As the calendar approaches the end of February, it is time for the annual relegation watch, as the bottom half of the league begins to focus less on gaining spots in European Football and more on preservation from relegation.
This year's relegation watch might be a bit anti-climatic, as we seem to have three clubs who have already dropped off the pace and are in trouble of falling behind. The good news for relegation lovers is that all three of these teams are very close to one another, meaning all three still have a chance to avoid relegation, and there are some big clubs lurking just above the relegation zone, which could make the battle very interesting.
Current Relegation Standings:
Team GP Points
14. Brentford 26 24
15. Leeds 25 23
16. Everton 23 22
17. Newcastle 24 22
18. Burnley 23 20
19. Watford 25 18
20. Norwich 25 17
Brentford- Of the clubs not currently in the bottom 3, Brentford have to be the most concerning, as the Bees are currently leaking oil and dropping fast. The club has lost 6 of its last 7 matches, with one draw, its last victory being on January 2 over Aston Villa. The next 3 matches will be key for Brentford, as they play 3 in a row against fellow relegation dwellers (Newcastle, Norwich and Burnley). Win 2 of those 3 matches and the club will be at 30 points with 9 matches remaining, and should be relatively safe. Lose these three games and the Bees are in the middle of the relegation hunt. Brentford is a great story and with this being their first ever season in the Premier League I am sure most neutrals would hate to see them go straight back down.
Leeds United- Leeds made a triumphant return to the EPL last season after a long absence, becoming the darling team of last year's league. This season has been much more of a grind for Leeds, as they have had to deal with key injuries and a seeming loss of desire to play the Bielsa way by the club. Leeds have only won 2 of their last 10, for a total of 8 points over that stretch, and now find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle. Things don't get easier for the Whites, as their remaining schedule is one of the toughest of the relegation fighters. So Leeds could be around the relegation battle for the remainder of the season. Leeds current form has to raise some serious concerns for supporters of the Whites.
Everton- Yes, somehow the Toffees are down right in the middle of the relegation battle, thanks in large part to a Rafa Benitez led disaster the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see Frank Lampard navigate the Toffees through relegation waters, and I have my concerns about the roster and its ability to come together cohesively. Everton's next three matches are Man City, Tottenham and Wolves, so, good luck Frank! If the Toffees do stick around the bottom 3 it will be fascinating to watch how the club and their supporters deal with a relegation battle, as things could get ugly on the Blue side of the Merseyside.
Newcastle United- The new owners of Newcastle have put forth the best efforts money could buy in an attempt to keep their new toy up in the EPL. Hiring Eddie Howe might be the smartest move they have made, as Howe has his club believing right now, having not lost since mid-December, going 3-0-3 over their last 6. With their current form, the Toons may run away from the relegation battle in short order.
Burnley- For most of the season Burnley has been sitting at the very bottom of the table, unable to win a game, but finding a way to stay somewhat in the battle through ties. All the sudden the Clarets have found their winning ways, claiming 2 victories in a row over Brighton and Tottenham and only losing once in their last 6. You knew a Sam Dyche led club would not go down without a fight. The small club has continued to fight their way to safety over the last 5-6 seasons, and you would be foolish to think they won't battle for a spot in the EPL for next season.
Watford- After being promoted back to the EPL this season, Watford have really struggled to find their hold in the EPL, never really having any kind of run in form. Their 17 losses are a league high, and they have conceded second most goals this season. During their remaining 13 matches Watford still must play most the top clubs (Man United, Liverpool, City, Wolves, and Chelsea) but also have some remaining six-pointers against Burnley, Brentford and Leeds. I don't see Watford staying up this year, but they are close enough to safety to keep it interesting.
Norwich- And then there was Norwich, our perpetual yo-yo club that makes one year stays in the EPL and Championship a habit. Between them and Fulham you always have one EPL team. The Canaries' prospects had been looking up as they won two matches in a row over Everton and Watford, and followed that up with a draw against Palace. But their last two matches have been thrashings to Man City and Liverpool, which have put the club back at the bottom of the table. The next three matches are Southampton, Brentford and Leeds, so this spell should tell us if Norwich is up for the fight or if we can count on them being a Championship contender again next season.
This Weekend's Key Relegation Matches:
Friday
Southampton v. Norwich (2pm, St. Mary's Stadium, USA Network)- Norwich will be aiming to complete a Premier League double over Southampton for the first time as the Canaries claimed a 2-0 win over the Saints in November at Carrow Road. Meanwhile the Saints will try to extend their unbeaten home run to 10 matches (W4 D5), their longest streak for 17 years. Norwich may not prove to be much of an obstacle to reaching that record, as they have gone 2W, 2T and 8L this season away from home, for just 8 points on the road.
