Aston Villa, one of two leagues in the Champions League contenders mini-table, and Newcastle, who have a poor record in the mini-table, should be in charge of things. Despite being an obviously rubbish and predictable Premier League seasona formidable battle for Champions League qualification is raging between two of the defunct Big Six and seven Championship sides that have already been promoted from the Championship within the last eight years.
The 13-point gap between 3rd and 11th is smaller than the 15 points which separate leaders Liverpool from second-placed Arsenal in the Premier League table. Chelsea is currently tied for fourth place with Crystal Palace, who are still in play in the 12th place, by just ten items.
So, from the moment that there are at least four of these six-pointers left, each team’s final matches could be the most significant of all, which suggests better for some than others, based on a mini-table of those results.
Every team, including Newcastle, who finished third to 10th place, barring Carabao, competes in at least one other competitors, adding plate-spinning trouble to an already amazing sprint finish.
Brentford will decide everything, basically.
1 ) Fulham 22 points/2 points per game ( P11 W7 D1 L3 F21 A16)
Beat Newcastle (3-1 and 2-1 ), Nottingham Forest (1-0 and 2-1 ), Brentford (2-1 ), Brighton (3-1 ) and Chelsea (2-1 ).
Drew with Bournemouth (2-2 ).
Lost to Manchester City (3-2 ), Aston Villa (3-1 ) and Brighton (2-1 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Bournemouth ( a ) April 12
Chelsea ( h ) April 19
Aston Villa ( a ) May 3
Brentford ( a ) May 18
Manchester City ( h ) May 25
Other competitions
FA Cup quarter-finals Crystal Palace ( h ) on March 29.
Do they enjoy Southampton again?
Oh yes. April 26 ( a ).
2 ) Aston Villa 17 points/1.7 points per game ( P10 W5 D2 L3 F15 A15 )
Beat Fulham (3-1 ), Brentford (3-1 and 1-0 ), Manchester City (2-1 ) and Chelsea (2-1 ).
Drew with Bournemouth (1-1 ) and Brighton (2-2 ).
Lost to Chelsea (3-0 ), Nottingham Forest (2-1 ) and Newcastle (3-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Brighton ( a ) April 1
Nottingham Forest ( h ) April 5
Newcastle ( h ) April 19
Manchester City ( a ) April 26
Fulham ( h ) May 3
Bournemouth ( a ) May 10
Other competitions
Champions League quarter-finals Paris Saint-Germain on April 9 ( a ) and April 15 ( h ).
FA Cup quarter-finals Preston ( a ) on March 30.
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards?
They pop up to St Marys on April 12. The Champions League quarter-final first limbs are in midweek, which could be the most potent evaluation of a curse that they have already made fun of.
But Unai Emery may well have f***ed it already.
3 ) Brighton 22 points/1.69 points per game ( P13 W6 D4 L3 F21 A24)
Beat Bournemouth (2-1 and 2-1 ), Newcastle (1-0 ), Manchester City (2-1 ), Chelsea (3-0 ) and Fulham (2-1 ).
Drew with Nottingham Forest (2-2 ), Brentford (0-0 ), Aston Villa (2-2 ) and Manchester City (2-2 ).
Lost to Chelsea ( 4-2 ), Fulham (3-1 ) and Nottingham Forest (7-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Aston Villa ( h ) April 1
Brentford ( a ) April 19
Newcastle ( h ) May 3
Other competitions
FA Cup quarter-finals Nottingham Forest ( h ) on March 29.
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards?
In a genuine blow to their expectations, no.
4 ) Manchester City 21 points/1.62 points per game ( P13 W6 D3 L4 F25 A16)
Beat Chelsea (2-0 and 3-1 ), Brentford (2-1 ), Fulham (3-2 ), Nottingham Forest (3-0 ) and Newcastle ( 4-0 ).
Drew with Newcastle (1-1 ), Brentford (2-2 ) and Brighton (2-2 ).
Lost to Bournemouth (2-1 ), Brighton (2-1 ), Aston Villa (2-1 ) and Nottingham Forest (1-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Aston Villa ( h ) April 26
Bournemouth ( h ) May 18
Fulham ( a ) May 25
Other competitions
FA Cup quarter-finals Bournemouth ( a ) on March 30.
