5 teams in contention for 4th place in the Premier League this season

Even by its own standards of unpredictability, the English Premier League has left fans bewildered. The 2015/16 season has so far seen Claudio Ranieri’s Leicester City dispel all lingering doubts and score freely on their way to 3rd position, West Ham United beating Arsenal, Manchester City AND Liverpool away from home, and league leaders Manchester City playing a goalless draw with bottom-placed Aston Villa.Most eye-catching, however, has been the fall of defending champions, Chelsea. Jose Mourinho’s men have shown relegation form in the initial stages of the season, the recent 1-0 loss to Stoke City further intensifying the mystery behind the reasons for the Blues’ decline. Chelsea’s slump has also left the race for the top four wide open.Here’s a look at 5 teams which could potentially fill up the all-important remaining Champions League place (assuming the two Manchester teams and Arsenal occupy the top three spots).

#1 Tottenham Hotspur

Mauricio Pochettino is doing it again. After previous successful stints at Espanyol and Southampton, the Argentine has, once more, built a youthful, energetic Spurs side whose high-pressing would make Jurgen Klopp proud.

Since their opening-day 1-0 loss to Manchester United, Tottenham have gone on an 11-game unbeaten run, defeating Manchester City 4-1 and keeping 4 clean sheets along the way. The 1-1 draw with Arsenal at the Emirates was yet another example of their newfound resilience and their ability to grind out results.

The partnership of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld in central defence has provided a stable base. Eric Dier in defensive midfield has proved effective in pressing opponents high up the pitch and the attacking midfield trio of Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Delle Alli (earlier, Nacer Chadli) have looked to attack on the break.

With last season’s hero Harry Kane rediscovering his form as well, Spurs will look to add goals to their game and convert those 0-0 draws and scrappy wins into more comfortable victories.

Moreover, the substitute’s bench, consisting of Ben Davies, Ryan Mason, Michel Vorm and Heung-Min Son, is more than capable of guiding the team through the hectic winter fixtures without major hiccups. The only major worry would be the Lilywhites’ occasional inability to score, something Pochettino might want to redress in the January transfer window.

That aside, Spurs look well-placed to cash in on Chelsea’s disastrous start and qualify for the Champions League. If they do, it will be due to Pochettino changing the ‘Tottenham Way’.

#2 Everton

Perennial pretenders to the Champions League playoff spot, Everton have been finishing in 8th place or above since 2006, barring last season. This season presents the perfect opportunity for the Toffees to fulfil a decade-long dream with Chelsea faltering and neither Tottenham nor Liverpool fully capitalising.

Manager Roberto Martinez’s refusal to sell John Stones to Chelsea has worked wonders. The 21-year-old has put in match-winning performances alongside veteran Phil Jagielka in the heart of defence. A similar combination of young James McCarthy and the experienced Gareth Barry in midfield is doing a stellar job of linking attack with defence. And the directness of the now-permanent signing of Gerard Deulofeu on the right wing is bringing the best out of striker Romelu Lukaku.

Add to this the revelation that has been young left-back Brendan Galloway, additional firepower up front in the form of Arouna Kone, Aaron Lennon and Kevin Mirallas plus the prospect of Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar returning from injury and it becomes clear that Everton are not lacking in quality to push for fourth place. Squad players such as Darren Gibson, Leon Osman and Steven Naismith are more than capable of filling in, should injuries and exhaustion hamper the team during Christmas.

The Merseysiders are moreover led by a tactically astute manager – Roberto Martinez has been his attacking self at home, but has made not conceding goals a priority away, keeping 3 clean sheets and beating Southampton 3-0 at St. Mary’s. The injury to Phil Jagielka, however, has put a spanner in the works; Martinez will want his captain to return as soon as possible and perhaps invest in another defender come January.

All in all, Everton have a well-rounded squad and, with the current state of affairs in the Premier League, the playoff spot is there for the taking. Beating Liverpool to it would, of course, be an added incentive.

