IF Arsenal does not win the Premier League this season, in my opinion, it will be heartbreaking.
The team has led for much of the season. But its recent slide of three draws, one loss and one win have seen perennial champion Man City move ahead by four points with four matches to play.
What was also shocking to see is how some top squads are below their usual standards—Liverpool is clinging on to faint hopes for a Champions League slot for next season, Chelsea has continued to flounder, ditto with West Ham.
While the title race between Man City and resurgent Arsenal is the top story, so is the battle for Champions League spots for Manchester United and Liverpool.
Just as tantalizing are the relegation battle sub-plots.
Perhaps what is shocking is how Everton is in the relegation zone with three other teams looking to stay out of harm’s way. Southampton will go down as it only has 24 points. Everton has 24 points while Leicester City, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest all have 30.
Leeds has played 35 matches while Everton, Leicester and Nottingham Forest have played 34.
It would be quite the story if Leicester, Premier League winners in 2015-16, would go down.
As for Leeds, I am surprised they have managed to hang around. After they were found out in their return to top flight football during their 2020-21 season, they struggled.
Nottingham Forest…well…
Everton has been relegated twice before—1929-30 and 1950-51.
Last season, it flirted with the relegation zone but managed to get out as it finished an unimpressive 16th place.
Thus far, it’s only one of six clubs in the Premier League not to have been relegated. The others are Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea.
Now, the fear is real.
Things are stacked against them though. Manager Sean Dyche, who took over from Frank Lampard this past January 30, tried to stem the tide but whatever early optimism has given fear to real fear.
It takes on Brighton (seventh in the standings), Man City (top of the league) at Goodison, at Wolves (13th spot) and at home versus Bournemouth (14th).
In the first round that seems like a distant memory, Everton drew 1-1 with Brighton, lost 3-nil to Bournemouth, lost 2-1 to Wolves and drew 1-1 with Man City.
If relegated, it will not hear the end of its cross-city rivals, Liverpool, but there are fears—genuine ones—that it could continue its downward spiral.
I can only think of Sunderland that was relegated to the second level, the Championship at the end of the 2016-17 season and continued to drop the following year to the EFL. It troubles were well documented in the riveting Sunderland ‘Til I Die reality series shown on Netflix.
The Black Cats, as Sunderland’s players are nicknamed, are back in the Championship after spending four years in League One where they are currently in seventh place this campaign.
There are parachute payments for teams relegated—55 percent of the equal share of broadcast revenue paid to Premier League clubs in the first year, 45 percent the next campaign, and 20 percent in Year Three.
I have no idea what will happen to Everton. Will they continue their downward spiral? Or will their clueless owner, Farhad Moshiri finally figure out what needs doing with this team?
Will there be a Netflix series for them? Or do they need their own version of Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds for some Hollywood stardust?
Whatever, the Blues will have their own postseason drama to contend with.