Sport
Premier league relegation – which clubs are in danger?
Assuming the season does resume at some point, six English clubs are still unsure whether they will be playing in the Premier League next season. Norwich, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Watford, West Ham and Brighton remain in danger of Premier League relegation. With just two points seperating 15th and 18th in the league and nine games left, who’s going down?
The mythical 40-point safety line has been targeted since the Premier League switched to a 20-team format in 1995. However, in two of the first three seasons after that change, a side was relegated with 40 points so it’s no guarantee of avoiding Premier League relegation. In 2003, West Ham went down with 42 points but since then 40 points has only been needed for survival once.
Let’s have a look at which teams are could go down to the Championship at the end of this season.
15th – Brighton & Hove Albion – 29 points
On the 10th of November, Brighton were in 8th place and Premier League relegation was barely a concern. Since then, the Seagulls have won just two league games and the club has dropped to 15th place.
Only Norwich have collected fewer victories than the south coast side this season and it looks as though Brighton are in real trouble. The club should be worried about Premier League relegation as their next seven fixtures include matches against Arsenal, Leicester, Manchester United, Liverpool and Manchester City.
16th – West Ham – 27 points
It’s October 2019 and West Ham are in 5th place in the Premier League. Fast forward six months and the Hammers have won just four additional league games and have slipped down to 16th.
David Moyes and his players haven’t been able to turn their season around since the Scot was appointed on December 30th and are in danger of becoming one of the clubs relegated to the Championship. With upcoming games against Wolverhampton, Tottenham and Chelsea, West Ham could yet slip down into the danger zone before easier fixtures give them the opportunity to avoid Premier League relegation.
17th – Watford – 27 points
At the end of 2019, Watford were last in the Premier League and their relegation seemed inevitable. However, then Nigel Pearson took over and he has taken Watford from a pit of depair to dismantling Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side and ending their 44-match unbeaten run. With that momentim behind them, it was difficult to imagine Watford being one of the three sides relegated to the Championship.
The season’s postponement came at just the wrong time, yet their remaining fixtures aren’t terribly daunting. As such you’d have to say that Watford still are likely to avoid Premier League relegation at the end of the seson. The Hornets have been playing in the Premier League since winning promotion via the play-offs in 2015.
18th – Bournemouth – 27 points
The Cherries appeared to be fighting a losing battle until managing successive wins over Brighton and Aston Villa in late January and early February. Their home form has been decent and could definitely work in their favour and, with the same amount of points as West Ham and Watford, nothing has been decided yet.
Howe’s side have enough quality to get the required points, so he should not throw in the towel quite yet.
19th – Aston Villa – 25 points
Though Aston Villa invested a huge amount in the summer, the money might be considered a waste by the end of the season.
Villa’s season has been characterized by inconsistency, they have only won two games in a row once. No team has kept fewer than Villa’s four Premier League clean sheets and it is their defence that has unquestionably let the Villans down.
With a difficult schedule ahead, Aston Villa have it all to do if they are to stand a chance of avoiding Premier League relegation.
20th – Norwich City – 21 points
Norwich are currently seven points from safety and are clearly the most likely candidates for relegation to the Championship at the end of the season. Alhough the Canaries have proven themselves to be a sturdy team, with wins over Leicester and Manchester City earlier in the campaign, Teemu Pukki and co. will need a miracle to avoid Premier League relegation this season.
Norwich have been cursed with injuries all season and it looks as though a swift return to the Championship is on the cards in their first season back in the division, having previously been relegated in 2016.
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