Who Will Finish in the Top 4?

 

1. Chelsea: Despite their lackluster mid-week performance against Paris Saint-Germaine, which saw them eliminated from the Champions League, Chelsea remain favorites to win the league title. 5 points ahead with a game in hand and just 10 games remaining in the season mean it would take a nearly flawless performance by Manchester City to retain their title. Still, regardless of whether they finish 1^st or 2^nd, Chelsea will be in the Champions League next season.

 

Predicted Finish: 1^st (86 points)

 

2. Manchester City: City are currently in second place, 5 points behind Chelsea but also 7 points ahead of 5^th Liverpool. Although 5 points isn’t insurmountable at this point in the season, it will be very difficult for City to overtake Chelsea and retain their title. Still, there is almost no question that City will be in the Champions League next season, as there is almost no way they fall behind Liverpool or Tottenham.

 

Predicted Finish: 2^nd (79 points)

 

3. Arsenal: Now here is where it gets interesting. Only 5 points separate 3^rd placed Arsenal and 7^th placed Southampton, and each of these 5 teams are battling for the 2 remaining Champions League places. Arsenal relied on Alexis Sanchez for the early part of the season, and he has supplied 13 goals so far this season. But although Mesut Özil hasn’t had the best season, his presence has made Arsenal a better team. Teams have to focus on him as well as Sanchez, and although Sanchez’s production hasn’t been as good since Özil’s return, the rest of the team has profited from his return. Santi Cazorla, in particular, has been fantastic. The little Spaniard has controlled games, and put on a wonderful showing against Manchester City in their 2-0 victory at the Etihad. Suddenly, in 2015, Arsenal has found some chemistry and other than their poor showing and loss against Monaco, they seem to be a different team than the one that took just 11 points from their first 8 games. Still, in their last 11 games, they face Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea. These three games will shape Arsenal’s season. Traditionally, they have not been great in these big games, but this season has been somewhat of a turning point for Arsenal. For the first time in twenty attempts, they finally defeated United at Old Trafford, but unless they gain significant points from these three games, 4^th place will be tough.

 

Predicted Finish: 4^th (71 points)

 

4. Manchester United: United might be the most curious case in the entire top 7. They have seemed to never hit top gear at any point this season. Their mega-signings in Falcao and Angel di Maria have combined to score 7 goals. To put that into perspective, Peter Crouch has scored 7 league goals this season. It is incredible, that after all of the criticism about United’s defense, they have the 3^rd best defense in the Premier League. It is their attack that is the real problem, and that isn’t even that much of a problem. They have the fourth best attack, and third best defense in the league, but it really seems like they haven’t been doing anything right this season. Louis van Gaal has tinkered with the formation so much that United players never seem to even know where they are going to be playing the next game day. Much of United’s defensive record has obviously been the amazing work of David de Gea in net, and although their defense has made some egregious errors, it is not as bad as people make it out to be. Once they changed to a back 4, with Ashley Young moving to the left wing, the defense has looked much more confident. Phil Jones and Chris Smalling/Marcos Rojo can form a good center back partnership. Luke Shaw/Rojo can also assist Young down the left, and when Rojo and Young are bombing forward the left-hand side they look very dangerous. Needless to say, United are nowhere near to a perfect team. Marouane Fellaini, although fantastic in the air, should be coming off the bench and he would be a great impact sub but it is important that Juan Mata comes back into the lineup. Mata and Rooney had formed a good partnership when di Maria was out injured and he is capable of making decisive passes. Herrera and Blind are forming a nice parternship and they compliment each other well, but the most important thing for United is consistency. They play well one night, and then look like the team that lost to MK Dons another night. Still, they have the sign of a great team, in that they manage to get good results even when they don’t play well. This team is nowhere close to great yet, but they do have the potential and the individual talent to get there. Their late season push will be defined, like Arsenal, by their performances in big games. With Tottenham, Liverpool, City, Chelsea, and Arsenal coming up, United can shape where they finish next season. Big games are usually where United thrive, and their fans will expect them to win at least 3 of those 5 games.

 

Predicted Finish: 3^rd (74 points)

 

5. Liverpool: Liverpool are a classic case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The first half of the season made it seem like the loss of Luis Suarez was too hard for them to deal with, but the truth was they just needed adjusting time. The problem for them was that it may have come a little too late. The change in formation has rejuvenated Liverpool’s season and they are looking like a dangerous team on the counter attack. Phillipe Coutinho has been one of the best players in the league in 2015 and his game winners against Southampton and Manchester City were both contenders for Goal of the Season. He, Sterling, and Sturridge can lead Liverpool’s line for years to come and their potential is huge. Emre Can can move into the midfield next season, and if Dejan Lovren can regain his form from his Southampton days, Liverpool could be very dangerous next season. Can and Henderson in the middle, with Alberto Moreno and Lazar Markovic down the wings can be a formidable midfield, so look out for Liverpool next season. This season has been a turning point for them, and although many fans may consider this season to be a disappointment, in the long-term this season will really help Liverpool out.

 

Predicted Finish: 5^th (70 Points)

 

6. Tottenham: It was only fitting that Harry Kane, a lifelong Tottenham fan and academy graduate, scored a brace against Arsenal to win the North London derby. He has become the face of their team, and rightly so. The young Englishman has been compared to some great strikers in world football, and he has the potential to be on the level of Teddy Sheringham and Michael Owen. 25 goals in all competitions is something to be very proud of, and Kane will look to hit 30 by the end of the year. But Spurs have not been a one-man team. Christian Eriksen has been fantastic behind him, and Nacer Chadli has scored some vital goals as well. Ryan Mason, another academy graduate, has also been a grafter in the center of midfield. This Spurs team is beginning to take shape under Mauricio Pochettino. The problem is, Eriksen and Kane have had to bail them out far too many times for their manager’s liking. Spurs have gained the most points in the league in the last five minutes, and there was a three game stretch where they broke the deadlock in the 87^th minute or later. This cutting edge is good, but Pochettino would like his men to be winning these games a little earlier.

 

Predicted Finish: 6^th (67 points)

 

7. Southampton: After their fantastic start to the season, Southampton have slowed down a little bit, and this is mainly due to the lack of production from Graziano Pellé. The big Italian has been stuck on 8 league goals for the last 11 games, and it is no coincidence that Southampton have struggled a bit during this period. Still, their future is promising with the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Matt Targett, Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mané, and (if they can hold on to him) Morgan Schneiderlin. The Saints will fight for European football next season, but they may fall just short. Nonetheless, an amazing season from Ronald Koeman and his men.

 

Predicted Finish: 7^th (66 points)

 

 

by Arjun Balaraman