The Premier League is coming back - So what is still to play for?
The Premier League announced earlier today that top-flight football in England will resume on the 17th June with Manchester City vs Arsenal and Aston Villa vs Sheffield United. Football fans across the country will likely be thrilled with the news that some form of live sport is returning to help them through lockdown, but with there being 100 days separating the restart date from the last time a ball was kicked in the Premier League, here's a reminder of what's still up for grabs in the final 9 rounds of fixtures.
The Top Four
Liverpool's dominance this season means that unfortunately a title race does not come included with the return of football, but the race for champions league qualification is still wide open thanks to the disintegration of the lower end of the so-called 'Big Six'. Leicester have been this season's biggest gate-crashers and are currently sitting comfortably in 3rd on 53 points, but a worrying downturn in form just before the season was postponed has seen the gap between themselves and the chasing pack shrink dramatically. Chelsea occupy the coveted 4th spot, as they have done for much of the season, although Frank Lampard's side are arguably fortunate to be in such a position given that they have drawn or lost more games than they have won so far. Manchester United had been enjoying a minor resurgence since the new year, with their parting shot before the break being a 2-0 victory in the Manchester derby, but the Red Devils currently sit just outside the Champions League places on 45 points, 3 behind Chelsea. Wolves have built on an impressive 7th place last year with Adama Traore emerging as one of the stars of the season and helping his side knock on the door of Europe once more, although with 5 points to make up on Chelsea it will be an uphill battle for Nuno Espirito Santo and Co. The real surprise package of the season has been Sheffield United, who were widely tipped to go straight back down after being promoted last season, but are instead level on points with Wolves (43) with a game in hand that if won would take the Blades above United into 5th. North London football fans would not usually have to wait this long to see their team mentioned, but neither Spurs nor Arsenal have been able to make a significant impression on the 2019/20 campaign, as managerial changes have led to brief flashes of improvement without being able to propel the sides up from 8th and 9th place respectively. Jose Mourinho has spent much of his first few months at Tottenham complaining about injuries and lack of squad depth, while first-time manager Mikel Arteta seems more focussed on rebuilding for the future.
The Top Half
Most sides in and around 10th place are usually just relieved at this point in the season to be a safe distance away from the relegation trapdoor, but some teams with greater ambitions for the future may pride themselves on finishing in the top half of the table. Burnley currently sit 10th on 39 points after an extraordinary start to 2020, with the Clarets' last defeat coming at Stamford Bridge on 11th January, while only Liverpool have taken more points from the last 8 games. Crystal Palace have been comfortable all season despite star man Wilfried Zaha scoring just 3 goals, the last of which came in December, and are only behind Burnley on goals scored. Carlo Ancelotti and Everton will certainly want to salvage another expensively sub-par season for the Toffees, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 13 goals being the only reason Ancelotti is able to look up and not nervously down. All the talk surrounding Newcastle at the moment invariably involves the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mauricio Pochettino and Phillipe Coutinho, but for now Steve Bruce, Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett have done a pretty solid job of getting 35 points out of 29 games, which should be enough to stay up.
The Relegation Battle
And now to the teams who will have likely been dreading the announcement today that means they will still have to enter into a relegation dogfight. Norwich are all but down with 21 points, but the other two relegation spots - assuming 3 teams are still promoted from the Championship - could be filled by any one of 5 teams currently separated by just 4 points. Newly-promoted, big-spending Aston Villa have been unable to gel all their new arrivals into a cohesive team and are 19th on 25 points, but victory in their game in hand would take them above Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham, who are all on 27. Bournemouth's usual mid-season slide down the table has proved more detrimental than usual given the Cherries didn't have their typically fast start, while Watford's revival under Nigel Pearson, including a staggering 3-0 win over the previously undefeated Liverpool, has still not been enough to detach themselves from the relegation battle. West Ham are another side whose significant summer investment suggested bigger ambitions than 16th, with goal difference being the only thing preventing the London Stadium hosting Millwall and Rotherham next season. £45 million pound signing Seb Haller will need to substantially increase his goal tally if David Moyes and his side are to avoid the drop. Brighton's fate is in their own hands with a 2-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three, but with games against Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd still to come, that gap could soon vanish with Graham Potter's attractive style of play yet to deliver consistent results. West Ham versus Aston Villa on the final day of the season could end up being the ultimate six-pointer in a race that will almost certainly go down to the wire.
The Golden Boot
A relatively minor matter considering the current global situation, but Jamie Vardy will nevertheless have one eye on the fast-approaching Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mo Salah. The Leicester striker's 19 goals has him in pole position, while Aubameyang is on 17 and Salah and Sergio Aguero both have 16 goals to their name. Southampton's Danny Ings is a surprise contender with 15 goals, while Harry Kane's recovery from injury gives the England captain at least a slim chance at claiming the golden boot for a third time in his career, although Tottenham's No.9 would have to have a remarkable end to the season given that he is currently 8 goals behind Vardy.
