The battle for a top four finish is becoming tense as the Premier League’s top six negotiate the 2018/19 season run-in.
Tottenham, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea are all separated by one point, whilst Liverpool and Manchester City are miles ahead in the race for top four.
Two of the earlier teams will finish outside the top four and we are going to discuss the chances of each and what they need to do to ensure they don’t miss out.
Arsenal
The Gunners have seen a shift in fortunes in the last couple of weeks and they find themselves in third place. Their win over Newcastle saw them leapfrog Tottenham and Manchester United to third place. They also have a relatively easy run-in in terms of the fixtures, something they must take advantage of. However, if they finish fourth and Tottenham or Manchester United finish outside the top four and win the Champions League and Chelsea wins the Europa League whilst also finishing out of the top four, then Arsenal will miss out on the Champions League next season.
Tottenham
Tottenham find themselves in a precarious position following a string of underwhelming results. They are winless from their last five outings and they have surrendered the advantage they had over the other competitors. They have a busy fixture schedule in April and if they are not careful, they will have themselves to blame. If they finish fourth and United finishes out of the top four and win the Champions League and Chelsea or Arsenal also out of the top four but win the Europa League, then Tottenham will miss out on Champions League football.
Manchester United
Manchester United have witnessed a rebirth of sorts since the arrival of Ole Gunner Solskjaer as the manager. They have their sights on finishing in the top four and to that end they have fought their way to catch up with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Spurs. That notwithstanding, they could miss out on Champions League football next season if they finish fourth and Spurs finishes out of the top four but go ahead to win the Champions League. For this situation to obtain Chelsea or Arsenal should also finish out of the top four but go ahead to win the Europa League.
Chelsea
Chelsea are having another season to forget with the prospects of finishing out of the top four for the second consecutive year staring at them. However, all is not lost for the Blues as they have a fair chance to compete with their peers for the continental football next season. If they finish fourth and Tottenham or Manchester United finish out of the top four but win the Champions League while Arsenal also out of the top four go ahead to win the Europa League then they will miss the Champions League next season.