Saturday
Leeds v. Tottenham Hotspur (6:30am, Elland Road, USA Network). Spurs will be looking to complete the league double over Leeds and make up for their last trip to Yorkshire in mid week, when Tottenham were beaten 1-0 by Burnley. It will be the third trip to the region for Spurs in a week, after their shocking victory over Man City last weekend. Leeds meanwhile need to right the ship, and fast, as the club has lost 4 of their last 5 and are giving up goals at an incredible rate, conceding 16 goals in their last 4 EPL matches (that's 4 a game for the math challenged). Spurs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Whites in London back in November, and Leeds will need to get some of their players back soon or it could be a difficult run in for the Yorkshire club.
Brentford v. Newcastle (9am, Brentford Community Stad., Peacock). For the relegation battle this is the match of the weekend, as both the Bees and the Toons will look to put distance between themselves and the bottom 3. The clubs drew in a 3-3 thriller back in November at St. James Park, so we can only hope this match will be as exciting. Newcastle come in to the match in strong form, having won 3 of their last 4 and going unbeaten in their last 5, only conceding 3 goals over that stretch. The Bees meanwhile have only claimed one point in their last 5, going 0-4-1 while only scoring 3 goals over those 5 games.
Crystal Palace v. Burnley (9am, Selhurst Park, Peacock). The Clarets will travel to London to take on the Eagles and seek to continue their current run of form, having won their last two matches. The clubs tied 3-3 at Turf Moor in November, so hopefully we will get more of that. Crystal Palace won their last match over Watford, but have not had a good run of form as of late, only claiming that one win since the New Year.
Manchester United v. Watford (9am, Old Trafford, USA Network). Watford will look for a league double over United, seeking to repeat their shocking 4-1 defeat of United back in November at Vicarage Road, a loss that brought an end to the Solksjaer era at United. Watford have not done much since that victory, only claiming one win since then. United meanwhile come into this match having not lost in their last 7 EPL matches. Watford will come in looking for a point and hopes of continuing to claw their way closer to safety.
Everton v. Manchester City (11:30am, Goodison Park, Peacock). Everton are hoping to get out of the relegation battle, but this weekend might prove difficult, as they welcome the league title holders to Goodison. Man City beat the Blues 3-0 in November at the Etihad and have a long history of dismantling Everton clubs. City will also be looking to right the ship in their EPL title hopes following a shock defeat to Tottenham last weekend. Other than a 3-0 win over Leeds, Everton have been abysmal in 2022, going 1-5-0 for 3 points since the start of the year.
Enjoy the weekend!
This year's relegation watch might be a bit anti-climatic, as we seem to have three clubs who have already dropped off the pace and are in trouble of falling behind. The good news for relegation lovers is that all three of these teams are very close to one another, meaning all three still have a chance to avoid relegation, and there are some big clubs lurking just above the relegation zone, which could make the battle very interesting.
Current Relegation Standings:
Team GP Points
14. Brentford 26 24
15. Leeds 25 23
16. Everton 23 22
17. Newcastle 24 22
18. Burnley 23 20
19. Watford 25 18
20. Norwich 25 17
Brentford- Of the clubs not currently in the bottom 3, Brentford have to be the most concerning, as the Bees are currently leaking oil and dropping fast. The club has lost 6 of its last 7 matches, with one draw, its last victory being on January 2 over Aston Villa. The next 3 matches will be key for Brentford, as they play 3 in a row against fellow relegation dwellers (Newcastle, Norwich and Burnley). Win 2 of those 3 matches and the club will be at 30 points with 9 matches remaining, and should be relatively safe. Lose these three games and the Bees are in the middle of the relegation hunt. Brentford is a great story and with this being their first ever season in the Premier League I am sure most neutrals would hate to see them go straight back down.
Leeds United- Leeds made a triumphant return to the EPL last season after a long absence, becoming the darling team of last year's league. This season has been much more of a grind for Leeds, as they have had to deal with key injuries and a seeming loss of desire to play the Bielsa way by the club. Leeds have only won 2 of their last 10, for a total of 8 points over that stretch, and now find themselves in the midst of a relegation battle. Things don't get easier for the Whites, as their remaining schedule is one of the toughest of the relegation fighters. So Leeds could be around the relegation battle for the remainder of the season. Leeds current form has to raise some serious concerns for supporters of the Whites.
Everton- Yes, somehow the Toffees are down right in the middle of the relegation battle, thanks in large part to a Rafa Benitez led disaster the first half of the season. It will be interesting to see Frank Lampard navigate the Toffees through relegation waters, and I have my concerns about the roster and its ability to come together cohesively. Everton's next three matches are Man City, Tottenham and Wolves, so, good luck Frank! If the Toffees do stick around the bottom 3 it will be fascinating to watch how the club and their supporters deal with a relegation battle, as things could get ugly on the Blue side of the Merseyside.
