Premier League 2015/16 Relegation predictions

This post can also be found on The Futbol Network- https://thefutbolnetwork.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/1559/


Aston Villa. What a sorry state this club is in at the moment. They currently lie rock bottom of the Barclays Premier League, with just two wins to their name, and have not showed any signs of significant improvement under their new manager Remi Garde. Last season Tim Sherwood managed to re-invigorate the Villa side and guided them to safety. This season was thought to be the season where they would push on and challenge for a mid-table position. However, after losing arguably their two key attacking players in the form of Benteke and Delph, transferring to Liverpool and Manchester City respectively, they simply look lacklustre going forward. They have scored the least amount of goals out of any team in the league, which is not surprising given their league position. Their defence has not been performing that much better either. Having said this, they have been fortunate to retain the services of Brad Guzan, or the situation they find themselves in could be a whole lot worse. I feel the main problem here has been that the signings they have made, have not made adequate replacements for the personnel they have lost. For example, Rudy Gestede who admittedly did well for Blackburn, could not even manage a first team spot at his previous club Cardiff City, so I found it rather surprising when he managed to fashion a move to Aston Villa. So what does all this mean for Villa? They are currently ten points from safety and in all honesty, look like they will certainly be playing Championship football next season. However, that has been said before about the likes of Sunderland and Leicester in recent years. So who knows, maybe this Villa side will be able to emulate their heroics.

Newcastle have been a poor side for a number of seasons now and have shown no real signs of improvement that suggests they deserve to stay in England's top flight. Despite changing their manager, once again, and investing millions in players in an attempt to strengthen their squad, the Magpies have been poor so far this season. This could be a very important January transfer window for them. They have already shown that they are determined to stay in this league through the signings of Shelvey and Townsend, each player estimated to have been purchased for around £12m. This may seem like a lot of money, but if these signings help them avoid the drop, it will all be worth it. They have also been linked with Loic Remy, to bolster their goal scoring options. Their summer signings such as Mbemba and Mitrovic to name a few, while undoubtabley talented, are not Premier league proven, and I feel that is what this Newcastle side is lacking. Appointing Steve McClaren as manager was also a questionable decision as he is not someone with a wealth of premier league experience, and has struggled this season. We have seen moments of real fight and determination from his side such as their 3-3 draw with Man United recently. They are in the best position of the three teams here, being just two points away from safety. They play Aston Villa on the penultimate weekend of the season, which could be a huge game for both clubs.

Sunderland currently sit second from bottom in the table and are in real trouble. However, with Sam Allardyce at the helm, who has never been relegated from the Premier League, they have a fighting chance. Like their rivals, this could prove to be a vital transfer window for them too. Selling their starting goalkeeper to Watford in form of Pantillimon was an odd choice. They have brought in Dame N'Doye, a forward who featured a few times for Hull when they were in Premier League, and Lamine Kone from French side Lorient to give them more options at the back. It really is not surprising that they have signed a defender, as they currently have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding an average of two goals per game. The signings that were brought in during the summer have also been more of a hindrance. Jermaine Lens has failed to impress scoring just three goals and picking up a red card along the way. If anyone is going to keep the Black Cats up this season it is going to be Jermaine Defoe. He has proved himself for a number of clubs across the years and his experience may prove to be invaluable if Sunderland can repeat their amazing escape from relegation in the 2013/14 season. They have a seriously difficult February coming up, playing the likes of Liverpool and both Manchester clubs. They also play Watford on the last day of the season, but by then it may be too late.

If any of the three are to avoid relegation I think it will be Newcastle. They have invested heavily and seem to always just about stay in the league. If they do stay up I would expect a club such as Bournemouth or Norwich, to take their place. It may seem very optimistic to predict that no newly promoted side will go down, but I think Watford Norwich and Bournemouth have all done exceptionally well, especially Bournemouth who at the start of the season, were outright favourites to make an immediate return to the Championship. This years Premier League is as hard to call at the bottom as it is at the top. But I cannot see Aston Villa, Newcastle or Sunderland staying in England's top flight any longer.