As we get into the business end of the season, it’s getting tense at the bottom of the English Premier League. The fates of Sheffield United and West Brom are almost sealed and can surely start thinking about their next campaign in the EFL Championship as their ships are well underwater already with 9 games left to play. 10 points separate West Brom and the safe zone whilst Sheff Utd are rooted to the bottom 14 points deep in the drop zone. Southampton and Burnley sit at 14th and 15th spot respectively, with 33 points each and are 7 points clear of the relegation zone. Things would have to go pretty wrong for them and very good for the teams below them to really be threatened with a strong possibility of going down.
A huge win for Brighton against Newcastle on Saturday has given them a 6 point cushion over the relegation zone. They are not completely safe yet but the 3-0 against the relegation rivals would give them a big confidence boost. With the quality of football they play, they should be able to see it through, but they can’t let their main problem resurface again: low conversion rate. On many occasions they have played teams out of the park but not completed their chances, dropping a staggering amount of points on the way as a result.
But it’s the fight between Fulham and Newcastle that could very well go down to the wire. Only 2 points separate them; Fulham sit in 18th place on 26 points, Newcastle in 17th on 28 points. And to make things more exciting Fulham will host Newcastle on the last match day with an anticipated return of fans in the stadiums.
Fulham has grown to become a much better team and found themselves in the position they are because of a dreadful start to the campaign rather than how they have played recently. As Scott Parker said in the pre-match conference of their game against Leeds, “We are a different team, different animal this time,” reflecting on the reverse fixture, which was way back in September at the start of the season. The London team has shown belief and great fight lately pulling off amazing results with victories against the two Merseyside clubs. February signing Josh Maja has given them a boost upfront and Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo have gelled well to give Fulham a solid pair at the back and reduce the influx of goals. All this but they still might go down.
One of their biggest problem this season has been turning draws into a win. After 29 matches, Fulham has played the highest number of draws in the league (11), alongside Brighton. This includes draws against their relegation rivals – 2 goalless draws against Brighton alongside score draws against Newcastle, Sheffield United, and West Brom.
The football Fulham play is not bad and even worthy of staying in the top flight. They play with high intensity, press high up the pitch, attacking with pace through the channels, and are not afraid to commit men forward. They are an attractive team to watch and the prospect of them staying up and allowing Scott Parker to build the squad further is very exciting for the Fulham fans.
If Fulham are to stay up they would have to show their recently found hunger and belief till the end of the season. After going on a decent run they have lost their last two games and need to get back to winning or even drawing ways soon if they are to takeover Newcastle. The least they could do is stay within touching distance of Newcastle and then give it all against the team, which is not better than them by any means.
Fulham’s Remaining fixtures:
Aston Villa (A), Wolves (H), Arsenal (A), Chelsea (A), Brighton (H), Southampton (A), Man Utd (A), Newcastle (H)
Moving on to Newcastle, despite having a couple of points and a game in hand over Fulham, Newcastle is being given lower odds than Fulham to go out of the top flight, and if you watch their recent performances that makes sense. Magpies fans are being disappointed week in and week out, watching their team play with low intensity while defending deep and playing on counterattack. The tactics might not be the main problem but the fact is that the approach is not working and Steve Bruce has done little to nothing to refresh things up is the main issue.
Injuries to their attacking player have only made things worse. Their top goalscorer as well as highest assist maker, Callum Wilson has missed the 8 league games whilst he recovers from a hamstring injury. In addition, their biggest talent in Allan Saint-Maximin has suffered from multiple injuries, preventing him to get a foothold in the season. There have also been numerous other injuries to key players along the way which has added to Newcastles woes. The good news is that Wilson and Saint-Maximin are both expected to return soon after this current international break.
There have also been problems off the pitch for The Magpies too. Reports of a bust-up between Steve Bruce and Matt Richie followed by reports of Newcastle players being concerned with given too many days off. These issues can be reflected on their performances on the pitch. The race to stay in the Premier League will be intense and such matters can only make things worse.
Newcastle needs to find a way to start getting results soon, as Fulham are breathing down their neck. Their biggest hope is to get a boost from Wilson’s return in April, the centre forward who has scored 10 and created 5 goals in 21 league appearances this season. More than anything, Steve Bruce and the players both need to step up and take responsibility for what’s going on and turn things around before it gets too late.
Newcastle’s Remaining fixtures:
Tottenham (H), Burnley (A), West Ham (H), Liverpool (A), Arsenal (H), Leicester (A), Man City (H), Sheffield Utd (H), Fulham (A)
Post by Achyut Dixit, Contributor to BOTN. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.
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