Premier League 2019-20: 3 clubs fighting relegation
With the Premier League season in the final stretch, many teams have been desperately trying to grind out results and avoid the unwanted fate of relegation. This has left the bottom of the table as tight as ever with just 7 points separating the relegation zone and Arsenal in 10th place.
And the fact is that anyone between 20th and 10th still faces the possibility of relegation with not one club within that zone mathematically safe as of yet. But, in truth, it's those that sit between 20th and 15th that should feel threatened with just 2 points separating West Ham in 17th and Brighton in 15th.
With that being said, here are 3 teams that could get relegated this season.
Norwich City
After gaining promotion back into the Premier League for the first time since 2016, Norwich would have been hoping to go on a successful run and complete their target of survival. However, things haven't quite worked out for Daniel Farke's side who sit rock bottom of the Premier League with 13 games. What's more, it's not the first time we've seen the Canaries in a precarious position in the Premier League with a joint record of 4 relegations from the top flight to their name, a number that may increase come May.
Although, despite their current position, Norwich started the season well and it finally looked as though they had a good enough squad to compete at the highest level with victory over Manchester City and draws against Arsenal and Spurs - all promising results. However, the Norwich have not done well enough against teams in the bottom half of the table with losses to relegation rivals such as Watford and Brighton this season doing significant damage to their survival hopes.
West Ham United
Despite spending over £100 million in the last two seasons, West Ham could be about to face their first relegation since 2011 with a tough run of fixtures and poor form both playing a part in a poor season for the Hammers.
This has led to the arrival of David Moyes who will be looking to repeat the form of his first spell at the club which resulted in Premier League survival. However, it looks as though Moyes will have a tougher job when it comes to survival this time around with a difficult run of games ahead for his West Ham side.
The London based club will face 5 of last season's top 6 in their next 7 games, leaving points hard to come by for a West Ham side in desperate need of a win.
Adding to this, in the two games that West Ham are not facing a top 6 opponent, they face Wolves and a Southampton side who have lost just 2 of their last 5 games in the Premier League. This leaves West Ham in a dangerous situation with relegation to the Championship becoming a serious possibility this season.
Aston Villa
Despite sitting 17th and outside the relegation zone, Aston Villa still face the possibility of relegation with just 1 point separating them and West Ham in 18th. What's more, Villa have failed at both ends of the pitch on many occasions this season with a lack of goals from summer signings such as Wesley playing a huge factor in Villa's struggle in attack.
However, its been in defence where Villa have struggled the most which has seen them lose 14 games so far this season. In fact, Aston Villa have conceded the joint-most amount of goals in the Premier League this season which comes as no surprise when considering the position that they currently find themselves in.
With that being said, although Villa currently sit outside of the relegation zone, the form of teams like those below them such as Watford will worry Villa fans as they look to avoid dropping straight back down into the Championship after just one year in the Premier League.
To conclude, the relegation battle is the tightest one we've seen in the Premier League for a long time and this has seen several club's Premier League status become uncertain with the likes of Norwich, West Ham and Aston Villa all facing the possibility of playing in the Championship next season.
Also read | Premier League 2019-20: 3 reasons why Aston Villa can avoid relegation