A look into the strengths and weaknesses of the nine true contenders for relegation this season.
Three unlucky teams will leave the Premier League every season, it’s an inevitability for some clubs more than others, and below we’ve taking a closer look at the favourites to go down and their strengths and weaknesses.
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Stoke City
Strengths: Good players, experienced manager, difficult midfield unit to break down
Weaknesses: Limited mobility, vulnerable at the back, egos
Stoke in all likelihood won’t go down, they have enough quality that will see them pick up points where others wouldn’t, though under Hughes they will probably not finish higher than mid-table.
Aston Villa
Strengths: Christian Benteke, organised defence, speed on the break
Weaknesses: Tactically inept manager, lack of scoring options, no creativity
Like Stoke, Villa probably have enough quality to get them through the season. Strong defensive performances and the form of Christian Benteke will be crucial as they fight to just about hang on once again.
Sunderland
Strengths: Creativity, options up front, plenty of leadership
Weaknesses: Wrong manager, no fluidity, let teams cut through them
The Black Cats do have a good squad at their disposal, but unless they have the right manager they will never perform to their best and after scraping to safety last term the best they can hope for is to do it again this time.
Crystal Palace
Strengths: Pace and width, solid midfield, unpredictable
Weaknesses: Shaky defensively, wrong manager, no out-and-out goalscorer
Palace are exciting and unpredictable when coming forward, but for all their creative talent they don’t have a box man to put the ball away on a consistent basis. Manager Neil Warnock has proved that he is great getting teams promoted, but not keeping them up.
West Bromwich Albion
Strengths: Saido Berahino, tough defence, try to play ‘proper football’
Weaknesses: Not much going forward, inexperienced manager, will lose Berahino
The Baggies were expected to push on from the uncertainty that surrounded them last term, but they have yet to do that. Luckily, they have Berahino (for now) to pull them through and score them to safety.
Strengths: Good squad, good goal scorers, experienced manager
Weaknesses: Can’t gel, shaky defensively, taken big chances on signings
Hull did what they failed to do during their last spell in the Premier League by signing a higher calibre of player, only potentially key players like Ramirez, Hernandez and Ben Arfa are either untested or too unfit to compete significantly.
Burnley
Strengths: Potent goalscorer, great determination, endless energy
Weaknesses: Low on quality, inexperienced manager, no money
Burnley failed to sign any standout players in the summer, and though manager Sean Dyche is bright and an exciting prospect for the future, he is still too limited to inspire a limited group of players to survive.
Queens Park Rangers
Strengths: Great squad, strong goal threat, plenty of experience
Weaknesses: Uninterested manager, can’t gel together, possible ego problems
Rangers should never be in trouble, not with the players they have. But they just cannot seem to make it work despite continuously throwing money at the problem and as long as Redknapp carries on looking uninterested they will struggle to move up.
Leicester City
Strengths: Esteban Cambiasso, good breaking forward, cohesive unit
Weaknesses: Low on real quality, inexperienced manager, slow defenders
The Foxes looked to be a surprise package at the start of the season, but where so many have shown before that good form never lasts. They do have enough quality to keep themselves up, but the longer they stay rooted to the bottom of the league the harder they will find it to pull away.
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