What happened to mid-table?

In what has been a bizarre, anxious season for the bottom-half, after 27 games, no team is safe.

Form has been hugely inconsistent for almost all of the clubs that find themselves in the scrap. On one hand, Swansea are enjoying an excellent spell, earning 14 points in seven games since Carvalhal took charge, whilst on the other hand, Mauricio Pellegrino's Southampton find themselves in unfamiliar territory in 18th place having played in the Europa League last season. 

Stoke City, whose worst PL finish in the last nine years is 14th, currently sit in 19th and have won just just one of their last eight games. 

Whilst teams are clearly underperforming, the difference, however, appears to be that the top six that is growing at an unprecedented rate. As it stands, no side outside the top six has a positive goal difference - a true marker of the contrast in quality. 

Tottenham in fifth, currently sit 16 points above Burnley in seventh. A huge disparity for two teams that are just a few places apart. 

The top six clubs have also netted 100 goals in encounters with the bottom six this season. 

Whilst the bottom half have seen their sides struck by injuries, poor management, issues in the boardroom, and bad luck, teams like City, United, and Chelsea have been gifted with the economic ability to invest in their XIs.

It goes without saying that nobody would have predicted the league to be like this at this stage of the season. The Premier League, often dubbed the world's best, is also the most divided.