Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Premier League Relegation Fight: Where Clubs’ Hopes Lie, the Impact if They Fall | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55371724
Caption:

From left: the form of Hull City’s Tom Huddlestone, Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe, Swansea City’s Gylfi Sigurdsson and Álvaro Negredo of Middlesbrough will be key to their clubs’ survival chances. Composite: Getty Images


Hull City
Played 32 Points 30 Goal difference -31

Case for staying up

Revitalised under Marco Silva, Hull’s band of supposed misfits and loanees possess that most coveted football commodity: momentum. Since the Portuguese succeeded Mike Phelan in early January they have collected an impressive 17 points, winning five and drawing one of their six home Premier League games. Silva, a brave coach with an attacking mindset, sets Hull up to win rather than settle for draws and this has left them 17th, two points ahead of Swansea. Significantly they have collected six points from the Welsh side. Perhaps equally importantly, Silva has instilled a real sense of self-belief in a team in which the midfielder Sam Clucas has caught Gareth Southgate’s eye and Tom Huddlestone, newly back from suspension, is in the form of his career.

Case against

Their away form remains extremely weak and they can be vulnerable defensively. Robert Snodgrass, the team’s former talisman who joined West Ham in January, is still missed.

Manager’s likely fate if club go down

Silva is on a short-term contract until May – although Hull have the option of triggering a one-year extension should they stay up and are extremely keen to do so – but after showcasing his talents so well he will not be short of suitors across Europe. His preference is to remain in the Premier League and Hull’s board are encouraged by the fact that he is drawing up plans for next season at the KCom.

How would the squad suffer?

Of Silva’s seven January signings five were loanees so Oumar Niasse, Andrea Ranocchia, Omar Elabdellaoui, Lazar Markovic and Alfred N’Diaye would depart. Newcastle United are among those who covet both Clucas and the centre-half Harry Magurie, and the left-back Andy Robertson is not short of admirers either. Silva is urging his board to offer that trio long-term contracts. LT

Swansea City
Played 32 Points 28 Goal difference -30

Case for staying up

Swansea have winnable games, including home matches against Stoke and West Brom and a trip to Sunderland on the penultimate weekend, by which time David Moyes’s side are likely to be relegated. They also have some talented individuals and potential matchwinners in Gylfi Sigurdsson and Fernando Llorente, but the key is getting the most out of them. Arguably the time has come to play with two attacking wingers, allowing Sigurdsson to be more influential as a No10 behind Llorente.

Case against

Confidence had been eroded and momentum lost since the hugely damaging defeat at Hull last month. Paul Clement, who had such a positive impact initially, was too cautious with his selection and tactics that day and the same was true at West Ham last Saturday, when Wayne Routledge again started ahead of Luciano Narsingh. Llorente’s injury problems have not helped, admittedly, and Sigurdsson has gone off the boil a little. Then there is the fact that Swansea have the worst defensive record in the league.

Manager’s likely fate if club go down

Whether Swansea stay up or go down will have no bearing on Clement’s future. He was appointed in January with the long term in mind, and given Swansea’s perilous position at the time – bottom with only 12 points – both parties knew that there was a good chance his first full season in charge could be in the Championship.

How would the squad suffer?

Sigurdsson is sure to depart in the event of relegation – he may well leave regardless – and Llorente would follow the Icelander out of the door. The prospect of playing in the Championship is also unlikely to appeal to Narsingh, a Holland international signed in January. As for Borja Bastón, the club record £15m signing has been a disaster and Swansea will do well to recoup half that for a player almost certain to return to La Liga come what may. SJ

Middlesbrough
Played 31 Points 24 Goal difference -15

Case for staying up

Admittedly it has not yet been reflected by results but a newly attack-minded Middlesbrough have improved markedly since the interim manager Steve Agnew replaced Aitor Karanka. They are a still potentially bridgeable six points adrift of 17th place and have a game in hand on Hull and Swansea.

Case against

Drilled to grind out draws by the over cautious Karanka, Boro have won only four Premier League games all season and retain an alarming mental block when it comes to scoring, registering only 22 goals in the league. Despite Agnew’s best efforts they are struggling to shake off the negative tactical straitjacket they wore for so long under the Basque and appear in need of a major philosophical/stylistic reboot. Granted with 37 goals conceded, they possess one of the division’s best defensive records but their remaining seven fixtures look largely formidable and include games against Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool.

Manager’s likely fate if club go down

Steve Gibson had hoped that Steve Agnew, Karanka’s former assistant, would prove such a success he would be able to offer him the job long term but the current likelihood is that the Yorkshireman will be replaced in the summer. Gibson is said to admire Huddersfield’s David Wagner, and Alan Pardew and Nigel Pearson would be among those keen on taking over.

How would the squad suffer?

The £100,000-a-week Valencia loanee striker Álvaro Negredo will be on the first plane back to Spain and, whatever happens, the goalkeeper Víctor Valdés would almost certainly want out too. Meanwhile several Premier League clubs are hoping to sign the centre-half Ben Gibson who, although promising, is not remotely worth the mooted £30m price tag. Even so, Boro should be left with the nucleus of a strong Championship squad and, with the odd addition, would look well equipped for an immediate promotion challenge. LT

Sunderland

Played 31 Points 20 Goal difference -32

Case for staying up

More skeletal than skinny. Even so, the past few seasons have seen them pull off some astonishing spring-time escapes and, amid some ‘winnable’ fixtures, they do have Middlesbrough, Hull and Swansea to play. The influential Victor Anichebe and Lee Cattermole have returned from injury at the right time and David Moyes possesses a top striker in Jermain Defoe and a stellar goalkeeper in Jordan Pickford.

Case against

They are a daunting 10 points adrift of 17th place with only seven games remaining. Moyes is proving a less than inspirational manager and the team’s typically less than fluid passing and movement are too often one-dimensional in a 3D Premier League world. Too many players and staff seem resigned to relegation. There is a ridiculous over-reliance on Defoe for goals.

Manager’s likely fate if club go down

It seems Ellis Short, Sunderland’s previously trigger-happy owner, has finally tired of firing managers and Moyes has been reassured he will remain in charge next season. Indeed Short apparently believes the Scot is the best candidate to rebuild a club currently around £140m in debt in the Championship while winning immediate promotion.

How would the squad suffer?

With several players – including Seb Larsson, Jan Kirchhoff and John O’Shea – out of contract this summer Moyes is preparing to rip it up and start again. Those who remain will find their wages halved courtesy of relegation clauses contained in all contracts; Defoe’s deal enables the England striker to leave on a free transfer and admirers are already jostling for position. Pickford, a future England goalkeeper blessed with brilliant footwork, will be sold for a high price – suitors include Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool – and Lamine Koné, a potentially decent centre half, should also find himself rehomed in the top tier. Moyes wants new recruits to be British and, ideally, from the north-east. LT

The Guardian Sport