.

I never thought I’d have to say this about Burnley, but here we are. The formidable defence, which was a source of much frustration to most teams in the league since they were promoted back to the top flight, has seemingly vanished. They’ve conceded 34 goals in the league so far, which is far from ideal if you’re looking to finish in the top 10; this is what Burnley’s goal should be. Perhaps a dip into the transfer market this month could give them a boost, but there’s a fundamental flaw in the way that they’re playing this season. That needs to be fixed.

Chelsea: Finish in the top 4.

Chelsea, for the most part, have been superb this season. A lot of people were severely sceptical about the appointment of Blues icon Frank Lampard to replace Maurizio Sarri, but what a brilliant decision it has been. He’s got Chelsea playing some wonderful football, and placed his trust in young players such as Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount. They’ve seized those opportunities with both hands, and, despite some iffy moments against Bournemouth, Southampton and West Ham, the club has been improving hugely. They’re currently in 4th place, five points ahead of their closest rivals Manchester United. Now is the time for them to show their grit and hold onto Champions League qualification with all their might. To fail in that regard would be a sour tinge on their otherwise promising season.

Crystal Palace: Sort out the Zaha saga.

How long has this been going on? Endless rumours, statements, drama, all of the ‘Will he? Won’t he?’ questions. It’s clear that Wilfried Zaha has that touch of class, but the drama surrounding him is getting ridiculous. I think the club are partly to blame for that. It’s been obvious for a while now that he wants to leave, but Palace have been stubbornly holding out for an exorbitant fee of £80m for the forward. I can’t see many teams wanting to take a gamble on a player with little to no European experience. It would be better for them to sell him for a reasonable price, which would still be enough to perform some savvy recruitment. Then, and only then, the club can progress.

Everton: Spent smartly.

Ancelotti was a statement of intent for Everton. Now, they have to follow that up with some good player signings. Far too often in recent years, the Merseyside outfit have thrown swathes of money at players, only for them to disappoint. Perhaps this is partly down to coaching, but it’s also down to the consistency, or lack thereof, of the players that they’re bringing in. Perhaps it isn’t the right time to be building a fancy new stadium – if they want to be competing with Liverpool, they need a far more solid team. If they’re not careful, a lack of funds will contribute to an Arsenal-esque dip in form, which could put them in serious trouble.

Leicester City: Keep the big club mentality.

Few people would have dared to predict how well Leicester would do yet again this season. They’re arguably more impressive than they were in their title-winning season, their only problem being the superb improvement of Liverpool and Manchester City. But now they have to do this every year. Nowadays, it’s almost impossible for a small club to push in at the top, but Leicester have to make themselves the exception. Holding onto 3rd or 2nd place this season would be a great help, because part of their ambition has to be financial. They have to be able to hold onto their key players like Wilfred Ndidi, Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu. If they allow them to be poached off them like what happened with Kante, Mahrez and Drinkwater after they won the title, then their goal of being a Champions League level team will be damaged. They have to realise that they’re a big club now, and they have to act like it.

Liverpool: Win the Champions League again.

The Premier League is pretty much decided. Liverpool are 14 points clear with 16 games to play, and, barring a monumental apocalypse, they will stay there and win the League for the first time since 1990. But to establish themselves truly as a mega-club, they need to win the Champions League again. They’ve had a couple of slip-ups in the group stage, losing at Napoli and looking unconvincing at the back against Salzburg, but now, they have to get past Atletico Madrid, who are a real force to be reckoned with. Get past them, and carry on to retain the title of European Champions, then they’ll have cemented their place back at the top of the world game.

Manchester City: Realise that you have enough full-backs.

Pep Guardiola loves a full-back. And rightly so. They’re a vital part of any team. But, central defenders are important too, and that’s a position that he seems to have neglected a bit. With Aymeric Laporte out for a while, they’ve been short in that position, often having to play Fernandinho in his position. This has left the midfield a bit light, which has contributed to them being less impressive than they were last season. It’s time to recruit another really good centre-back. Perhaps some other positions as well, because strangely, their squad depth is lacking, which is not something I had realised until very recently. Make some shrewd acquisitions, then, next season, they’ll be back to their frighteningly good best.

