A few short weeks ago it seemed like half of the Premier League was at genuine risk of succumbing to the dreaded drop. Remarkably, with ten games to go, just four points separated the bottom nine clubs.
That highly unusual circumstance appears to have eased of late, with Crystal Palace pulling themselves clear for now, and West Ham and Wolves buying some breathing space.
Still, that leaves six sides scrapping for their top-flight lives, while the aforementioned trio can absolutely not count their chickens just yet. A couple of defeats on the bounce and they are right back in the mix.
How likely that is, however, feels negligible due to all three teams possessing sufficient firepower and quality to pull off results when needed.
Wolves can keep a clean sheet with the best of them while Palace have difference-makers, which makes all the difference down near the bottom. West Ham meanwhile have always been too good to scavenge for must-win points, they just took their sweet time to show it. All three will be fine.
Who won’t be fine, you fear, is Southampton, reliant as they are on the set-pieces of James Ward-Prowse and failing to improve in any meaningful manner following the sacking of Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Saints are short-priced favourites in the Premier League relegation odds and with good reason having won only 18% of their fixtures across 2022/23, and what especially damns them is their lack of potency up front.
When a coterie of strikers and wingers collectively score just 12 goals between them their team is going to struggle and this has duly played out all term.
There is scant evidence this is going to change anytime soon.
Nottingham Forest too are in dire trouble, even if they are a half-decent proposition at the City Ground.
Away from familiar environs and a passionate home support, Steve Cooper’s men have picked up a miserable six points on their travels and to put that into proper perspective, even Southampton – who are presently rock-bottom – have managed 14.
Currently winless in 11 and with Cooper failing to deal with two very contrasting problems – those being a ginormous squad and an ongoing injury crisis – Forest appear destined to make a swift return to the Championship.
Telling its own story, they are 1/4 to go down in the football odds.
Of the remaining four only Bournemouth have real cause for encouragement, that strangely coming in the form of their inconsistency.
Jekyll and Hyde since early February, their ability to pick up invaluable wins every fortnight should be enough in a wide open field and the same goes – to a lesser extent – for Everton, who have proven themselves capable under Sean Dyche of grinding out results, either side of terrible performances.
Ordinarily, to blow hot and cold is a curse. With so many sides flat-lining around them, it can be construed on this occasion as almost a blessing.
Which leaves just Leicester and Leeds, the former stuck in a sustained rut for much of their campaign but at least there are signs of recovery under interim gaffer Dean Smith.
Crucially too, in James Maddison and Harvey Barnes, the Foxes have individuals who can come to the fore when it really matters.
Alas, that puts Leeds firmly in the frame to be the third team to drop. If haemorrhaging goals in recent weeks wasn’t disastrous enough, their inability to withstand opposition forays is only exacerbated by their appointment of Javi Gracia.
The Spaniard was brought in specifically to tighten things up at the back.
*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to AP Photo*
