•Only the Premier League’s current top six teams plus Brighton have had more goal attempts this season than West Ham’s 419.
•Only the ‘big six’ clubs, plus Brighton, have attempted more passes this season than Leicester City’s 458 per match.
Image: FILE
With just over three weeks left of the Premier League season, there are still seven teams scrapping for safety.
There are only six points between the bottom five - so, with four or five games to go, could we be looking at three to go from that group?
Leicester climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-2 draw against Everton, who remain in the bottom three—but it was a game both sides really needed to win. The other five teams in the bottom seven all lost this weekend.
Wolves (14th, 37pts)
When former Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui replaced the sacked Bruno Lage, Wolves were joint-bottom of the Premier League with 10 points from 14 games. The improvement since then has been stark.
But at Brighton on Saturday, Wolves produced their worst performance during the Spaniard’s stewardship and are not yet safe following a heavy 6-0 defeat.
Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui: “We have to be ready for the next fight because we are better than we showed (against Brighton). We have to remember four months ago we were at the bottom but at least now we have hope. Together we have to push a lot in the next match.”
Still to play: May 6: Aston Villa (h), May 13: Man Utd (a), May 20 Everton (h), May 28 Arsenal (a)
Grace note fact: Wolves have created the fewest big chances of any of the 20 Premier League teams, according to Gracenote. Wolves have had 33 big chances this season, eight fewer than the next worst team, Nottingham Forest (41).
West Ham (15th, 34pts)
West Ham have stayed loyal to manager David Moyes despite the team’s struggles this season and a recent upturn in form looked to be enough to edge them to safety.
The Hammers moved five points clear of the drop zone by beating Bournemouth last Sunday, but back-to-back defeats by Liverpool and Crystal Palace leave them glancing nervously over their shoulders again.
The east London club could also end the season with silverware as they prepare to face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the Europa Conference League semi-finals next month.
“We’re not over the line yet, we have to do that and try and get the points which are required. We’re all in it and we have to do it and find the points which will get us there and I’m confident we will do,” said West Ham boss David Moyes.
Still to play: May 3: Man City (a), May 7: Man Utd (h), May 14: Brentford (a), May 21: Leeds (h), May 28: Leicester (a)
Gracenote fact: Only the Premier League’s current top six teams plus Brighton have had more goal attempts this season than West Ham’s 419. Seven of the top eight teams plus Chelsea have conceded fewer goal attempts this season than West Ham’s 412.
Leicester City (16th, 30pts)
Leicester finished eighth last season and reached the Europa Conference League semi-finals, but made an awful start to this campaign picking up only one point in their first seven matches.
Manager Brendan Rodgers has been replaced by Dean Smith until the end of the season, and he masterminded a victory against Wolves which ended a nine-match winless run and moved them out of the drop zone.
Leicester have an array of attacking talent but their problem has been conceding goals, having failed to keep a clean sheet in their past 19 matches.
“I feel the problem goes right back to a very rash decision in the summer — letting Kasper Schmeichel go. He’s a top goalkeeper and he’s an organiser, he’s always vocal and organising,” former Brighton striker Glenn Murray said on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Friday Night Social.
“To let a player of his stature - on the field and in the changing room - leave the club and not replace him, that’s where the trouble started.”
Leicester boss Dean Smith: “As I’ve said right from the start when I came in, the togetherness of the supporters will rub off on the players out on the pitch and help them. I can see players now playing with a lot more belief and confidence, which will only help us. That feeling of not losing - which has happened too frequently this season - and being tougher to beat is going to hold us in good stead.”
Still to play: May 8: Fulham (a), May 15: Liverpool (h), May 22: Newcastle (a), May 28: West Ham (h)
Gracenote fact: Only the ‘big six’ clubs, plus Brighton, have attempted more passes this season than Leicester City’s 458 per match. Leicester’s passing accuracy is 81%, which is 10th among the 20 Premier League teams.
Leeds United (17th, 30pts)
Jesse Marsch was sacked as manager in February with Leeds on a seven-game winless run but, after an encouraging start, things have got tough for new boss Javi Gracia.
Since beating relegation-rivals Nottingham Forest on April 4, they have suffered damaging defeats to Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Fulham, with Sunday’s 4-1 loss at Bournemouth taking their goals conceded tally for April to a whopping 23.
