The Christmas matches in the Premier League have arrived, with several top teams' performances drawing attention. Liverpool defeated Leicester City 3-1 in the 18th round, while title contenders Chelsea lost 1-2 to Fulham. Additionally, Manchester City drew 1-1 with Everton, Tottenham lost 0-1 to Nottingham Forest, and Manchester United suffered a 0-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers. This season's Premier League standings have become chaotic, with Italian giants Juventus letting go of one player, which has also affected the Premier League landscape to some extent. Juventus took a significant loss by selling their top central defender for 15.2 million euros, who is now shining in the Premier League and has become the core of his new team's defense.
In the latest Premier League standings, Liverpool tops the table with 42 points from 17 rounds, followed by Chelsea with 35 points from 18 rounds, Nottingham Forest with 34 points from 18 rounds, and Arsenal with 33 points from 17 rounds, ranking second to fourth. Newcastle and Bournemouth both have 29 points from 18 rounds, ranking fifth and sixth. Manchester City, Fulham, and Aston Villa all have 28 points from 18 rounds, ranking seventh to ninth. Furthermore, Tottenham has 23 points from 18 rounds, ranking 11th, and Manchester United has 22 points from 18 rounds, ranking 14th.
Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth are two dark horses in this season's Premier League. The former finished 17th last season, while the latter finished 12th, both showing significant improvement this season. In the latest round, Bournemouth drew 0-0 at home against Crystal Palace. In this match, Bournemouth's central defender, Huisen, performed exceptionally well, starting and playing the full match. He completed a total of 9 clearances and 6 interceptions, both the most on the field. He successfully contested 7 out of 9 ground duels and won 4 out of 5 aerial duels. He also made 1 tackle and had 71 passes with 67 successful, the most on the field.
Huisen received an 8.2 rating, the highest on the field. In the previous Premier League match, Huisen scored with a header against Manchester United, helping Bournemouth take the lead. Prior to that, he scored the only goal with a header against Tottenham, leading his team to victory. In the last five matches that Huisen started for Bournemouth, he scored 2 goals and remained solid defensively, helping Bournemouth achieve three wins and two draws, keeping clean sheets against Tottenham, Manchester United, and Crystal Palace.
Standing at 1.95 meters tall, Huisen, as a central defender, has a natural advantage in aerial battles. Whether it's in defense or participating in attacks, Huisen is a dominant force in the air. He is also calm-headed and has a high soccer IQ, currently being a key player in Bournemouth's defense. At only 19 years old, Huisen has a promising future and stands a good chance of being selected for the Spanish national team to participate in the next World Cup.
Juventus sold Huisen to Bournemouth this summer, suffering a considerable loss. With Bremer suffering a serious knee injury, if Huisen had stayed, Juventus' performance would likely be better than their current standing (sixth in Serie A). Other players discarded by Juventus, such as Romero, Kulusevski, and Bentancur, have all established themselves in the Premier League, and now there's Huisen as well.