It isn’t even over yet, but this season of Premier League football has been the wildest since the inception of the league in 1992. On Feb. 11, 2015, the Leicester City Foxes was in last place before finishing the season on a “hot streak” to avoid relegation and earn a 14th-place finish. At the time of writing, the Foxes occupy the top spot on the table by five points (over perennial contender the Arsenal Gunners and the always borderline Tottenham Hotspur “Spurs” — more on them later). Towards the bottom of the table, there’s Chelsea in 13th. The defending champions have been unable to right the ship after a rocky start and now face a year without any European competitions. In what has been a crazy season, The News-Letter names its top five things to look out for in the rest of the year.
1. Can Leicester do it?
Any talk of 2015-16 in world football starts and ends with the Foxes, whose unprecedented rise to the top of the table has made front pages all around the world. This team, which had 5,000 to 1 odds of winning Britain’s top flight at the beginning of the year, has the inside track to the title. Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have become two of the most dominant players in Europe this season and have most certainly earned themselves moves outside of King Power Stadium during the summer transfer window (although Vardy did just sign a contract through 2019). This team doesn’t have any more competitions outside of the premier league, unlike the teams running behind them, and should be refreshed for every match they play. Incredibly enough, Leicester has the inside track to the title, and barring an epic collapse, will be playing in the Champions League regardless of a first-place finish.
2. Will Tottenham make a push?
Even including the Foxes, Tottenham has been the most impressive team time and time again this season. The Spurs have amassed a 26-goal differential, the highest in the league by five, and they sit in second-place behind Leicester. What normally would be a headline grabber has seen little press because of the Foxes’ success but Tottenham has never won the Premier League title and last won Britain’s top flight in 1961. Mauricio Pochettino has established himself as one of the great coaches in today’s game and looks for his Spurs to make a run at Leicester. The question is, can Tottenham win enough games without drawing (they have struggled this season) to take the title?
3. What to do about Manchester City and Arsenal?
Up until last week, Man City remained the favorite to take home the title, but after a home thrashing at the hands of Leicester, oddsmakers have thrown them behind the Foxes. The Gunners, who at times have looked like the best team in the league, struggled to win for over a month until a 2-0 away win against Bournemouth. Man City’s chances lie in their training staff’s ability to get key pieces like David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne and Jesus Navas back on the field. All three will miss Sunday’s fixture against Tottenham, which could prove vital for their premier league chances. Arsenal has problems of its own, as they welcome first-place Leicester to Emirates Stadium in the first of two top-four matchups. A loss to the Foxes could spell the end for Arsenal’s chances.
4. What are the offseason plans for underachieving top clubs?
Chelsea sits 13th in the table, Liverpool sits ninth and Manchester United sits at an unconvincing fifth. The question for Chelsea is: Who will take over the reigns after Jose Mourinho’s firing months ago? For Liverpool, can Jurgen Klopp get the men he needs to make a run at next season’s title? Finally, for Man United, can Louis Van Gaal’s squad secure a top-four finish to possibly save the Dutchman’s job? All of the answers to these questions are cloudy at best, and the end of the season should prove interesting for these teams. Chelsea will likely turn its thoughts to the Champions League, where it will face French giant Paris Saint-Germain next week. The other two will look to play spoiler.
5. Who will be relegated or promoted?
It seems written in stone that longtime Premier League teams like Sunderland and more so Aston Villa will be relegated, barring a late-season surge, but who will take that third spot? Norwich City sits in 18th now but could very well leave that spot because they trail Newcastle United by one point and Swansea City by four. The Canaries will look to join Watford and Bournemouth, both promoted last season, for another year in the league. On the other side, with 12 games remaining, Middlesbrough, Brighton and two of last year’s relegated teams, Burnley and Hull City, will battle it out for the three spots.
In what has been an already crazy season, the craziest is yet to come, so buckle up for a wild three months.