That is a new record for the most goals shipped in a single month, with the previous record from February 2022 also held by the Yorkshire club (20).
Three of the final four matches for Leeds are against teams in the top seven. Winger Luis Sinisterra, whose goal against Leicester was his third in five games, will miss the run-in with an ankle ligament injury. “Leeds are a club I fear for. When Javi Gracia went in there was a reaction and it was positive, but they seem to have lost that momentum,” said Murray.
Leeds boss Javi Gracia after the loss to Bournemouth: “There are only four games left and we have to be very concentrated in the next one. We have to do everything to get the results we need. For our fans, what they really want is to see the team win. All of us are frustrated, the fans as well.”
Still to play: May 6 Manchester City (a), May 13: Newcastle (h), May 21: West Ham (a), May 28: Tottenham (h)
Gracenote fact: Leeds United have committed more fouls (416) than any other team in this season’s Premier League. Crystal Palace are second (406) with Wolves third on 404.
Nottingham Forest (18th, 30pts)
Nottingham Forest are in the Premier League for the first time since 1998-99 after winning promotion from the Championship last season and Steve Cooper has signed 30 players in a bid to keep them in the top division.
After 11 Premier League matches without a win, Forest beat Brighton on Wednesday for their first victory since a 1-0 win against Leeds United on February 5. They looked on course for rare back-to-back wins on Saturday, before a late collapse at Brentford.
Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper: “To lose as late as we did [against Brentford] will be a tough one to take but we’re in the situation we’re in and we have to fight as much as we can. There are no questions of [lacking belief]. There are no complaints about spirit or fight. It’s just decision-making. It’s something we’re desperate to improve on.”
Still to play: May 8: Southampton (h), May 13: Chelsea (a), May 20: Arsenal (h), May 28: Crystal Palace (a)
Grace note fact: Nottingham Forest have used 33 different players in the Premier League this term, more than any other team. Southampton and Chelsea (both 32) are next on this list.
Everton (19th, 29pts)
Everton’s results had improved after Sean Dyche became manager at the end of January following the sacking of Frank Lampard— but not enough to steer them clear of trouble. They beat Premier League leaders Arsenal in Dyche’s first game as boss and have followed that with wins over Leeds United and Brentford, as well as draws at Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Leicester.
However, the Toffees, who have played in the top flight of English football in every season since 1954-55, have hit a wall since then and have only picked up three points in the past six matches.
Two of their remaining four fixtures - Wolves and Bournemouth— are against teams in the bottom eight, with the others against Brighton and Manchester City.
Everton manager Sean Dyche: “The stakes have been high since I got here. That’s what the players need to remember. They need to be high at this football club.
“It’s strange how quickly it can turn around. The key point is you making it happen, I can’t emphasise that enough. I say it to the players constantly— you make things happen in football.”
Still to play: May 8: Brighton (a), May 14: Manchester City (h), May 20: Wolves (a), May 28: Bournemouth (h).
Grace note fact: Before the draw at Leicester, Everton had the worst finishing in the Premier League this season, scoring from only 6.7% of their goal attempts. This is less than half the scoring rate of the best teams, Manchester City (16.1%), Arsenal (14.3%) and Brentford (14.1%).
Southampton (20th, 24pts)
Southampton are another side on their third manager of the season after they sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl in November.
He was replaced by Nathan Jones, who only lasted eight Premier League matches and picked up one win before he was also dismissed.
Ruben Selles, an assistant manager under Hasenhuttl, was next in line but they have now gone nine matches without a win, having lost six of those.
Their latest outing saw them take a shock lead at Newcastle before crumbling in the second half. Four of Southampton’s remaining five matches are against teams from the top half, but their next fixture is a crucial one away at Nottingham Forest.
Southampton boss Ruben Selles: “We didn’t have a good run but we know we can compete against anyone. There are still points to play (for) and we are still alive and we will go to the very end. It is going to be a completely different game [at Nottingham Forest] with a team in a different position. We need to sit down and see how we can go there and get the three points.”
Still to play: May 8: Nottingham Forest (a), May 13 Fulham (h), May 21: Brighton (a), May 28: Liverpool (h).
Gracenote fact: Southampton have kept fewer clean sheets this season than any other team in the Premier League. Their total of four clean sheets is one fewer than Leeds United and West Ham United.