It’s an absolute humdinger of a relegation battle and Jason Pettigrove discusses who will be the team to drop through the trap door.
The Premier League never ceases to amaze us with its capacity to entertain.
Once again we go into the final few games of a campaign with all to play for at the top of the table, in the race for Europe and in the fight to see which teams can secure their top-flight status for another season.
Arguably, the battle towards the foot of the division is the one that’s turning into the most watchable.
Not a week seems to go by without another major talking point or, in the case of Burnley, a last-throw-of-the-dice managerial change.
Points in their last three matches:
Pep Guardiola – seven points
Ben Mee – seven points#UTC pic.twitter.com/vyIpMtzsV3— BetVictor (@BetVictor) April 24, 2022
A draw and three wins in four of their last five games gave the Clarets real hope of pulling themselves clear, but the recent loss to Aston Villa and Leeds bagging five points from their last five games has seen to it that Burnley’s gamble might not pay off after all.
Leeds play Chelsea next in a game that’s normally a battle royale, though not a patch on the wars of attrition of the early 1970s.
In any event, Jesse Marsch’s side might just be taking on the Blues at the right time, given that they participate in the FA Cup final in just a few days.
Games against Brighton and Brentford could be tough but are certainly winnable too.
Burnley could, theoretically, not earn another point this season.
Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Newcastle are all ball-playing teams that will cause them problems and so they’ll need a little bit more than their physical abilities to get them over the line in any of those fixtures.
Arsenal 2-1 Leeds
Leicester 1-2 Everton😬 As it stands, Frank Lampard's side are back in the safe zone. #PL #EFC pic.twitter.com/Qow8dGRgJW
— BetVictor (@BetVictor) May 8, 2022
The one other team left in the mix is Everton, but they look to have just about turned the corner under Frank Lampard.
Wins over Chelsea and Leicester have given the Toffees six vital points and a real boost in confidence just when they need it most.
With one more game to play than their relegation rivals, it would be a huge surprise to see Everton slip back into the bottom three now.
Watford, Brentford, and Crystal Palace come before a final day showdown against Champions League-chasing Arsenal, so their only enemy at this stage is likely to be complacency.
No doubt nails will be bitten until the axe finally falls on one of the three, and with a huge debt seemingly needing to be repaid if they go down, Burnley’s existence could even be in the balance.
Perhaps they should’ve stuck with Sean Dyche after all because I don’t see them getting out of this mess.
