With the bottom eight clubs separated by just five points, the battle to stay in the Premier League looks set to go right down to the wire this season.
As it stands, Southampton find themselves rock bottom on 12 points, while Leicester City sit thirteenth on 17 points. With twelfth-place Crystal Palace on 22 points, it feels like any number of teams could go down.
First Matchweek of 2023 ✅How would you rate your team's season so far? pic.twitter.com/Pgo7bMp5Dh— Premier League (@premierleague) January 5, 2023
First Matchweek of 2023 ✅How would you rate your team's season so far? pic.twitter.com/Pgo7bMp5Dh
Before we take a closer look at the relegation-threatened sides, let’s check out the bottom end of the table.
13. Leicester City – 17 Pts14. Leeds United – 17 Pts15. Nottingham Forest – 17 Pts16. Bournemouth – 16 Pts17. West Ham United – 15 Pts18. Everton – 15 Pts19. Wolverhampton Wanderers – 14 Pts20. Southampton – 12 Pts
As you can see, Southampton are not in a good place right now. Not only have they lost each of their six league games, but they have also lost 12 of their 18 league games this season.
The Saints sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl in November, with Nathan Jones coming in as his successor. Although the former Luton Town manager has yet to make an impact, Southampton are by no means cut adrift.
Wolves also made a managerial change before the World Cup break, replacing Bruno Lage with Julen Lopetegui. Having previous managed Real Madrid, Sevilla, Porto and Spain, Lopetegui is expected to save Wolves.
Everton and West Ham were not expected to be in a relegation battle this season. But having combined for just seven wins in 36 league matches, both sides find themselves in danger of the drop.
Following a run of seven defeats in eight games, Bournemouth are the bookmakers’ current favorites for relegation. The Cherries have only managed to win one of their last nine encounters and hover just above the drop zone as a result.
When Nottingham Forest lost seven of their opening ten games, they looked destined for an immediate return to the Championship. But Steve Coper and his players have turned things around of late, losing just two of the previous eight matches.
Alongside Forest, Leicester and Leeds also find themselves on 17 points. The Foxes have been wildly inconsistent this term, while the Whites have a game in hand on all their relegation rivals.
At this moment in time, it is extremely difficult to predict who will go down. With almost half the league’s teams battling to stay in the division, the relegation dogfight looks set to drag on until the eleventh hour.