Who are this season’s Premier League relegation candidates?

Top flight football is the aim for all teams no matter what country’s league pyramid you are in, and relegation is a daunting prospect for all fans involved.

Some sides can witness the highs of promotion one season, but then the lows of demotion the next as they are unable to really compete with the best. There is also no guarantee that teams can bounce straight back to the big time either.

The Premier League is widely considered to be the best league in European football, with the Championship also proving to be one of the toughest leagues to get promoted from, let alone win. The trials and tribulations of the play-offs can provide entertaining spectacles, and the rewards that promotion provides are real boosts for clubs.

This year’s relegation battle has become an enjoyable contest for neutrals, but the fans of those involved may say otherwise as they fight for survival.

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Norwich City

Norwich are currently rock bottom of the Premier League, a position they have been in for the majority of the season. It took them 11 games to get their first win of the season, beating Brentford 2-1 away from home. They have had limited success since then and have been on the receiving end of thrashings from the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal.

The Canaries parted ways with Daniel Farke, the man who had led them to two promotions from the Championship in his four year spell at the club. Dean Smith was brought in to try and save their season, but the former Aston Villa boss was handed a difficult run of games during the early days of his East Anglian tenure.

Wins against fellow relegation candidates Everton and Watford have seen them gain crucial points in the table, but their form and results earlier in the season may have already decided their fate as they compete in their final 12 games of the campaign.

Watford

Two wins in the opening five games of their return to the Premier League seemed like a decent start for the Hornets, but they were unable to capitalise on such form. Xisco Munoz was sacked after just seven games of the season, with the Spaniard being replaced by former Premier League winning manager Claudio Ranieri.

Despite big wins against Manchester United and Everton, he was unable to revitalise the squad and they soon went on a run of 11 games without a win. He was then dismissed towards the end of January and replaced by Roy Hodgson, their seventh permanent appointment since the beginning of 2018.

Like Norwich, they have played more games than a couple of their other rivals for survival and with the goals lacking within their squad, it could be very difficult for them to avoid the drop.

Burnley

Sean Dyche’s side finished 17th last season, just one spot above the relegation zone. As with many other struggling teams it took them a while to win their first three points of the campaign as they overcame Brentford at Turf Moor.

With the joint most amount of draws in the Premier League, alongside Brighton and Crystal Palace who also have 12, it is clear to see that they are able to match their opponents in the division. Nine losses all season is far from the worst too, but they only have 22 goals to their name and they therefore lack the cutting edge they need up front.

However their form in recent weeks could suggest that another escape from the drop is on the cards. Victories against Brighton and Tottenham Hotspur have given them valuable points, and games in hand could provide them with some more time to turn draws in wins.

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Everton

The Toffees are another side who have already parted ways with a manager this season, with former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez leaving after just five and a half months at Goodison Park. Frank Lampard is now at the helm in his third managerial job, with his last position coming at his beloved Chelsea.

In their opening six games of the season, they won four matches and were sitting in one of the seven European spots at the top end of the Premier League. However since their 2-0 win against Norwich towards the end of September they have only picked up two more victories, and have now found themselves in danger of relegation.

As the season edges towards its latter stages, Everton’s remaining fixtures are far from kind to them. They still have to play Spurs, West Ham, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all before the end of the campaign, a set of games that could spell the end of their 68 year stay in the top flight.

Leeds United

Leeds returned to the Premier League last season and finished in a respectable 9th place. However, their form this year is almost the complete opposite to that of the previous campaign. They only have five wins to their name so far, and it is now impossible for them to reach the 18 victories they claimed last year.

Marcelo Bielsa, who guided the Whites back to the top flight in the 2019/20 season, was sacked at the end of last week and has now been replaced by former RB Leipzig boss Jesse Marsch. With 14 goals conceded in their last three games, it is clear something will need to change.

They are just one point above Everton who sit in 18th and the Toffees have two games in hand over the Yorkshire side, meaning the latter could find themselves in the drop zone very soon.

Brentford

It was a spectacular arrival into the top flight for Brentford as the Bees defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the opening game of the season. After just five matches, Thomas Frank’s side found themselves in the top half of the table.

Results have fluctuated throughout the season since then and they now find themselves winless in the league in their last eight games. They have lost the second most amount of matches with 15 defeats, and just six wins to their name has dampened their debut season in the Premier League.

After such a promising start their final few weeks of the season could prove to be a testing time for them. They have played the most games compared to their fellow relegation rivals, but with some of the teams below them also unable to generate form, the Bees could strike lucky and narrowly avoid the drop.

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