Quest for 4th Spot
4 Teams battling it out for 4th spot
I’ve had a little say on the title race run in and now I felt I might express my views on the equally interesting battle for 4th spot.
Realistically I believe that there are 4 teams in for the final Champions League spot: Spurs, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Man City. The funny thing is that at the moment none of them seem to really want it. They’re all intermittently dropping points where you would assume they shouldn’t (messing up my accumulators in the process) yet they’re all capable of beating the top 3 sides on their day.
Now, let’s look at the table and the remaining fixtures:
| Pos | Team | Pld | Gd | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Spurs | 28 | 23 | 49 |
| 5 | Man City | 27 | 17 | 49 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 29 | 16 | 48 |
| 7 | Aston Villa | 26 | 16 | 45 |
| Spurs | Man City | Liverpool | Aston Villa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackburn (h) | Sunderland (a) | Portsmouth (h) | Stoke (a) |
| Stoke (a) | Fulham (a) | Man Utd (a) | Wigan (a) |
| Portsmouth (h) | Everton (h) | Sunderland (h) | Wolves (h) |
| Sunderland (a) | Wigan (h) | Birmingham (a) | Sunderland (h) |
| Arsenal (h) | Burnley (a) | Fulham (h) | Chelsea (a) |
| Chelsea (h) | Birmingham (h) | West Ham (h) | Bolton (h) |
| Man Utd (a) | Man Utd (h) | Burnley (a) | Everton (h) |
| Bolton (h) | Arsenal (a) | Chelsea (h) | Portsmouth (a) |
| Burnley (a) | Aston Villa (h) | Hull (a) | Birmingham (h) |
| West Ham (h) | Man City (a) | ||
| Blackburn (h) |
Spurs are in the driving seat at the minute and Liverpool seem to be lacking some spirit judging by their last performance against Wigan. I think that Spurs are best equipped to do it as a squad out of the four. They have a large squad and they should be at least in this position based upon the money they’ve spent over recent seasons. If Modric, King and Defoe stay fit and on form then they will be very close indeed. It’s obvious where their main challenge lies – the consecutive games against Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd. They are capable of beating any of those teams on their day but at times this season they have been off-colour for no apparent reason. If they come away with some decent points from those games then I feel we could be seeing Tottenham in the Champions League next season.
Man City have it all in front of them. They really remind me of the Chelsea team the year Abramovich came in. On paper they’re a superb team but for some reason it’s not quite right. I’ve got no doubt that they’ll be looking at winning the league next season but to do so they need to be in the Champions League to really attract some players. Again, they have a crucial period – Man Utd, Arsenal and Aston Villa in consecutive games. Again, City can beat anyone but I think they can be beaten by anyone too. If they really kick on from now they can overtake Spurs. It is in their hands with their game in hand. My only concern for City is that I can see them dropping points away from home against the likes of Sunderland or Fulham. If they stay consistent there could be a big reward come May.
For me, whatever the outcome of the season this has been a tragic one for Liverpool and Rafa Benitez. They should have kicked on from last season and have gone a long way backwards. Even if they win the Europa League I still would say it was a poor season although that’s the least the loyal fans deserve. On a positive note, I’ve rarely seen Liverpool play well this season and they’re still right in the mix for 4th spot. They’re fixtures aren’t too bad and let’s be honest any team with Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Reina etc should at least be in the top 4. Something isn’t right at Liverpool but their experience could count when the end of the season comes around.
I believe that Aston Villa have the smallest squad but the players they have in their squad have amazing belief and a superb attitude. That is a typical Martin O’Neil characteristic. Other than Midland rivals you’ll struggle to find anyone that dislikes Villa, this is because of their style of play. However, I simply cannot see them taking the 4th spot. I see their squad once again being naive at the top level and I feel that they will drop points. Their fixtures are a mixed bag but if they get one or two injuries they could drop points. For me, Villa are outsiders for 4th spot although it is in their hands. If they go on a real run then they could cause a bit of an upset.
Overall I feel that Villa are least equipped to be in the Champions League. They would need some investment. I feel that come next season, Man City will be best equipped for it. They will spend big no matter what happens this season. Spurs are finally reaching some of their potential but I feel that if any of their players were to really excel (Modric, Palacios etc) then they will be successfully poached (like Berbatov) by the Real Madrids or Inter Milans of this world. Liverpool need change in my opinion, either at the very top or at least at a management level. If they do not qualify for the Champions League I could see Torres moving to City or Barcelona, Benitez going and then potentially next season could be a “transitional” one. I have a sneaking suspicion that Liverpool will quietly sneak in there but they need to be a hell of a lot better next season, as do the rest of the top 4. Man City will be breathing down their necks.