Spurs, Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool: Let battle for Europe begin

The dressing room got a fresh dose of air-freshener after the players had left Old Trafford. As Albert Morgan stretched his legs, he saw an email alert pop-up on his computer screen through his steaming coffee. The Kit Manager had been at Manchester United for more than a decade and this wasn’t the first time such an email had came by. ‘Send an order for 20th league title celebration tshirts/jerseys’, it must have said. While all this is imagination more than anything, the reality is that the 2012-13 English Premier League winner has been virtually decided. With the win against Reading sealed, United have built up a 15-point lead at the top and don’t need to do much to clinch their 20th league title. [caption id=“attachment_665630” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Tottenham and Arsenal are in a battle to finish in the top four. Getty Images[/caption] The real battle wages a couple places below — where 10 points separate Chelsea, Tottenham, Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool. It’s all about finishing in the top four. It’s all about Europe and a place in the Champions League. It’s all about money. We take a look at the contenders for a spot in the continent’s elite competition, their remaining matches, and a comparison with last season. CHELSEA Current Position: 3rd placed; 55 points; nine games to play Upcoming fixtures: Southampton (A), Sunderland (H), Spurs (H), Liverpool (A), Swansea (H), Man Utd (A), Aston Villa (A), Everton (H), Fulham (A) Chelsea have a very tough run-in. Two of their last nine games are London derbies and will be fiercely contested. Spurs, Liverpool, United and Everton are teams from the top seven. Southampton and Swansea have cause enough trouble to the big teams and Chelsea have been mediocre under Rafael Benitez. Last season: They won only four of their last nine games. These included draws against Arsenal, Spurs and Fulham. Prediction: It’s a bit of a bold say, but it’s going down to the wire and we see them finish 4th. They just have too many games to play in the run-in. They’ll have to go through a qualification round to enter the group stages of the Champions League. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Position: 4th; 54 points; eight games to play Upcoming fixtures: Swansea (A), Everton (H), Chelsea (A), Manchester City (H), Wigan Athletic (A), Southampton (H), Stoke City (A), Sunderland (H) Spurs are notorious in losing under pressure and this is the time for Andre-Villas Boas to show his worth. If he can keep the team fresh and motivated, then we won’t see results like the 0-1 loss against Fulham. Their remaining matches are very tough — especially Everton, Chelsea and City. Jermaine Defoe’s form in front of goal has taken a slight wrong turn and they rely heavily on Gareth Bale. The key is in that man — Bale. Last season: They won four of their last eight games last season — beating the likes of Swansea and Fulham. But they lost against struggling QPR and Norwich. Prediction: They’ve played a game more than Arsenal and Chelsea, and lost it. They’re a like-able team, but sorry, 5th for you. ARSENAL Position: 5th; 50 points; nine games to play Upcoming fixtures: Reading (H), West Brom (A), Norwich (H), Everton (H), Fulham (A), Man Utd (H), QPR (A), Wigan (H), Newcastle (A) Don’t write off Arsenal just as yet. They have an easy run-in compared to the other teams, facing five teams below the top ten. That should get at least 11 out of the possible 15 points. The other four matches should be worth at least six points. Arsene Wenger will rally his troops and stay on for another season, we think. Last season: Won 15 points of a possible 27, losing to QPR and Wigan. But they did beat the eventual champions and drew against Chelsea. This season, with Chelsea likely to drop points with an eye on the Europa League, we see Arsenal storm through the last few games and finish 3rd. EVERTON Position: 6th; 48 points; nine games to play Upcoming fixtures: Stoke (H), Spurs (A), QPR (H), Arsenal (A), Sunderland (A), Fulham (H), Liverpool (A), West Ham (H), Chelsea (A). It just seems the current Everton team are in a great mental frame. Their win against Manchester City recently was a warning to not underestimate them. They can shake up the European places, facing Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. It’s a hard run-in, but you just think they have it in them to upset a couple of those teams. Last season: Went unbeaten in their last nine games — winning five and drawing four. Prediction: Despite the plaudits, they are expected to drop a few points surely. However, if they beat Liverpool in the Merseyside derby, they’ll stay in 6th, we thinks. LIVERPOOL Position: 7th; 45 points; eight games to play Upcoming fixtures: Villa (A), West Ham (H), Reading (A), Chelsea (H), Newcastle (A), Everton (H), Fulham (A), QPR (H) It’s hard to believe Liverpool have been so inconsistent this season. Superb at times and absolutely ridiculous on other occasions. We believe this will persist. They could surprise you with wins over Chelsea and Everton, but they’re also capable of losing against Villa and Newcastle. If Phillip Coutinho’s purchase had come at the start of the season, we would have seen a different Liverpool — one not over-reliant on the class of Luis Suarez. Prediction: They’ve played a game more than Everton, which is defining. So, it will go down to the Merseyside derby — 7th, we say. We’ve been brave in our predictions, but that doesn’t mean you have to believe them. Please give us your predictions in the comments section.