The American Treble

The EPL Battle for 4th Place

Every year it seems like there is a hotly contested battle for 4th place.  While the teams battling for that coveted spot may be different, this year the battle still exists and it, just like the title race, is bigger than ever.  There are four teams who can legitimately say that they are battling for fourth place.  Tottenham, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool are all in their.  So lets take a look at each team and their realistic chances of finishing 4th.


High scoring Tottenham are finding themselves in the best position they have been in since Arsenal pipped them to the 4th spot in the 2005/2006 season.  Since then Tottenham have finished 5th, 11th, and 8th in the league.  This season they have Harry Redknapp at the helm and the goals are flying in.  Jermaine Defoe is tied as joint top goal scorer with Didier Drogba and Wayne Rooney who all have 14 goals in the league.  You will remember that Defoe had that blinder against Wigan in which he scored 5 goals alone.  So can Tottenham keep up the charge all the way to the finish line?  I think its possible.  One advantage that they have is their goal differential.  If you remember in past seasons Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson mentioned that the goal difference can be looked at as an extra point.  Currently Tottenham's goal difference is at +20.  While they haven't had the same year defensively as Aston Villa they score more goals than any of their other 4th place competitiors.  The key for Tottenham will come down to if they can keep up their scoring.  If those goals dry up they will find it difficult to stay in position they are.


Manchester City have been in the headlines ever since they were taken over by their new owners.  They spent a fortune this summer to strengthen every position on the pitch with a special look to defense.  Mark Hughes was replaced by Roberto Mancini just under two weeks ago and the club has now won a remarkable two games in a row.  In fact, Mancini has been so impressed he has come out and said that he thinks they can win the league.  They can't.  They can, however, consider themselves in pole position for 4th.  They are only 2 points back of Tottenham with a game in hand.  If City can win that game they will leap frog Tottenham.  That won't be easy.  Manchester City have conceded the most goals out of any club located in the top 9 of the table.  So that is a priority.  Fortunately for them they have the money and the means to spend in the January transfer window.  Unfortunately for them they have Adebayor and Toure out due to international duty in the African Cup of Nations.  Adebayor won't be missed if Tevez keeps up his goal scoring form.  Toure will be missed as he has only missed 2 games of the 19 City have played this season.

Sitting 6th in the table is Aston Villa.  Things have been going well for Villa up until this Boxing day when they lost 3-0 away to Arsenal and they just lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the dying minutes of the game.  The game against Liverpool hurt the most.  Instead of moving into 4th place they are now two points behind Tottenham and two poins ahead of Liverpool.  Aston Villa has been getting by thanks to their defensive player.  In particular, the play of Richard Dunne.  The attacking side of things hasn't been as good.  They are the only team out of those battling for 4th to not score at least 30 goals.  Compare that to Tottenham who have scored 42 goals.  In years past, Aston Villa has started strong and faded after the new year.  Part of that is due to long term injuries to key players or fatigue due to the amount of games they were playing.  Another player who has been impressing this season for Villa is James Milner.  The player is making a strong case for his inclusion in Capello's England team for South Africa next summer.  If they can remain healthy Villa can stay in the hunt for that last Champions League spot right up to the end.

Where to begin with Liverpool?  Title contenders up until the very end last season.  Title favorites for some at the beginning of this season.  To say things haven't quite gone to plan is an understatement.  It is tough to pinpoint what exactly the problem is at Liverpool.  Is it Rafa?  Is it the players such as Gerrard or Carragher?  Could it be the owners?  To be completely honest I never picked Liverpool to win the league this year because I felt they were playing out of their boots last season and that would be hard to duplicate again.  I never thought they would find themselves battling for 4th, and out of the Champions League to boot.  If you have to give the nod to anyone then it has to go to Liverpool.  They have the experience in this type of situation.  They also have players who have been playing poorly but can turn it around at any time.  Injuries have also played a part this season.  That isn't an excuse because every team has had injuries but Aquilani was a player Liverpool hoped would replace Xabi Alonso.  They bought him injured from Roma and he has played very few games up to this point.  There is also an issue of not being able to buy reinforcements in January.  If I had to bet I would probably put my money on Liverpool coming out on top.  Rafa has come out and guaranteed a top 4 finish, and he has performed Houdini like miracles out of equally worse situations.


What do you think?  Vote in the poll and tell us who is your pick to finish in that 4th spot!