The Top Four
Liverpool's dominance this season means that unfortunately a title race does not come included with the return of football, but the race for champions league qualification is still wide open thanks to the disintegration of the lower end of the so-called 'Big Six'. Leicester have been this season's biggest gate-crashers and are currently sitting comfortably in 3rd on 53 points, but a worrying downturn in form just before the season was postponed has seen the gap between themselves and the chasing pack shrink dramatically. Chelsea occupy the coveted 4th spot, as they have done for much of the season, although Frank Lampard's side are arguably fortunate to be in such a position given that they have drawn or lost more games than they have won so far. Manchester United had been enjoying a minor resurgence since the new year, with their parting shot before the break being a 2-0 victory in the Manchester derby, but the Red Devils currently sit just outside the Champions League places on 45 points, 3 behind Chelsea. Wolves have built on an impressive 7th place last year with Adama Traore emerging as one of the stars of the season and helping his side knock on the door of Europe once more, although with 5 points to make up on Chelsea it will be an uphill battle for Nuno Espirito Santo and Co. The real surprise package of the season has been Sheffield United, who were widely tipped to go straight back down after being promoted last season, but are instead level on points with Wolves (43) with a game in hand that if won would take the Blades above United into 5th. North London football fans would not usually have to wait this long to see their team mentioned, but neither Spurs nor Arsenal have been able to make a significant impression on the 2019/20 campaign, as managerial changes have led to brief flashes of improvement without being able to propel the sides up from 8th and 9th place respectively. Jose Mourinho has spent much of his first few months at Tottenham complaining about injuries and lack of squad depth, while first-time manager Mikel Arteta seems more focussed on rebuilding for the future.
The Top Half
Most sides in and around 10th place are usually just relieved at this point in the season to be a safe distance away from the relegation trapdoor, but some teams with greater ambitions for the future may pride themselves on finishing in the top half of the table. Burnley currently sit 10th on 39 points after an extraordinary start to 2020, with the Clarets' last defeat coming at Stamford Bridge on 11th January, while only Liverpool have taken more points from the last 8 games. Crystal Palace have been comfortable all season despite star man Wilfried Zaha scoring just 3 goals, the last of which came in December, and are only behind Burnley on goals scored. Carlo Ancelotti and Everton will certainly want to salvage another expensively sub-par season for the Toffees, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin's 13 goals being the only reason Ancelotti is able to look up and not nervously down. All the talk surrounding Newcastle at the moment invariably involves the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mauricio Pochettino and Phillipe Coutinho, but for now Steve Bruce, Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett have done a pretty solid job of getting 35 points out of 29 games, which should be enough to stay up.
The Relegation Battle
And now to the teams who will have likely been dreading the announcement today that means they will still have to enter into a relegation dogfight. Norwich are all but down with 21 points, but the other two relegation spots - assuming 3 teams are still promoted from the Championship - could be filled by any one of 5 teams currently separated by just 4 points. Newly-promoted, big-spending Aston Villa have been unable to gel all their new arrivals into a cohesive team and are 19th on 25 points, but victory in their game in hand would take them above Bournemouth, Watford and West Ham, who are all on 27. Bournemouth's usual mid-season slide down the table has proved more detrimental than usual given the Cherries didn't have their typically fast start, while Watford's revival under Nigel Pearson, including a staggering 3-0 win over the previously undefeated Liverpool, has still not been enough to detach themselves from the relegation battle. West Ham are another side whose significant summer investment suggested bigger ambitions than 16th, with goal difference being the only thing preventing the London Stadium hosting Millwall and Rotherham next season. £45 million pound signing Seb Haller will need to substantially increase his goal tally if David Moyes and his side are to avoid the drop. Brighton's fate is in their own hands with a 2-point cushion between themselves and the bottom three, but with games against Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Man Utd still to come, that gap could soon vanish with Graham Potter's attractive style of play yet to deliver consistent results. West Ham versus Aston Villa on the final day of the season could end up being the ultimate six-pointer in a race that will almost certainly go down to the wire.
The Golden Boot
A relatively minor matter considering the current global situation, but Jamie Vardy will nevertheless have one eye on the fast-approaching Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mo Salah. The Leicester striker's 19 goals has him in pole position, while Aubameyang is on 17 and Salah and Sergio Aguero both have 16 goals to their name. Southampton's Danny Ings is a surprise contender with 15 goals, while Harry Kane's recovery from injury gives the England captain at least a slim chance at claiming the golden boot for a third time in his career, although Tottenham's No.9 would have to have a remarkable end to the season given that he is currently 8 goals behind Vardy.
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