From Erling Haaland magic to Miguel Almiron playing like Lionel Messi and Darwin Nunez chaos

After the disappointment of England’s exit from the World Cup, it’s time to get fully lost in the Premier League once again.

It’s been a strange month with a winter World Cup for the first time ever, meaning a break from top flight action for what has seemed an absolute age.

Since the Premier League halted on November 13, out in Qatar there has been 64 matches played across just four weeks.

Like talkSPORT, you’ve probably been all consumed by the action and loved (nearly) every minute of it. We just won’t talk about the quarter-finals…

But now it is time for the Premier League to return and we can’t wait. In case you have forgotten what happened during the first part of the season, talkSPORT.com has you covered.

Yes, Arsenal fans, you really are top of the Premier League… it wasn’t all a dream.

Erling Haaland is here

We haven’t seen Haaland in action for a month now and it’s easy to forget just how dominant the striker has been for Man City.

The 22-year-old has already scored an outrageous 18 times in 13 total appearances. That’s a goal around every 58 minutes.

Jack Grealish went viral at the end of last season when he mocked the Newcastle star.

It seems Almiron took that personally and has been utterly breathtaking for the Magpies this season, and has been a big part of their rise to third in the Premier League.

In the last eight games before the break, he managed to score an incredible seven goals.

Grealish, meanwhile, has netted just once so far this season. 

Aaron Ramsdale and Nick Pope are the best goalkeepers

It is normally the likes of Ederson and Alisson who take the goalkeeping plaudits in the Premier League.

But it is two English goalkeepers leading the way in 2022/23 in Ramsdale and Pope, for Arsenal and Newcastle respectively.

It is no coincident that those teams sit first and third in the table. They’ve got unbelievable goalkeepers between the sticks.

They are neck and neck for the Golden Glove award with seven clean sheets apiece.

What’s more, it’s a win for the lower leagues of English football. Both have earned their stripes outside the top flight.

Pope has played as low as the Isthmian Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, while  Ramsdale has played in every division of the EFL.

Shocks

There has been a shake up to the natural order of things this season. We have became used to Man City and Liverpool, to a lesser extent Chelsea, dominating the top of the table.

But they have looked beatable so far. Liverpool have struggled and have suffered unlikely defeats to Nottingham Forest and Leeds – both struggling at the wrong end of the table.

City have lost to Brentford, while Chelsea have suffered defeats to Leeds and Southampton.

De Zerbi’s touch

There is a new face in the Brighton dugout, following Graham Potter’s switch to Chelsea – plus just about every member of their backroom staff.

Roberto De Zerbi has been a welcome addition to the Premier League and has continued Potter’s fine work at the Seagulls.

And he also has an incredible first touch, as he effortlessly showcased during their match with Liverpool.

Man United almost signed Arnautovic

The Red Devils were in full panic station mode in August as they looked to bolster their squad before the transfer window slammed shut.

This involved trying to offload Cristiano Ronaldo, which they failed to do, but he agreed to terminate his contract after the Piers Morgan interview saga.

The height of their desperation was epitomised by their attempt to sign a 33-year-old Marko Arnautovic from Bologna.

It was bizarre, before the club backed down following a fierce backlash from supporters.

Darwin Nunez chaos

Love him or hate him, the Uruguay striker has been entertaining in the Premier League this season.

Billed as a rival for Erling Haaland following a blockbuster transfer from Benfica, things haven’t quite worked out that way.

He was sent off for a headbutt on his Anfield debut, but has actually managed to score nine goals in all competitions.

There has been plenty of terrible misses scattered in there too and serious unpredictability. Nunez has been pure chaos… and we love it.

Welcome back!