Looking at the Premier League relegation battle
Relegation is the worst thing that can happen to any club, especially one playing in the English Premier League. Not only does it mean huge losses in revenue, but it also means a loss in prestige and honour.
Relegation also leads to instability and players not wanting to stay. So avoiding it or even postponing it for a season makes a lot of difference.
Currently, in the Premier League, Newcastle is 14th and 10 points clear of the relegation zone. With 10 games left for most teams, it can be assumed that they are safe. But the same cannot be said about the teams below them.
Let's look at these five teams in the Premier League staring at the possibility of relegation.
Brentford
Brentford are the best-placed team in the relegation battle. They are 6 points ahead of the relegation zone. Perhaps the best thing for them is that they have four games against teams below them left. Two or three positive results would definitely ensure their safety.
The situation could have been very different had their start to the season not been as good as it was. Before they beat Norwich last week, they were on a terrible run of form.
Ivan Toney's return to form augurs well for them. The signing of Christian Eriksen can also help a lot.
Leeds United
Although Leeds are just below Brentford, they are in a lot more trouble. Only 2 points off the relegation spots, they have played two and three games more than Burnley and Everton below them, respectively.
All the excitement from the last season has disappeared. The worst thing about them is their defence, which keeps conceding goal after goal. They have let through a whopping 64 goals so far, more than anyone in the league.
Leeds have conceded 14 goals since they last scored in the Premier League.
396 minutes and counting for the Whites. 😶 https://t.co/LF1Yk5y8Ap
Nothing seems to be going right at Elland Road at the moment. They even had to sack Marcelo Bielsa, who used to command God-like admiration from fans earlier.
New manager Jesse Marsch has the unenviable task of sorting things out as fast as possible. Things have been made worse by the fact that they have had constant injuries the whole season. The return to fitness of main goalscorer Patrick Bamford might give them a much-needed boost in their remaining matches of the Premier League.