The Premier League offers a historic season. It’s not just a question of who will win the title (if Arsenal can get it right after so many years – the title will most likely be decided in the head-to-head with City at the end of the month). It’s also about the fight to avoid relegation.
From 13th place down, from Wolverhampton, any team can relegate. Crystal Palace seem to have saved themselves with the win at Southampton and especially with Hodgson’s inspired return. The senior manager got results and got them as they were needed – in a hurry. Incidentally, in the sarabande of managerial changes in England, we notice a return of the classics, of the old, but not expired.
Otherwise, Southampton who have had no patience with any manager this season seem to be doomed. But in England no team is relegated until the mathematics says so. Southampton can still save themselves and will certainly mess things up for other teams (be careful when betting!).
And Leicester is no better off either, especially as they made some strange choices in the summer that are now ‘’paying’’ off. The most important of them: it still relied on the survivors of the team that won the title seven years ago. But seven years have passed over Vardy and he can’t play like he used to. Nor can Madisson, who is more injured than fit.
Struggling to avoid the last place that relegates to Championship are the following teams: Nottingham Forrest, Everton and Leeds. Everton looked better placed, but their home defeat to Fulham puts them in a very difficult position. The schedule doesn’t help them either, just as it doesn’t help Leeds, perhaps the wobbliest team in the Premier League, capable of great games, but also of catastrophic games – like the matches in the last two rounds: 1-5 vs Crystal Palace and 1-6 vs Liverpool.
Calculations and flair
Wolves and Bournemouth (with the surprise win at Tottenham) seem to be safe for the moment. By contrast Moyes’ West Ham, quarterfinalists in the Conference League with a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals, will have huge emotions in the Premier League until the end. Remarkable though the point they got against Arsenal after a comeback from 0-2 down (the second time in a row that Arsenal failed to win despite leading 2-0). The specialists say that forty points are needed to be 100% sure of avoiding relegation from the Premier League. West Ham are nine behind and have a game in hand on their rivals.
All these teams are unpredictable. Winning at betting at the end of this season requires not only serious calculations (artificial intelligence does them for us), but also some flair to avoid the big surprises that will inevitably occur.
