Assessing Who Will Finish In The Top 4 EPL Places

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Published by Chris Jenkins
27th Feb 2022
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A few weeks ago, it looked as though the title race may have been over. Manchester City seemed to be racing ahead of the competition and anyone with a chance of challenging them was slipping away.

As any fan knows, football is always changing and the title race is open once again. This raises the question of who will win the Premier League and who will occupy the remaining Champions League spots.

The last 3 months of the league will prove crucial in determining who will finish in the top 4, and there’s everything to play for. A single point could be the difference between a title win and second place, or Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League football.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at who has a chance of getting into the top 4 and where we think they will finish. So, who will finish in the top 4 in the 2021/22 season?

 

Manchester City

For all football fans, It is almost certain that Manchester City will finish in the top 4 by the end of the season. Unless something catastrophic occurs, it is very unlikely that they will drop out of a Champions League spot.

However, things are quite interesting in the title race. After a recent loss to Tottenham, Manchester City has opened a window of opportunity for their title rivals Liverpool FC. Liverpool has narrowed the gap at the top. City has to take on Liverpool at the Etihad in April.

This game could prove to be a title decider. Because of this, there is a sense that City has thrown away a valuable lead. Psychologically, this could have a huge effect on the team going into their next few games. With Champions League fixtures on top of all this, could they lose momentum and start to panic? To worry City fans further, if there’s one thing Liverpool are good at, it’s riding momentum.

The next few weeks will be crucial to ensure that Manchester City wins the Premier League title again, but their Champions League slot is very much secure.

 

Liverpool

Liverpool is in a similar boat to Manchester City in terms of their Champions League status for the 2022/23 season. It is highly unlikely that they will finish outside of the top 4.

At the time of writing, Liverpool is back playing to the level that won them the Premier League in the 2019-20 season. Under Jurgen Klopp they go from strength to strength, even proving doubters wrong last season by managing to finish 3rd after a massive dip in their form.

Having just won the Carabao Cup 11-10 on penalties in a thrilling final against Chelsea, Liverpool will use this as inspiration for the rest of the season in both domestic and European cup competitions.

Now that the Liverpool team has momentum, they will be almost unstoppable. Players such as Mo Salah, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz will be looking to add to Liverpool’s trophy cabinet before the end of the season. Manchester City plays Liverpool on 10th April and this fixture may prove vital to who wins the Premier League title.

 

Chelsea

Chelsea has been quite confusing this season. There was a time when many saw Chelsea as a favourite to win the league this season, but it seems that their inconsistent results have pushed them out of the title race.

With mixed results tarnishing their record and key players missing, it is possible for Chelsea to finish outside of the top 4. However, the teams below them are playing just as inconsistently which makes us believe that Chelsea will finish in the top 4.

Thomas Tuchel guided the blues to a Champions League title last season and this year he is hoping to do it again. But to keep the fans happy, he will have to secure a top 4 finish for Chelsea, especially after their defeat in the Carabao Cup Final to Liverpool.

 

Manchester United

This season has been one to forget for Manchester United fans. After the sacking of club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as coach in November 2021, United fans thought that there would be a change in the play at United but this hasn't been the case.

Questions are constantly raised around their ability to challenge other clubs. Is Harry Maguire a good captain? Does Pogba put in enough effort? Was signing Ronaldo a mistake? These are all valid questions, but it shows that there is something deeper going on within the club.

Although interim manager Ralf Rangnick has implemented some positive change, United haven’t mastered the ‘Gagenpress’ style that Rangnick is known to implement. This has led United to drop points in draws against teams in the bottom half of the table that United should be expected to beat.

At the time of writing, Arsenal is 6th but 2 points behind the Red Devils in 4th with 3 games in hand. This means that if Arsenal can keep their consistency over the next few months, they will likely finish in the top 4 and leapfrog United and West Ham. And if there’s one thing United currently lacks, it’s consistency.

 

Arsenal

As was mentioned previously, Arsenal simply has to keep playing consistently well and picking up the points you’d expect them to. They can capitalize on clubs such as Manchester United and West Ham being inconsistent.

If Arsenal continues to win at home whilst picking up points whilst away, it is highly likely that they will finish in the top 4 and qualify for the Champions League for the 1st time since the 2016-17 season.

 

Conclusion

So, with all that in mind, who are Football Ticket Pad’s picks for the Top 4 EPL places this season? Our picks are as follows:

  1. Manchester City
  2. Liverpool
  3. Chelsea
  4. Arsenal

Whilst it is still possible for Liverpool to win the title, it seems like the title is City’s to lose. It is highly likely that Arsenal will finish in 4th place if United don’t find their form, but it’s always foolish to completely rule out Man U from a top 4 finish.