Winners and Losers of the 1st Half of the Premier League Season

The halfway point of the Premier League season is upon us so it's time to reflect on what we've seen, from the sublime Chelsea to the ridiculous Liverpool.

The season has thrown up plenty of surprise packages. Southampton and West Ham have found themselves in top-four contention, while there's been a real sense of disappointment up on Merseyside as Liverpool and Everton have struggled.

Individually, there have been players and managers who have shone. Likewise, for many it's been a season to forget.

Many of our candidates have either impressively exceeded or woefully fallen short of expectations, while some are simply winners or losers in a very real sense.

Here are the winners and losers from the Premier League season so far.

Winner: Southampton

Despite an impressive eighth-place finish last year, expectations going into this campaign were low for Southampton.

A mass exodus of key players including Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Luke Shaw, as well as manager Mauricio Pochettino, left Saints fans dreading the new season.

However, at the halfway stage, Southampton are fourth and their defensive record is second only to Chelsea's.

Ronald Koeman's men have been outstanding for the majority of the season. Their best result came in the 8-0 demolition of Sunderland, with new signings Graziano Pelle and Dusan Tadic linking up brilliantly to make an instant impact (see 4:09 above).

Despite a run of four Premier League losses in November and December, the Saints have turned things around in style, beating Everton and Crystal Palace comfortably before drawing with Chelsea.

With perennial top-four finishers Arsenal close behind them, Southampton are unlikely to hang on to their UEFA Champions League spot for the second half of the season. However, the south coast side have shown more than enough that a phenomenal fifth-place finish is a strong possibility.

Loser: Simon Mignolet

Simon Mignolet is a strong candidate for the worst goalkeeper of the season.

Recording just five clean sheets in 17 Premier League matches, the beleaguered Belgian has made a number of high-profile, costly errors.

The 26-year-old has rightly come in for criticism from all quarters, notably former Reds 'keeper Bruce Grobbelaar who likened Mignolet to Dracula, per the BBC.

According to the BBC, Brendan Rodgers even told the stopper he was dropped "indefinitely" and left him out against Manchester United, Arsenal and Burnley.

Fate intervened and his replacement, Brad Jones, suffered a thigh injury at Turf Moor that saw Mignolet thrown back into action.

As the above video demonstrates, the spell on the sidelines has done little for the Belgian's confidence. The gaffe is indicative of Mignolet's entire season. His unreliable, error-prone nature has cost Liverpool time and again.

Nothing short of a miraculous turnaround in form will save Mignolet's season. If the Reds are to salvage anything from this campaign, they must look to a new 'keeper in January.

Winner: Sam Allardyce

Squawka

West Ham completed more passes than Arsenal, despite losing 2-1.

A disappointing campaign for West Ham United saw them finish 13th last season. Large sections of the Upton Park faithful called for Sam Allardyce's head, thanks to his less-than-entertaining direct style.

West Ham's board have been rewarded for sticking with the 60-year-old, though, as Allardyce has transformed the Hammers into a stylish but effective outfit.

Losses to Chelsea and Arsenal in their last two games have dropped the Irons to sixth place, but they have graced the top four for much of the season.

As the above graphic from Squawka demonstrates, West Ham completed 293 passes to Arsenal's 209, despite the Gunners winning 2-1. This shows the profound change in their style, with West Ham completing more than 100 more passes than in the equivalent fixture last season.

Allardyce's impressive work in the transfer market was also an important factor, with the likes of Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Alex Song all making a positive impact on the team.

With the players at his disposal, Allardyce can switch between passing and direct styles to suit his tactical needs, and he can keep West Ham around sixth for the remainder of the season. 

A huge improvement on last year.

Loser: Everton

After finishing in fifth place with a phenomenal 72 points last season, there were hopes amongst Everton fans that the Toffees would consolidate and build on their position this year.

At the halfway point, the Blues are languishing in 12th on just 21 points.

While last season Everton shipped a total of just 39 goals, they have already conceded 31. Further, the Toffees have made 10 defensive errors leading to a goal, more than any other team in Europe's top five leagues. Having lost their last three, this shows little sign of abating.

Roberto Soldado's goal (1:54) demonstrates the vulnerability of their defence. Roberto Martinez has proved himself a good Premier League manager, but he's got his work cut out to save Everton's season.

A disappointing mid-table finish awaits.

Winner: Chelsea

While it may have been expected, the devastating manner in which Chelsea have swept all before them truly makes them a winner in the most literal sense here.

With only Manchester City currently providing a serious title challenge, Chelsea sit in first. Having lost just once, they have the best defence and the joint-best attack.

Jose Mourinho's side have dominated the league and are rightly considered favourites for the title.

