We can say many things about Premier League this season, but being dull and predictive are definitely not the terms we would use. Some huge upsets, derbies like we haven’t seen for many years, and some pretty amazing performances by the individuals have brought us here today, with some huge battles on all three fronts. Namely, we are yet to see how teams will finish this season and who will be crowned as a league winner, and there is also going to be a huge battle for spots in European competitions, especially the Champions League.
On the other hand, it also seems that the battle to avoid relegation will, after many seasons, be an extremely interesting one, with no teams being looked upon as a sure deal they will compete in the Championship next season. Looking at these facts, it’s no wonder that everyone who is fond of the Premier League claims that this season is much more interesting and exciting than many before, as almost every team in the league has something to fight for, even though there are only 12 game weeks left, and you read more about that.
The race for the first place
Before the season started, many people considered two teams to compete for first place once again, Man City and Liverpool, but at the very start, it was pretty clear that this would be a much more interesting season. Namely, in their opening game against Fulham, a team that has just been promoted, Liverpool only managed to get a draw, and the performance of other teams like Chelsea and Man Utd has also been questionable. The biggest surprise was great form and great results by the Gunners, as they only lost to United and dropped points in their two draws against Southampton and Newcastle.
After the WC break, the form of Arsenal was not the same, and even though they played pretty well, they struggled against teams more focused on defending. Luckily for them, Man City has also struggled and dropped points where everyone saw them as the clear winner, which brought us to this situation where after 26 game weeks, Arsenals sits firmly in first place with 5 points more than Citizens.
The big six?
As for whether some other team can represent a danger and threat to beat these two teams this year, Newcastle and Man Utd looked like teams that could possibly step up and represent a threat, but the form of Newcastle hasn’t been like before the WC break, and they are currently in the sixth place with 22 points and two games behind. On the other hand, Man United played well, but the hopes of their fans that this could be the season where they would climb back to the top vanished after a humiliating defeat at Anfield in their last fixture, as Liverpool side beat them 7:0. The form of Spurs and Liverpool haven’t been consistent enough to be considered a possible winner this season, and not to mention Chelsea because no one knows what’s going on with them this season, and that leaves us just Arsenal and Manchester City as title contenders.
CL and EL places
Well, this is where things get pretty interesting, as there are several teams looking for their place in some European competition next season. At least four clubs (Man Utd, Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle) have their eyes set on the two remaining spots for the Champions League next season, and there are five more teams that will fight for 6th or 7th place (depending on who will win the FA Cup).
Yes, even Aston Villa have a chance to play in Europe next season, even though their start of the season was far from promising, while on the other hand, we have Brentford, a team that surprised many with their form and performances this season.
Brighton has shown in previous seasons that you don’t need some extremely popular players to play attractive and competitive football, and their current position shouldn’t surprise anyone. Yes, they are currently 6th in the league, but they have three games less (23), and Tottenham (27), who is currently in the 4th place, have just 7 points more.
Fulham has also been quite a surprise as, just like with Norwich, people expected them to fight to avoid relegation and not to be mentioned as a team that will play in European competitions next season.
We also need to mention Chelsea, as they have a chance to save the season and still play in some competition in Europe next season. They actually have two chances, either do so by winning the Champions League or by finishing in the top 6 in the League. Overall, their performance this year has been quite disappointing, as everyone expected big things from them.
Relegation battle
Looking at the table, there isn’t even one team that looks like they don’t have a chance to stay in the league, which wasn’t something that happened in previous seasons. That can only be good for fans, as it means that every game week will be extremely amusing. Bournemouth, Southampton, and Everton are currently in the last three places, but even clubs like Crystal Palace or Wolves, currently in 12th and 13th place, aren’t that far from the relegation spot (7 points).
As for the form, Everton looks much better now since Sean Dyche came to coach them, and Southampton looks like there is still strength in them to avoid relegation, or at least in James Ward-Prowse, who is carrying this team. Bournemouth performance was not that great this season, managing just five wins, and they could possibly be a team that’s relegated.
Nottingham Forest has brought many changes to their roster, signing 30 new players, meaning that their inconsistent performance shouldn’t surprise anyone, not even their club owners. Luckily, they brought a huge name and someone that could actually help them stay in the league, Keylor Navas. Three teams that conclude this list no one would consider as relegation battle teams before the seasons started, and what more to say about Leeds, Leicester, and WHU season so far than that it is disappointing, to say the least.