Welcome back all. Today will be a more general post, covering various teams from the top and bottom of the table, and assessing where they stand when it comes to relegation and raising the trophy. Let’s get started!
Before discussing the “longshot teams,” whose odds are nearing impossible when it comes to winning the trophy, I’ll address the elephants in the room: Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City.
Rotating spots at the peak of Premier League futbol all season long, the dogfight between these three teams continue. Last week, all three teams were victorious, but this week Manchester City lost two valuable points in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, managing to salvage a point with a late goal. Now, assuming City wins on Tuesday, the three big teams will be within 2 points of each other (Arsenal 55, City 56, Liverpool 57). Although Liverpool and Arsenal will avoid playing each other until the season’s expiration, they will both have to play Manchester City, making for two incredibly suspenseful, high-stake games.
The “longshot” category, or should I say the “impossibilities” consists of two teams with a fighting chance and one team that genuinely needs a miracle. Those with a greater chance than being struck by lightning are Aston Villa and Tottenham. With 49 and 47 points respectively, they are 3 games and 4 games off the Premier League throne. With 13 games remaining in the season, both need to win-out and say a prayer that the teams above them perform poorly to finish off the season. Right now, there is a chance each team at the top drops 10 points; it is low, but possible. Regardless, Aston Villa and Tottenham can’t afford to lose more than one game. Though City is struggling at the moment, Arsenal and Liverpool have been playing phenomenal, especially Arsenal who won 6-0 and 5-0 these last two weeks. Villa and Tottenham have a shot, but there is a very slim margin for error. The team who isn’t out of it, but needs a miracle is Manchester United with 41 points. If one were to place a bet on them to win the league this week, they would make a huge return on investment. At the moment, even if Manchester United won all of their remaining games, there’s a smaller chance they win than place elsewhere.
Moving to the bottom of the table, there are four all-too- familiar teams, fighting to stay in the Premier League for another season. In dead last, tied with 13 points, are Burnley and Sheffield, who have both occupied their respective positions in the Premier League’s trenches for almost the entire season. Ahead of them, are Everton and Luton Town, with 19 and 20 points each, trying to avoid the final relegation spot. Most sports betting platforms and sports analysts agree with the general population’s consensus that Burnley and Sheffield are screwed. Having only won 3 of 25 games this season, their likelihood of climbing a miniscule 6 points is incredibly low. I would venture to say that their odds of avoiding relegation are lower than Aston Villa’s odds of winning the Premier League, however, they are still not statistically impossible. Unlike those two bottom spots, the third relegation spot will be a true wild card. There are six teams within 5 or 6 points of Everton, the third relegation spot occupant. As many of those teams are scheduled to face each other in these last 13 weeks, it will be intriguing to see who falls victim to the Premier League’s chopping block.
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post, and I’ll see you soon!
I find it extremely interesting that there is a competitive triad between Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. To my knowledge, many times only two teams will butt heads, but it is captivating that there are three strong teams in the mix. As a casual Tottenham fan, I wonder if we will ever be raising that trophy but it is still good to read that we are doing well. Does this three-way competition affect the public in any way? Will the fans or the cities in which the teams are based experience any turmoil as a result?