Manchester United: I don’t even know.

I’ve been sitting here racking my brains on what to do with Manchester United, but I’m struggling. Not because they have nothing to fix; because they have literally everything to fix. The manager is not getting the most out of his players, although that could be down to the fact that a great deal of his players simply don’t possess the necessary quality to play for a club which, I must (reluctantly) say, is the biggest in the world. A serious rebuild needs to happen, or else they will fade into mid-table obscurity, and the legendary team of Sir Alex Ferguson’s day will seem like a different club altogether. It does already, I think.

Newcastle United: Get the most out of the forwards.

Newcastle have been weird this season. They’re comfortable in 13th, but they’ve scored the second fewest goals in the league this season. That’s with some exceptional forward players such as Allan Saint-Maximin, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron. All of them are very talented players, but for some reason they haven’t been scoring as many as required. Newcastle are one of my favourite clubs though, and with the culture surrounding them, it’s likely that they’ll be improving steadily for the next few seasons.

Norwich City: Try again later.

There’s really not much I can say about the Canaries. They were promising early in the season, but now they sit rock bottom, eight points from safety. They may as well accept that they’ll be back in the Championship next season, and plan for the departure of players such as Todd Cantwell, one of their few bright sparks, who will certainly be getting a move to a bigger club in the summer, if not this month.

Sheffield United: Push for the top 7.

What a brilliant story Sheffield United have been. Tipped by many to be 20th come May, they have thrown egg in the faces of all of their critics and been absolutely superb. They’ve beaten Arsenal and taken points off almost every other big team, and now are sitting pretty in 8th place. What would put the icing on the cake for them would be a place in the Europa League next season. With the miracles that Chris Wilder has performed so far in the current campaign, it would not surprise me at all if they achieved it.

Southampton: Continue the resurgence.

Southampton looked ghastly until recently. Now, they’ve hauled themselves away from the relegation zone, and after beating Chelsea and Leicester City, are perched in 12th. Danny Ings has played a huge role in saving their season, as he’s scored 14 of their 27 league goals in 2019/20. If he can stay consistent and injury-free, then they’ll finish very respectably and continue to build up momentum next season. But they have to be careful not to suddenly drop off a cliff, as has happened before: this year has to be different.

Tottenham Hotspur: Get taken seriously.

A common phrase which has been thrown around since I can remember is that of “Spursing it up”. It refers to something which has great promise, suddenly capitulating at the very moment where its potential must be realised. Tottenham (as much as I am pained to admit it) are a big club. These means that, instead of languishing around the bottom of the European places, they should be a top 4 regular, challenging for the title. They haven’t really challenged the top teams with any real conviction, and in the last part of this season they have to show what they’re capable of, which, in fairness to them, is quite a lot. Hopefully Mourinho will bring that mentality to them, although I’m still doubtful as to whether sacking Pochettino, despite their abysmal start to the season, was the right idea, given his clear coaching talent. We’ll see.

Watford: Perform a miracle.

How’s this happened then? Watford looked awful in the first half of the season, but they’ve had a very unlikely resurgence. They’ve dragged themselves out of the relegation zone, and are set to perform one of the Premier League’s great escapes. It will be difficult for them not to slip back in, but stranger things have happened. Maybe they’ll win the league next season…

West Ham United: Sign a young manager.

West Ham are in a crisis. Ever since their stadium move, they’ve really been struggling to convincingly challenge the teams at the top of the table, which was really the point in that move in the first place. They need to get out of this hire-and-fire regime which has plagued them for years, because the ship needs to be steadied. Hiring a young manager, for example, Niko Kovac, and giving him time and patience with which to develop the club, would give much more long term benefit than simply hiring older managers on short term contracts, not allowing them to really make their mark on the club. A change needs to come, and it needs to come sooner rather than later.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Consistency, consistency, consistency.

Wolves are such a brilliant team. They could easily be in the top 4 if they showed that brilliance week in, week out. But they don’t. For example, only a few days after beating Manchester City 3-2 at home, they slump to a 2-1 defeat at struggling Watford. Much like Leicester City, they have to adopt a much bigger mentality, and with such a talented squad and manager, a positive change in this regard would bring stellar results.