Relegation Battle Heats Up: Part II

By Brian Lofrumento | 28th December 2008

Relegation Battle Heats Up: Part II | read this item

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robinho-prays Part 1 discussed just how close the relegation battle is this year, and in Part 2 we move even further down the table.

15. Manchester City

When City was taken over in the summer, everyone pictured another Galacticos side. With Robinho as the only big name signing in the summer, we didn’t quite get to see that. With January right around the corner, it is only a matter of time before Mark Hughes revamps his team and marches up the table. Granted, City haven’t been terrible thus far, they’ve just been ridiculously inconsistent. All of City’s wins have been by three or more goals, so when this team is on, they are on. I really can’t see Manchester City getting relegated, so we’ll move on.

16. Tottenham Hotspurs

Like City, there really isn’t a chance of Tottenham going down. Although they are tied with relegation zone Stoke, Tottenham really are far too talented to face the drop. Harry Redknapp is a world class manager, and there is no way he will put up with any more poor performances. Once Spurs figure out their attacking problems I can see them rapidly rising, and Darren Bent will need to rediscover his excellent preseason form. Not much to see here, move on.

17. Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have always been reknowned for their excellent youth academy, but it appears it’s finally drying up. A lot of their good youngsters have been sold on, and in January even Stewart Downing could be moving on. Without much Premier League-quality depth, Boro could realistically be looking at the drop this year. After being a staple in the Premier League for so long, it would be disappointing to see them go down, but I wouldn’t be surprised. Gareth Southgate needs to get reinforcements in January, or Middlesbrough could find themselves in the bottom three come May.

18. Stoke City

When the season began Stoke was immediately tipped to go straight back down to the Championship, but they’ve surprised a few people this year. If you told them in August that midway through the season they’d be level on points with Tottenham, Stoke fans would have been delighted. It has, however, not been enough for the promoted side, and they already find themselves in the bottom three. Stoke will never be able to stay in the Premiership if they can’t win on the road, and thus far they have zero road wins. Tony Pulis really needs to pull off a miracle to keep Stoke in the league, and I still think they’ll be one of the three sides to be relegated in 2009.

19. Blackburn Rovers

Part of the reason why the relegation battle is so exciting this year is because of sides like Blackburn and Tottenham. It’s clear that these two sides won’t go down – or shouldn’t go down – but they find themselves in this sticky situation nonetheless. Since Blackburn will most likely leave the relegation zone, the mystery is who will take their place. As long as Blackburn get their act together – which they have in recent weeks – then they have the squad to finish further up the table. Roque Santa Cruz may leave in January, so Benni McCarthy will have to show Rovers fans why he is one of the best strikers in Africa. He’s done it before, and he can do it again.