Which London Club Is Set to Miss out on Champions League Football?
January 19, 2019
One swift glance at the Premier League table will tell you that third, fourth and fifth places are occupied by clubs who reside in the English capital.
However, with only the top four thrust into the following season's elite competition, which one of the three is set to miss out, and could it be more than one who fail to make the grade with a resurgent Manchester United out to spoil London's party?
Tottenham
Current position - 3rd
The Lilywhites are currently in the midst of their most successful period since the Premier League began in 1992 having qualified for the Champions League for the last three prior campaigns.
The signs are looking good once again despite making zero summer signings, Tottenham blogs such as spursforlife.com highlight upcoming fixtures and the loss of Harry Kane as proving a crucial period for the club.
However, with that seven-point cushion to United and bitter rivals Arsenal there is reason to be positive.
Remarkably, Spurs are the only side in the division yet to draw a game, but they have lost the highest number of games (six) of any side in the top six.
They have however claimed four more wins than both Arsenal and Manchester United and three-points are better than one making Tottenham a sure thing for the top four this season.
Chelsea
Current Position - 4th
The story of Chelsea's season so far has been a tale of two halves.
A seventeen-game unbeaten run at the start of the campaign in all competitions had the world labelling new head coach Maurizio Sarri a genius and the Blues as genuine title contenders.
No one can deny the start was remarkable but losses to Wolves, Leicester, Tottenham and a disappointing draw to Southampton has perhaps unsettled a few nerves at the Bridge with the club looking over their shoulder rather than up above.
However, position is power, and Chelsea hold a six-point advantage over fifth place Arsenal, but there is a vulnerability that makes that position a serious threat with the top four far from assured.
Arsenal
Current Position - 5th
Much like Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, new Gunners boss Unai Emery has had a run of results that allowed Arsenal fans to once again believe that this may be their season.
After the loss to Chelsea on the 18th August, Arsenal then went until the 16th December without losing a game in all competitions (a run of 22 games).
However, the wheels have since come off with four defeats and a draw in their following eight games.
That brief glimpse of glory was just that, a glimpse and it appears Arsenal's lazy habits of Arsene Wenger's final few years are creeping back in.
Internal problems look set to end any hope the Gunners have of the top four with something of an aging squad, their best player leaving for a free and their highest paid player not getting a game.
Expect Arsenal to fall away as they have started to do and watch out for a steamrolling Manchester United to steal the capital party late on.
Predicted top four
1st Manchester City
2nd Liverpool
3rd Tottenham
4th Manchester United