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards?
Completely. May 10 ( a ).
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5 ) Chelsea 17 points/1.42 points per game ( P12 W5 D2 L5 F18 A19 )
Beat Bournemouth (1-0 ), Brighton ( 4-2 ), Newcastle (2-1 ), Aston Villa (3-0 ) and Brentford (2-1 ).
Drew with Nottingham Forest (1-1 ) and Bournemouth (2-2 ).
Lost to Manchester City (2-0 and 3-1 ), Fulham (2-1 ), Brighton (3-0 ) and Aston Villa (2-1 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Brentford ( a ) April 5
Fulham ( a ) April 19
Newcastle ( a ) May 10
Nottingham Forest ( a ) May 25
Other competitions
Conference League quarter-finals Legia Warszawa on April 10 ( a ) and April 17 ( h ).
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards?
They do not. Or Leicester. It is already too late.
6 ) Nottingham Forest 15 points/1.15 point per game ( P13 W4 D3 L6 F21 A23 )
Beat Aston Villa (2-1 ), Brentford (2-0 ), Brighton (7-0 ) and Manchester City (1-0 ).
Drew with Bournemouth (1-1 ), Brighton (2-2 ) and Chelsea (1-1 ).
Lost to Fulham (1-0 and 2-1 ), Newcastle (3-1 and 4-3 ), Manchester City (3-0 ) and Bournemouth (5-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Aston Villa ( a ) April 5
Brentford ( h ) April 26
Chelsea ( h ) May 25
Other competitions
FA Cup quarter-finals Brighton ( a ) on March 29.
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards?
Nope. I’ll think of Leicester ( h ) and Ipswich ( a ). also Spur and Manchester United.
7 ) Bournemouth 14 points/1.08 points per game ( P13 W3 D5 L5 F23 A19 )
Beat Manchester City (2-1 ), Newcastle ( 4-1 ) and Nottingham Forest (5-0 ).
Drew with Nottingham Forest (1-1 ), Newcastle (1-1 ), Aston Villa (1-1 ), Fulham (2-2 ) and Chelsea (2-2 ).
Lost to Brighton (2-1 and 2-1 ), Chelsea (1-0 ) and Brentford (3-2 and 2-1 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Fulham ( h ) April 12
Aston Villa ( h ) May 10
Manchester City ( a ) May 18
Other competitions
FA Cup quarter-finals Manchester City ( h ) on March 30.
Do they enjoy Southampton afterwards? No, those six items have already been cashed in.
8 ) Brentford 11 points/1 point per game ( P10 W3 D2 L6 F15 A19 )
Beat Bournemouth (3-2 and 2-1 ) and Newcastle ( 4-2 ).
Drew with Brighton (0-0 ) and Manchester City (2-2 ).
Lost to Manchester City (2-1 ), Fulham (2-1 ), Aston Villa (3-1 and 1-0 ), Chelsea (2-1 ) and Nottingham Forest (2-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Newcastle ( a ) April 2
Chelsea ( h ) April 5
Brighton ( h ) April 19
Nottingham Forest ( a ) April 26
Fulham ( h ) May 18
Other competitions
None. Thomas Frank and the young men have no other area of interest in the Champions League.
Do they enjoy Southampton again?
They do not. nor Leicester, who received all 12 of their disappointing possessions. They have been performed by the device system.
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9 ) Newcastle 11 points/0.92 points per game ( P12 W3 D2 L7 F18 A26)
Beat Nottingham Forest (3-1 and 4-3 ) and Aston Villa (3-0 ).
Drew with Bournemouth (1-1 ) and Manchester City (1-1 ).
Lost to Fulham (3-1 and 2-1 ), Brighton (1-0 ), Chelsea (2-1 ), Brentford ( 4-2 ), Bournemouth ( 4-1 ) and Manchester City ( 4-0 ).
Champions League six-pointers remaining:
Brentford ( h ) April 2
Aston Villa ( a ) April 19
Brighton ( a ) May 3
Chelsea ( h ) May 10
Other competitions
Carabao Cup final Liverpool on March 16.
FA Cup fifth round Brighton ( h ) on March 2.
Do they enjoy Southampton again?
No. Despite making a lot of effort to earn those six points, Newcastle finally managed to collect them.