Newcastle United- The new owners of Newcastle have put forth the best efforts money could buy in an attempt to keep their new toy up in the EPL. Hiring Eddie Howe might be the smartest move they have made, as Howe has his club believing right now, having not lost since mid-December, going 3-0-3 over their last 6. With their current form, the Toons may run away from the relegation battle in short order.
Burnley- For most of the season Burnley has been sitting at the very bottom of the table, unable to win a game, but finding a way to stay somewhat in the battle through ties. All the sudden the Clarets have found their winning ways, claiming 2 victories in a row over Brighton and Tottenham and only losing once in their last 6. You knew a Sam Dyche led club would not go down without a fight. The small club has continued to fight their way to safety over the last 5-6 seasons, and you would be foolish to think they won't battle for a spot in the EPL for next season.
Watford- After being promoted back to the EPL this season, Watford have really struggled to find their hold in the EPL, never really having any kind of run in form. Their 17 losses are a league high, and they have conceded second most goals this season. During their remaining 13 matches Watford still must play most the top clubs (Man United, Liverpool, City, Wolves, and Chelsea) but also have some remaining six-pointers against Burnley, Brentford and Leeds. I don't see Watford staying up this year, but they are close enough to safety to keep it interesting.
Norwich- And then there was Norwich, our perpetual yo-yo club that makes one year stays in the EPL and Championship a habit. Between them and Fulham you always have one EPL team. The Canaries' prospects had been looking up as they won two matches in a row over Everton and Watford, and followed that up with a draw against Palace. But their last two matches have been thrashings to Man City and Liverpool, which have put the club back at the bottom of the table. The next three matches are Southampton, Brentford and Leeds, so this spell should tell us if Norwich is up for the fight or if we can count on them being a Championship contender again next season.
This Weekend's Key Relegation Matches:
Friday
Southampton v. Norwich (2pm, St. Mary's Stadium, USA Network)- Norwich will be aiming to complete a Premier League double over Southampton for the first time as the Canaries claimed a 2-0 win over the Saints in November at Carrow Road. Meanwhile the Saints will try to extend their unbeaten home run to 10 matches (W4 D5), their longest streak for 17 years. Norwich may not prove to be much of an obstacle to reaching that record, as they have gone 2W, 2T and 8L this season away from home, for just 8 points on the road.
Saturday
Leeds v. Tottenham Hotspur (6:30am, Elland Road, USA Network). Spurs will be looking to complete the league double over Leeds and make up for their last trip to Yorkshire in mid week, when Tottenham were beaten 1-0 by Burnley. It will be the third trip to the region for Spurs in a week, after their shocking victory over Man City last weekend. Leeds meanwhile need to right the ship, and fast, as the club has lost 4 of their last 5 and are giving up goals at an incredible rate, conceding 16 goals in their last 4 EPL matches (that's 4 a game for the math challenged). Spurs claimed a 2-1 victory over the Whites in London back in November, and Leeds will need to get some of their players back soon or it could be a difficult run in for the Yorkshire club.
Brentford v. Newcastle (9am, Brentford Community Stad., Peacock). For the relegation battle this is the match of the weekend, as both the Bees and the Toons will look to put distance between themselves and the bottom 3. The clubs drew in a 3-3 thriller back in November at St. James Park, so we can only hope this match will be as exciting. Newcastle come in to the match in strong form, having won 3 of their last 4 and going unbeaten in their last 5, only conceding 3 goals over that stretch. The Bees meanwhile have only claimed one point in their last 5, going 0-4-1 while only scoring 3 goals over those 5 games.
Crystal Palace v. Burnley (9am, Selhurst Park, Peacock). The Clarets will travel to London to take on the Eagles and seek to continue their current run of form, having won their last two matches. The clubs tied 3-3 at Turf Moor in November, so hopefully we will get more of that. Crystal Palace won their last match over Watford, but have not had a good run of form as of late, only claiming that one win since the New Year.
Manchester United v. Watford (9am, Old Trafford, USA Network). Watford will look for a league double over United, seeking to repeat their shocking 4-1 defeat of United back in November at Vicarage Road, a loss that brought an end to the Solksjaer era at United. Watford have not done much since that victory, only claiming one win since then. United meanwhile come into this match having not lost in their last 7 EPL matches. Watford will come in looking for a point and hopes of continuing to claw their way closer to safety.
Everton v. Manchester City (11:30am, Goodison Park, Peacock). Everton are hoping to get out of the relegation battle, but this weekend might prove difficult, as they welcome the league title holders to Goodison. Man City beat the Blues 3-0 in November at the Etihad and have a long history of dismantling Everton clubs. City will also be looking to right the ship in their EPL title hopes following a shock defeat to Tottenham last weekend. Other than a 3-0 win over Leeds, Everton have been abysmal in 2022, going 1-5-0 for 3 points since the start of the year.
Enjoy the weekend!
