Football Manager 2017 predict the final Premier League standings
What's the story?
The race for the top four spots has never been so closely fought recently in the Premier League. With the influx of world-class players coupled with the best managers in the world, the league has turned into nothing short of a spectacle.
Now with the transfer window out of the question, the entire focus now shifts to the title race and the race for the spots below the eventual champions. Football Manager, the famous football game has stimulated the remaining games in the Premier League and have come with a final league table which has a few surprises for few and despair for the others.
In case you didn't know...
Currently, after 23 games, Chelsea lead the race with a nine-point lead over closest rivals, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool and Manchester City are tied on 46 points, just one behind the North London rivals. Manchester United are four points behind in the top four race.
At the bottom of the table, Crystal Palace are in the danger zone along with Hull City and Sunderland. Swansea and last season's champions, Leicester City are not entirely safe too, at this point of the season.
The heart of the matter
According to the FM17 stimulation, Chelsea are set to win the league title but not by a huge margin. Despite losing to West Ham, Bournemouth and Stoke City, Chelsea manage to win the league with a two-point lead over Spurs. Mauricio Pochettino's side are predicted to be second in the league table after going on an unbeaten 10 match run from early February to late April. One win from their last four games sees them handing out the title to Chelsea.
Arsenal are predicted to go unbeaten in the remaining set of fixtures but have to consolidate with a third place finish. A flurry of draws after mid-April see their title challenge fade. According to the stimulated fixtures, Manchester City finish fourth in the table after going on a seven-game unbeaten run which includes a late David Silva equaliser in the Manchester derby.
Manchester United and Liverpool fans have to be satisfied with Europa League for another season according to the Football Manager. FM17 predicts that United will finish two points behind Manchester City after failing to score in their last three games of the season. While the Reds are predicted to be six points off the top four after tasting defeat at the hands of Arsenal, Manchester City, Stoke and Everton.
What's next?
FM17 stimulation also revealed that Everton will finish seventh in the table followed by Stoke City. Leicester City avoid relegation by just two points while the likes of Sunderland, Hull City and Middlesbrough having to ply their trade in the second division.
Sportskeeda's take
Considering Chelsea's form and their remaining fixtures, it is hard to believe that they will lose a hold of the huge lead that the Blues have at their disposal. Also by showings in this season, Liverpool are better placed to finish in the top four ahead of the Manchester clubs whereas Arsenal can be said as the team who may falter and bow out of the top four.
Let’s take a look at the final Premier League table as predicted by FM17:
| # | Team | GD | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chelsea | 40 | 84 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur | 46 | 82 |
| 3 | Arsenal | 53 | 78 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 36 | 75 |
| 5 | Manchester United | 29 | 73 |
| 6 | Liverpool | 25 | 69 |
| --- | ------------------------ | ----- | |
| 18 | Sunderland | -22 | 32 |
| 19 | Middlesbrough | -26 | 32 |
| 20 | Hull City | -41 | 30 |