Teams likely to feel the relegation storm
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 20: Southampton players led by Steven Davis (8) and Morgan Schneiderlin complain to referee Neil Swarbrick after he awarded West Ham a penalty during the Barclays Premier League match between West Ham United and Southampton at Boleyn Ground on October 20, 2012 in London, England.
The Premier League table has started taking shape after the early rounds of matches. Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have shown good form early on, but they are many teams who haven’t been up to the mark and are likely to face a long relegation battle. Here are a few teams who might fight to survive.
Norwich City
It hasn’t been a great start for the Canaries. Their performance against Arsenal has been the only bright point. They do have a great manager in the form of Chris Hughton, who did well for Newcastle before being sacked, which was harsh. They will hope Grant Holt hits form soon and the team adapts quickly to Hughton’s tactics, otherwise the season might be a long struggle for them.
Southampton
Southampton are a great team. They have one of the most loyal fans and a great ground in the form of St. Mary’s. However, the team is struggling to cope with the big boys in the league. They have been conceding too many goals. Scoring isn’t a problem for them as they have scored in almost all their matches. But the defense seems leaky and they have lost the most points from winning positions this season. If they don’t improve soon, they might be going back to the Championship which will be sad.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 27: Aaron Ramsey of Arsenal is closed down by Stephane Mbia (R), Ryan Nelsen (L) and Jose Bosingwa (2nd L)of QPR during the Barclays Premier League match between Arsenal and QPR at The Emirates Stadium on October 27, 2012 in London, England.
Queens Park Rangers
Rangers have a rich owner and have spent in the transfer window bringing in the likes of Julio Caesar, Esteban Granero, Jose Bosingwa and many more. They had been linked with Ricardo Carvalho as well. But they have had the worst possible start and are yet to win a match. Mark Hughes seems to have no idea of what he is doing. Julio Caesar has been good so far, and Ranger’s fans will be hoping he continues this form throughout the season. They would also like to see more goals from Bobby Zamora and Esteban Granero.
Reading
Reading are another team who’ve come up from the Championship this season. They play an attacking and attractive style of football. They are similar to Blackpool, but hopefully won’t suffer the same fate as they did in their first season in the EPL. Craig McDermott is a fine manager, but the results haven’t been going there way as of yet. Hopefully they can get a few wins under their belt and start to move up the table sooner rather than later.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa have some great players, but the slump started last season and they haven’t yet got out of it. Alex Mcleish was sacked at the end of last season and Paul Lambert was brought in. It hasn’t been a great start so far, but it will naturally take them some time to adapt to Lamberts tactics. They should soon are able to change their results, which could otherwise find them facing the dreaded drop.