There's something rather peculiar about the midtable Premier League sides this season: it's difficult to work out which will be pushing for the European places, and which will be battling to stay out of the relegation spots.
You can spin this either way; if you were being particularly positive, you could say it highlights great competitiveness. Realistically, it feels like there's rather too much mediocrity in the Premier League this season, and relatively few interesting "smaller" sides for the neutral.
But what does provide interest for a natural? Here are three categories of midtable sides who have proved fascinating in recent years, and this season's closest equivalent.