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It’s been a crazy season so far in the Premier League with so many teams being incredibly inconsistent causing a constant rotation for the Top Four race. At one point it looked to be all but set with Tottenham and Chelsea leading the way after Manchester City and Liverpool, but they were pegged back.
Chelsea faltered while Tottenham, well, just did a Tottenham and dropped right back into the race. Arsenal have looked like an unbeatable side at times, and then go on to lose to mediocre teams, whereas Manchester United started awfully but have rejuvenated quicker than David Silva’s hairline.
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So which of these clubs will make the cut? Who has the bottle to maintain a run of form which will see them secure Champions League football next season? Let’s take a look.
Tottenham Hotspur
It doesn’t come as quite a shock when you say Tottenham have choked. As if losing the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup to Chelsea on away goals and penalties, when away goals would have put you through last year is tough. But then to suddenly dip in league form and go from title race attempt no. 4 to bottle again no. 765, just rubs salt in those wounds.
A few months ago, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were flying high, within touching distance of the top two and looking to go against the odds yet again in an eventful season. They hadn’t spent a penny in the transfer window and for many clubs, ahem City, that would be suicide, but Spurs have managed to impress.
Fast forward to today and 2 defeats in a row followed by a draw means the gap has been closed on 3rd place. Will they be able to hang on?
Fixtures
Southampton (A)
Palace (H)
Liverpool (A)
Brighton (H)
Huddersfield (H)
Man City (A)
West Ham (H)
Bournemouth (A)
Everton (H)
There’s 2 or 3 crucial fixtures in this list that will really affect Tottenham’s season. How they fare at Anfield and at the Etihad will show fans exactly what kind of team they are and if they can get at least 2 points from those fixtures, I think they’ll be in the Top Four for sure.
There could be some discomfort at playing away to Palace and Bournemouth (who are the equivalent of Didier Droga at home and Emile Heskey away), but I expect Tottenham to win. But then again, expecting them to win normally never does result in a win.
Expected Finish: 3rd (which means they’ll bottle it and finish 5th)
Manchester United
At the start of the year, Manchester United were incredibly poor and instead of laughing at them incessently, rival fans almost felt sorry for them. I say almost, but not really. It was actually hysterical to watch “The Deluded One” struggle game after game and almost tear the squad apart by blaming the players. Well, you can’t actually not blame Alexis Sanchez.
One big sacking later, and United have returned to their best form since the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Winning 14 games out of 17, Solksjaer is sure to have found his precious at Old Trafford. Currently sitting in 4th after cementing themselves in 6th for most part of the season, United now have a huge chance to retain their appearance in the Champions League.
Fixtures
Arsenal (A)
Watford (H)
Wolverhampton (A)
West Ham (H)
Everton (A)
Man City (H)
Chelsea (H)
Huddersfield (A)
Cardiff City (H)
It’s not easy looking at this at all. With a big game already on Sunday, against Arsenal, the Red Devils then have a tough away game at Wolves before taking on the big boys at home against City and Chelsea. They could easily drop points here and if Moutinho was in charge, I’d say they’re already finishing 6th, but such has been Solksjaer’s ability to eat raw fish and hunt Frodo motivate his players, this could go either way.
For me though, with the FA Cup and Champions League still on, damn you VAR, this is going to be a long season to end on and with so many injuries, they’ll just miss out.
Expected Finish: 5th
Arsenal
Unai Emery’s had a mixed season with a 22-game unbeaten run but then it was same old Arsenal as their season came off the rails with awful defensive performances. Much of the blame has fallen, correctly, on Skhodran Mustafi’s shoulders but collectively, the team just hasn’t been that impressive. It’s going to take a few more seasons for this club to get back to their best.
There was a time when they looked like they were definitely missing out on the Top 4 but then a few wins saw them catch up to Chelsea and the pressure has been on. Normally, Arsenal would end the season stronger than they started, but is that going to be the case again this year?
Fixtures
Manchester United (H)
Wolverhampton (A)
Newcastle (H)
Everton (A)
Watford (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Leicester City (A)
Brighton (H)
Burnley (A)
These games look like the easiest run in to the end of the season, but with over half of them being away fixtures, it’s not going to be as easy as it looks. If Emery is going to help Arsenal finish 4th, he has to sort out the mess at the back and hope his strikers can actually score penalties and take their chances, especially by scoring crucial penalties, but mostly taking their chances. And also scoring 90th minute penalties.
Expected Finish: 4th
Chelsea
Marizio Sarri ran away like an annoyed father as Kepa caused a scene in the Carabao Cup final and that was a sign of madness for the club as they had just come off the back of a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of City. Somehow, they took the cup final all the way to penalties against Pep Guardiola’s men, which was a testament that if you shout enough at your players, you can get things done.
Chelsea looked like real title challengers at the beginning of the season, keeping pace at the top of the league and really going for it. However, when one wheel came off, all four did as well as the steering wheel, suspension and engine, which probably smoked too much… Get it? Ah forget you.
Fixtures
Wolves (H)
Everton (A)
Cardiff (A)
West Ham (H)
Liverpool (A)
Burnley (H)
Man Utd (A)
Watford (H)
Leciester City (A)
This again is one of those run ins where it really does depend on which Chelsea turn up. The ones that get slapped silly by Bournemouth or the ones that take City to the death and look like a solid unit? It’s the games against Liverpool and Man Utd which will determine this race as well as possibly the title race, so it’s a tough one to predict.
I reckon Chelsea are too inconsistent to maintain a steady run and especially when it comes to playing away to their rivals, I expect two defeats.
Expected Finish: 6th
It’s going to be a really close call but this is why we love football. So many things can turn in a second and it can happen again at any game this season. Who do you think will make the Top 4 and who’ll miss out?
What Happens In Football 