The Premier League is still a couple of months away from reaching the end of its season, but any teams hovering around the relegation zone will want as much time as possible to claw their way as high above it as they can. As the season reaches its climax, eyes won’t be just on the top of the table to see who walks away with the title, but also on the bottom to see who will be starting in the Championship next season.
There have been some surprising results this season, the most shocking being Liverpool’s recent 7-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Anfield. In fact, the Mancunians have been on the wrong end of two other shock results this season in the form of a 4-0 drubbing away at Brentford and, at Old Trafford, a 1-2 defeat by Brighton and Hove Albion.
You never know when a team battling for Premiership survival can deliver a surprise result. Below is a look at some of the teams fighting to avoid the drop.
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Southampton
The Saints are in a dire position right at the very bottom of the table, but have shown amazing heart, having picked up three points against Leicester City and one against Manchester United. New manager Ruben Selles has given them belief, but he has his work cut out to hoist them to safety.
The team won’t relish the upcoming fixtures they have. They face Tottenham, Manchester City and Crystal Palace. They might, however, fancy their chances against fellow strugglers West Ham United and Bournemouth, who are also staring Championship life in the face.
Leeds United
Leeds is experiencing tough times in the Premier League. A defeat by Everton in February pushed them into the relegation zone. A 2-2 draw with Brighton earlier in March hasn’t been enough to lift them out of it.
Management upheaval has been a major factor, and there is disillusionment with the club’s board. A replacement of Marcelo Bielsa with Jesse Marsch was not met with approval by the club’s fans. Then they felt Leeds United had held onto Marsch for too long. When the club did finally decide to part company with him, they didn’t have a replacement.
The team won’t be looking forward to upcoming games against Arsenal and Fulham, who are both in the top half of the table. They may feel more hopeful about clashes against Wolves, Bournemouth and Leicester City though.
A clash with West Ham in the penultimate match week of the season could also prove decisive. They’ll be hoping the main men Jack Harrison and Rodrigo can deliver the goals to keep them up. Strong defensive performances from Pascal Struijk and Robin Koch will also be important.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is having a hard time in the Premier League. They are now the favourites in the sports betting to be relegated. They earned brief respite earlier this month, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Liverpool that lifted them out of the danger zone.
But now they’re back in it. Visits from Brighton and Hove Albion, and Fulham, won’t make them feel like heading out onto the pitch, but a spirited performance against Arsenal recently shows the team isn’t just going to roll over.
Games against other struggling sides such as Leicester City, West Ham, Leeds United and Southampton will all fill Bournemouth with a ‘the show’s not over till the fat lady sings’ motivation. Midfielder Philip Billing, who was instrumental in helping the team achieve promotion to the top flight, and striker Dominic Solanke will be key players in turning the team’s Premiership future around.
West Ham United
The Hammers are hovering uncomfortably just above the relegation zone. One of the strange things about their team is the consistency around the number of goals scored in a West Ham match, either by the team or against them. Four seems to be the number, so it seems David Moyes hasn’t quite yet figured out the formula that could carry them consistently further up the table.
The top goal scorers have been striker Jarod Bowen and midfield Mikail Antonio. West Ham has a difficult April ahead of them, facing mostly top-half teams. They might feel hopeful that they can kick Southampton and Bournemouth while they’re down though and push them into further relegation battle despair.
The Hammer’s last two regular matches of the season could also be decisive, as the Londoners come up against Leeds United and Leicester City, the latter themselves by no means clear of the relegation area just now.
There are still several matchdays to go before the fate of the teams fighting for survival in the Premiership is cast. The teams above still have time to turn things around, but in the Premiership, time passes fast and soon will be running out. Who will live to fight another day in the Premiership? Time and team performances will tell.