#3 Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp’s first four games in the Premier League have shown noticeable improvement in performances, but none whatsoever in the results department. Although Liverpool’s start to the season so far has been average (17 points from 12 games), the team has shown enough promise to fare much better if the former Dortmund manager identifies weaknesses in his squad.

One such weakness has been the glaring lack of ruthlessness in both attack and defence. In the recent loss to Crystal Palace at home, the Reds created 19 chances and attempted 22 shots, but had a solitary goal to show for their efforts. At the other end, they conceded two soft goals – one from a weak clearance and the other by ineffective zonal marking from a corner kick.

Injuries have further compounded the situation. Danny Ings is out for the rest of the season and the injury-prone Daniel Sturridge cannot be relied on, leaving Christian Benteke and Divock Origi as the sole options up front. Sakho’s possible long-term setback adds to a growing list of injury concerns at the back, with Joe Gomez, Flanagan and Kolo Toure already out.

Despite the obvious issues, Liverpool possess a team of talented players (Coutinho, Lallana, Firmino, Moreno, Clyne) as well as promising youngsters (Jordan Ibe, Emre Can) who have been performing well under Klopp. The German will soon be welcoming captain Jordan Henderson and the ever-reliable James Milner back from injury and, with his motivational skills, the Kop will hope he inspires their team to new heights.

In the end, though, Liverpool’s Champions League hopes hinge on how Klopp strengthens the squad in the January transfer window. Knowing his ability to spot talent (Eg. Lewandowski, Hummels, Piszczek, Kagawa, Gundogan, Reus) this may just be the beginning of exciting times at Liverpool.

#4 Southampton

After missing out on a Champions League spot last season, Southampton will look to make amends this time around. The Saints were in second place, 9 points ahead of Manchester United after 11 games in 2014/15, only to fizzle out in the latter half and finish seventh, 10 points adrift of the Red Devils in fourth place.

After an indifferent start to the season (6 points from 6 games), Ronald Koeman’s team have found their mojo once again, winning four of the next six, including a 3-1 away win over Chelsea. The form of Sadio Mane, in particular, has caught the eye – the Senegalese winger has already scored 3 and assisted 4 goals.

Striker Graziano Pelle has been among goals as well and midfielder Dusan Tadic has, as usual, has been on the lookout for a killer pass. The midfield pivot of Jordy Clasie and Victor Wanyama has made light of the departure of Morgan Schneiderlin while new signings Cedric Soares and Virgil van Dijk have fitted seamlessly into the defence.

The return of first choice goalkeeper Fraser Forster and striker Jay Rodriguez from injury is going to strengthen the squad further, meaning Southampton must feel optimistic about their top four chances. Ronald Koeman, however, needs to be wary of his side’s dependency on Pelle for goals and might want an additional striker, particularly since Juanmi remains an untested commodity in the Premier League.

Southampton’s primary aim still remains to qualify for the Europa League. But given the chance, the Saints would like to achieve the Champions League finish that seemed to be within their grasp last season.

#5 Chelsea

Worst start to a title defence after 12 games. Worst points tally for the club after 12 games. Worst defensive performance by the club after 12 games.

The nightmare continues for Chelsea and Jose Mourinho, and promises of a new dawn sound more hollow with every loss. Yet, turning the corner seems painfully close and if any footballing sense prevails, the Chelsea of 2014/15 will be back – with or without Mourinho.

Recent signs have been encouraging – the Blues’ home win against Dynamo Kiev showed plenty of fighting spirit and Eden Hazard, along with Nemanja Matic, looked in good knick in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Stoke City. And if the past 5 seasons are anything to go by, the English champions still have a UCL spot to play for.

So, come January, Hazard will be back with those dancing feet, diminutive attacking midfielders will be trembling at the sight of Matic once again, Fabregas will be threading passes through the eye of a needle and Costa’s goal-scoring half will eventually overcome his destructive self. This team is way too good, its players way too gifted, their egos hurting way too much to accept this.

What remains to be seen is whether Mourinho sparks this revival or his departure does. Either way, rule Chelsea out at your own peril.

Edited by Staff Editor