By Herbert Crowther, ’17
This year’s Premier League season is already the most unpredictable in recent memory. The title race is as open as ever, with last season’s champions Chelsea struggling to reach the top third of the table.
Besides winners in the league, just as much of the Premier League’s drama and intrigue comes from its relegation battle. Every year, the three teams with the lowest point totals are excluded from the league until they justify their reinstatement. 9 teams are currently within 7 points of the drop line, meaning that with just under half of the season left, there is still everything to play for.
The title race is as open as ever
Currently rooted to the bottom of the table with 11 points is Aston Villa. Having won only twice since August, a miracle escape for Villa appears to be extremely unlikely. Sunderland, Newcastle, and Swansea City fill out 19th, 18th, and 17th. While they all survived relegation battles last season, this year they face even more severe peril—especially Sunderland.
Sunderland has needed ‘great escapes’ for the last few seasons, but this will be their most difficult escape yet as they sit only 4 points above Villa and 4 points from the drop—with a squad lacking both quality and character. Newcastle United was once title contenders not so long ago but went through an unbelievable fall from grace last season only to secure safety thanks to a victory on the final matchday. While many believed that last season’s struggles were an anomaly, it appears that Newcastle has seen a permanent shift in culture as they once again find themselves unexpectedly in the relegation zone. Swansea City had a good season last year and started this season brightly, but after an extended winless run, they fired manager Gary Monk and have appointed an interim manager to try and secure safety – a strategy which almost got Newcastle relegated last year.
Above Swansea are two of this year’s newly promoted teams: Bournemouth and Norwich. Bournemouth sit on 21 points while Norwich sits on 23. It remains to be seen if these squads will last the duration of an entire Premier League season as they try to avoid the often fate of newly promoted teams who find themselves relegated just one season after securing promotion. This season more than any other we will see unbelievable surprises that have immeasurable repercussions on who fails to beat the drop. But just as it is anyone’s guess who will make it all the way, it’s anybody’s guess who will fall.
But just as it is anyone’s guess who will make it all the way, it’s anybody’s guess who will fall.