The additions of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa have taken the Blues' play to a new level. Fabregas has contributed 13 assists, while Costa has the same tally in goals, and the two have linked up spectacularly (1:47).

Chelsea are practically a certainty to win a trophy this year, and it may well be the Premier League title.

Loser: Neil Warnock

Neil Warnock became the first casualty of the managerial sack race and so takes his place as a loser here.

With Crystal Palace in the drop zone after a Boxing Day defeat to Southampton, chairman Steve Parish was the first to blink in sacking his manager.

Though Palace are by no means adrift, it's easy to see why. Just one win in their last nine carried the strong possibility that Warnock would send the club down—as he did with Sheffield United and Notts County.

Speaking to the BBC after the Southampton defeat (above), Warnock cited the "disastrous recipe" of no clean sheets and no goals as the reason for the Eagles' struggles. Considering Tony Pulis guided Palace to 11th last year, the responsibility lies with Warnock.

In changing manager now, Palace can allow the new coach to bring in his own players in January and give the team the best chance of staying up.

Newcastle United released a statement on their club website on Monday night revealing they have allowed Alan Pardew to speak to Palace about the vacancy.

A former Palace player, Pardew would likely be welcomed by the fans and that boost could be the difference that sees them survive.

At 66, however, Warnock might be very lucky to manage in the Premier League again.

Winner: Charlie Austin

While there are plenty of forwards who have sparkled this season, few have performed so far above expectations as Charlie Austin.

The former non-league striker has 12 goals and two assists this season, and thanks largely to his efforts, Queens Park Rangers sit two points clear of relegation.

As the above video shows, Austin's goals have even come against the top teams. In truth, the 25-year-old was unlucky not to have a hat-trick in that game, having had two goals disallowed.

If QPR stay up, Austin will have been the key.

With England's next fixture not until March 27, talk of a call-up is premature, but if the next three months are as successful as the last, then Roy Hodgson would be foolish not to consider him.

Loser: Liverpool

Not to be outdone by Everton, Liverpool have spectacularly failed to live up to last season even more than their blue counterparts.

After coming so close to winning the title last year, the expectation was there for the Reds to go one step further.

Liverpool now sit in eighth and have disappointed in every department this year. Top goalscorer Raheem Sterling has just four, while the defence have been as porous as last year.

The post-match interview with the BBC above could almost be from any game this season. Brendan Rodgers ruing mistakes, a lack of composure and waiting for saviour Daniel Sturridge to return from injury.

While Sturridge's eventual return may paper over some cracks, the reality is the team needs almost a complete overhaul. This is quite damning, given that Rodgers has recruited 25 players during his tenure at Liverpool.

Despite their woes, the Reds are only five points off the top four. Before they can truly set their sights on that, though, Liverpool must look inward to improve the coaching, effort and performance in every area of the pitch.

Until they start getting the basics right consistently, it's going to be a tough season on Merseyside.

Winner: Manchester United

After a torrid season under David Moyes last year, Manchester United fans are now beginning to enjoy a return to normality as Louis van Gaal has revived the Red Devils' winning ways. 

Though United are 10 points behind Chelsea, the improvement on last season has been dramatic and looks only set to continue.

Despite an average start, United have taken advantage of Liverpool and Arsenal's failings to slip comfortably into third. In that time, United have won seven of their last nine, scoring 17.

Van Gaal is the ultimate perfectionist, demonstrated above in his interview with the BBC. While elements of his team leave something to be desired—his defence, mainly—the Dutchman will continue to get the best out of his players right to the end of the season.

This makes the Red Devils outsiders for the title, though next year looks more realistic once defensive recruitment has taken place. In any case, the only way is up for United.

Loser: Hatem Ben Arfa

When he arrived at Hull City on deadline day to cheers and high fives from the fans, there was hope that Hatem Ben Arfa might finally live up to the talent he so clearly possesses. 

According to Craig Hope of the Daily Mail, Ben Arfa thanked Steve Bruce for his trust in his open letter to Newcastle fans on joining Hull.

However, Ben Arfa has shown little has changed in terms of his effort or commitment. In his time at Hull, he failed to contribute anything of note in nine appearances. Against Manchester United, Bruce was forced to withdraw Ben Arfa after a lethargic 35 minutes.

According to the interview above courtesy of the Mail Online, Ben Arfa went AWOL from the club with Bruce admitting he did not know where the 27-year-old was.

The Tigers are now ending the Frenchman's season-long loan early. Hamburg and Nice are reportedly interested, so one hopes the mercurial midfielder has learned a valuable lesson as he looks to rebuild his career on the continent.

A disappointing end to such a talented player's Premier League career.