Premier League Relegation Battle Heats Up as Norwich Confirms Relegation

After another week of exciting English Premier League fixtures, the battle between Manchester City and Liverpool for the league title is just separated by one point. However, the relegation battle at the bottom of the league is also getting serious.

Each season in the English Premier League, the three teams with the worst performance are relegated to the lower division. Therefore, the last three spots from 18th to 20th place in the rankings is called the relegation zone. After this week’s matchups, Norwich’s 0-2 defeat to Aston Villa confirms Norwich will be relegated. The final two relegation spots are currently occupied by Watford and Everton. Burnley and Leeds United are on the edge and in danger of falling into the relegation zone. How will the fate of these teams turn out? Let’s take a look at the chances for struggling teams to survive the relegation battle.

Norwich City

Current Position: 20th (21 points)

Survival Chance: None

After their 2-0 defeat at Aston Villa, Norwich has been officially relegated. This marks the second time in a row that the team has failed to remain in the Premier League after earning its promotion in the previous year. The team was only able to secure five wins and six draws in 34 matches. Norwich has conceded 71 goals in the process, which is more than an average of two goals per game. In the meantime, they were only able to score 22 goals in 34 matches. This results in Norwich being the first confirmed relegated team of the season.

Watford

Current Position: 19th (22 points)

Survival Chance: Minimal

Watford is currently in the middle of a five-match losing streak. Their chances of staying in the Premier League are only a mathematical possibility. Realistically, they have no chance to escape the relegation zone. They have four games to play with a potential of getting 12 points, but they are currently already 12 points behind 17th place Leeds United. This means that Leeds has to lose all their remaining games and Watford has to win all their games in order for them to have a chance to stay in the Premier League next season. If Leeds gets one point, Watford will be officially relegated.

Everton

Current Position: 18th (32 points)

Survival Chance: Moderate

Everton is having a horrible season, I don’t think there will be a lot of arguments against that. They are currently in the last relegation spot at 18th. However, their win over Chelsea in the past weekend provided a big boost to their chance of surviving in the Premier League. Everton is currently only two points from the number 17th spot. They also have five games left to play, which is one more than their main opponent Burnley and Leeds, but they still have to face strong opponents such as Leicester City and Arsenal. However, as they have an extra game in hand, they have three extra points they could get. That leaves Everton’s fate in their own hands. If they could win the extra game, their chance to win the relegation battle will increase massively.

Leeds United

Current Position: 17th (34 points)

Survival Chance: Moderate

After firing manager Marcelo Bielsa earlier this year, Leeds’ performance has not improved significantly as the team is on the edge of the relegation zone. Drawing on points with 16th place Burnley. Leeds’ defense is their biggest downfall this year as they have currently conceded the most goals in Premier League. However, their scoring ability was able to salvage some points for the team to be in a relatively safe position in the relegation battle. They still have a steep hill to climb as they have to face Arsenal and Chelsa back to back within three days next week. It will be a tough battle for Leeds to stay in the Premier League.

Burnley

Current Position: 16th (34 points)

Survival Chance: High

The departure of manager Sean Dyche was met by different voices. Some predicted that the decision to fire Dyche seals the fate for Burnley to be relegated. However, their recent form says otherwise. The team is on a four-game undefeated streak winning three of them, earning 10 out of 12 possible points. Caretaker manager Mike Jackson has done a superb job to bring Burnley to an advantageous position with four games to go. They will play Aston Villa twice, Tottenham, and Newcastle. These are not particularly easy games but with the recent form of the team, the relegation battle looks to be in their favor at this very moment.

These teams will continue to battle it out until the closing day of the Premier League on the 22nd of May. There are still many possible results in the upcoming games that could change the fate of these teams. The relegation battle in the Premier League is definitely something to look out for.