Southampton, Bournemouth or West Ham United - Which Premier League club will be relegated this season?
With only 10 games remaining in the ongoing Premier League season, the relegation battle has heated up at the bottom of the table. A total of nine teams are separated by just four points and are fighting for their survival in the English top flight. Some of these teams have played at least one or two more games than the rest and their chances of survival look bleak.
Southampton and West Ham United are surprising names to find at the wrong end of the table. Bournemouth, on the other hand, are not Premier League regulars and have only been in the English top flight in the last few years. Below, we will delve into the survival chances of the bottom three and try to analyze if they can remain in the English top flight for another season.
Southampton (Currently 20th)
Southampton currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League, having played 28 games with 23 points. They have lost the most number of games in the league (17), are tied with six other teams for the least number of wins (6) and have the third-worst goal difference (-23). Their most recent result was a spirited 3-3 draw with Tottenham Hotspur after being down 3-1 in the match. This match could result in a boost for the Saints to remain in the Premier League.
However, Southampton are one of the four teams from the bottom nine to have played 28 games, with the teams above them in 19th and 18th having played fewer games. New head coach Ruben Selles has consistently used formations such as the 4-2-3-1 or the 4-4-2, rather than multiple formations that Ralph Hasenhuttl could implement to gain advantages over their opponents.
Selles has maintained consistency with the formations, allowing the players to gain a better understanding of one another and his tactics. We believe that the Saints have a quality squad spearheaded by their captain James Ward-Prowse. The fighting spirit shown in the recent games combined with the fresh tactics implemented by the new coach will enable them to scrape through and survive in 17th place.
Bournemouth (Currently 19th)
Bournemouth currently sit 19th in the league table with 24 points, having played 27 games. They have lost 15 games, won just six and have the worst goal difference among all teams (-29). Although they managed to win against Liverpool on Matchday 27, they have been very inconsistent and this may lead to their relegation this season.
One such indicator of their inconsistency was their match against Arsenal when they took a 2-0 lead away from home. However, they ended up conceding a last-minute winner against the Gunners, leaving the Emirates Stadium heartbroken.
Gary O'Neil, the head coach for the Cherries, has employed two different formations: the 5-4-1 and the 4-4-1-1. Bournemouth used a 5-4-1 formation against teams that would dominate midfield against them and 4-4-1-1 against evenly matched opponents. However, this tactic seems to have backfired since they have conceded the most number of goals this season (54), an average of two goals per game.
The Cherries have also not scored enough goals (25) to ensure their survival in the Premier League. Unless that changes and they shore up defensively for the remaining 11 games, they are sure to be relegated from the Premier League this season.
West Ham United (Currently 18th)
West Ham United were a resurgent team in the 2021-22 season, having finished in seventh place and qualifying for a European place. However, they have fallen hard from grace this season and sit 18th, having played 26 games so far. They have managed to win just six games, lost 14 and have scored just 24 goals. The talented team are struggling for form in the Premier League but have been showcasing their skills in the Europa Conference League.
David Moyes has struggled to find form or consistency within the league. The likes of Michail Antonio have not been able to find their form since last season, scoring two goals and providing three assists in 23 games, compared to his 10-goal heroics from last season.
West Ham have yet to see a single goal scorer reach five goals throughout this whole season, highlighting the Hammers' struggles in scoring. FBREF further emphasizes this, as their xG (expected goals) is 33.5, against their output of 24 goals.
The Hammers need to buck up in their last 12 games since they have enough quality to help them cross the finish line and not get relegated from the Premier League.