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The Championship promotion contenders usually arise after the first three months of the season, but this campaign has been very different.
From the start of the season, many were vocal in suggesting that this year’s Championship clubs would potentially form a less entertaining season than those in years gone by, with early promotion predictions mainly consisting of West Bromwich Albion, Fulham and AFC Bournemouth.
Whilst the top two spots will likely go to the favourites, the play-off scene poises to be a much more exciting and unpredictable bout. With only 15 points separating second and 15th, this has truly been another enthralling Championship season for the ages.
So, as another second-tier campaign reaches its climax, here is the roundup of the potential top-six by the end of the season.
Champions – Fulham
Fulham have been the side to beat in the division this season and it would not be controversial to say they are potentially one of the best Championship sides of all time.
The Cottagers have relished under the pressure of being called one of the best squads in the division and have not allowed themselves to be added to the list of teams that have underperformed with a great squad.
Marco Silva’s side have scored a staggering 78 goals this season. To put that into context, Forest Green Rovers, Manchester City and Liverpool are the second highest scoring teams in England’s top four divisions with 61 goals.
To further this, Fulham have scored three or more goals in 14 games and little has come close to showing the Cottagers’ dominance than when Silva’s men went on a streak of scoring 19 goals in the space of three fixtures.
To speak about Fulham without speaking about their star man would be criminal and it is fair to say that this season Aleksandar Mitrović has been the Championship’s alternate to Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Serbian has smashed expectations this campaign and has been linked heavily with a move away from Craven Cottage, none more flattering than interest from Juventus before the Old Lady captured Dusan Vlahović.
The 27-year-old boasts one of the most impressive goalscoring records in Europe with 31 goals this season, outscoring Barnsley, Peterborough United and Hull City, and with 16 games left to play, could the Serbian forward end the campaign with more goals than games played?
Runners-up – AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries looked unbeatable at the start of the season as Scott Parker’s side sat top of the league after 15 games played, unbeaten and five points clear. However, Bournemouth have faced a few spells of unnerve which has seen their position drop, albeit only to second place.
Noticeably there have been two periods of bad form, between mid-November to mid-December and the start of this year where the Cherries lost twice in January.
Bournemouth lost five games out of the nine they played in that period, picking up a dismal six points, form that would be expected of a side in the bottom three, not one pushing for automatic promotion.
Questions undoubtedly then arose as to why Parker’s men were so susceptible to these ‘drop-offs’ in form that could likely be the difference between an automatic promotion spot and a place within the play-offs.
The issues seemed to be with consistency through games as Bournemouth have rarely lost a game in the first half and are dominant in this period. Just looking at the stats, scoring is near enough even with a 24/25 split of goals in the first and second half.
Worryingly though, the Cherries have a habit of conceding a lot more in the second half with 20 of the side’s 26 goals conceded taking place in the last 45 minutes of games. Which opens the question up of what happens during games that Parker’s men succumb to so consistently?
Play-off Finish – Middlesbrough
It would not be unrealistic to expect to see Boro in the play-offs and they are an almost safe bet for the top six. It has to be said that had Chris Wilder been brought into the picture sooner, his side would likely be fighting for the top two spots in the division.
Wilder has brought an attractive and exciting style of play back to the Riverside which fans have been crying out for since their previous promotion to the Premier League under Aitor Karanka.
The issue that could be the difference between play-off glory or despair is the left-hand side of the team not being as strong as the right and teams looking to exploit that.
Without a doubt, Wilder’s side boasts two of the best right-sided wing-backs in the division, and if Isaiah Jones could play on the left, it is likely Djed Spence would have been recalled in January. However, with Marc Bola still absent from the squad, it makes Boro’s reliance on Neil Taylor quite high.
Play-off Finish – Nottingham Forest
The aforementioned Spence is a perfect link into speaking about Forest. In recent years, they have become a side that has become accustomed to talks of promotion, yet, for a side that spends aggressively consistently, there has been little success in recent years.
At the start of the season, it looked as though Forest could be on their way to a potential second underwhelming season in a row under Chris Hughton as the Reds started dismally and looked to be in a potential relegation scrap. However, he was sacked after six defeats in the opening seven fixtures.
Now under Steve Cooper, Forest can start dreaming again in both the league and in the FA Cup. With two wins against Premier League opposition and a tie against Huddersfield Town next up, Cooper’s men are definitely one to look out for.
Play-off Finish – Blackburn Rovers
If you had said to the Ewood Park faithful after their demolishment at the hands of Fulham that they would have flirted with the automatic promotion spots, they would have likely laughed, but that has been the reality for the side.
In the new five-back system, Tony Mowbray’s men have become a force to be reckoned with, and with the devastating Ben Brereton Diaz leading the line, the side looks excellent defensively and going forward.
This season has a somewhat make or break feel to it though with Diaz’ contract expiring at the end of the season and with transfer issues surrounding Joe Rothwell, a key transfer target of Bournemouth until late in the latest window. If Rovers are unable to succeed in their push now, it may be a while before they are again in the picture.
Let us briefly mention those who may narrowly miss the play-offs and the reasonings as to why. It has to be said that in recent months West Brom have been too inconsistent to make the top six. Queens Park Rangers are potentially too over-reliant on Chris Willock and Ilias Chair and should either see a drop off in form or get injured, it probably would see the end of the Rs’ push
In the case of Sheffield United, it may just be a case of starting their push too late into the campaign.
Play-off Finish – Huddersfield Town
This potentially is an unpopular suggestion in comparison to some of the other teams in and around the play-offs but what Huddersfield Town have shown this season is a lot different from their prior two seasons and very much more reminiscent of their 2016/2017 promotion season.
In the past two seasons, the Terriers have seen back-to-back relegation scraps, much like the prior two seasons to their promotion under David Wagner. However, those around the club are starting to see, believe and link it to that season.
The West Yorkshire outfit are currently on their best run of form since 2011 when the side were fighting for promotion in League One. The squad appears to have been built similarly to the one of Wagner too, with players fighting for the fans, for the badge, and most importantly, for each other.
Whilst there are still issues that need to be ironed out in the club, for example, the habit of dropping points in winning positions, to suggest Huddersfield get promoted is not as farfetched of an idea as it might have been in September.
Whilst there are issues, there are a lot of positives at the club. The squad has been thinned since the side returned to the Championship and the wage budget has decreased massively to keep the club afloat in the second-tier.
To further this, Carlos Corberán has built a high-strength squad consisting of some of the best players in the Championship this season, with the likes of Lewis O’Brien, Lee Nicholls, and Sorba Thomas headlining that list.
Huddersfield are certainly not far off promotion and this may be the season where they return into the top-flight of English football.
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