Position: 11th
Team: Watford
Points: 30
Manager: Javi Gracia
The move to replace Marco Silva with Gracia in January has not achieved the desired effect on the field as Watford have lost six out of their last 10 games, including a 2-0 defeat by West Ham United in their last match. They next face Everton, who are ninth in the league and by no means safe themselves given the tight nature of the table this season. Sam Allardyce seems to have Everton settled after a poor start to the season and Gracia can expect to drop more points this weekend. Watford have only won four games at home this season but they have the talent and enough points in the bag to safely see them playing in the Premier League next season.
12th
West Ham United
Points 30
Manager: David Moyes
The win over Watford was a welcome three points for the London club before the FA Cup break and they face a tough test next against free-scoring Liverpool, who have thumped West Ham 4-1 and 4-0 in their last two matches.
Moyes, who took over from Slaven Bilic in November following a run of results that got them into the relegation equation, has never won at Liverpool and has only won five of 19 matches since becoming manager. The Hammers have a recent history of being a bit of a yo-yo club, visiting the Championship a number of times, but are now in their sixth straight season as a top-flight team and should be there again next time around.
13th
Newcastle United
Points 28
Manager: Rafa Benitez
Benitez stood by the team who appointed him in March 2016 to replace Steve McClaren. The Spaniard failed to keep the beleaguered club up but took them straight back to the Premier League from the Championship last season. Consistency has been lacking this term with some humiliating losses going hand in hand with standout performances. With only one loss in their past seven games and n impressive win over Manchester United has seen Newcastle start to pick up the points and if they can keep a bit of stability, there should be not sweating come the last few weeks of the campaign.
14th
Brighton
Points 28
Manager: Chris Hughton
The Seasiders got off to a poor start to the campaign and many were tipping them for the drop as early as September.
However Hughton got his side firing in October and November to see them climb the table. More wobbles followed but a win over West Ham and draws with Stoke City and Southampton has them on a three-game streak without loss.
Next up is Swansea City and a positive result in that one still mean that survival should be achievable. I hate to sound negative, but their deep and impressive run in the FA Cup will spread their resources thin and they will need to hope the injury list stays short if they want a third term at the top.
15th
Crystal Palace
Points 27
Manager: Roy Hodgson
Palace were breaking the kind of records no one wants at the beginning of the season, chalking up seven losses in a row. Hodgson stepped in to replace Frank De Boer after the first four of those defeats and righted the ship somewhat come November as Palace went on an eight-game unbeaten run. More losses have come recently, but against stronger clubs such as Arsenal and Everton, while they continued to pick up points against fellow strugglers. While they cannot expect too much this weekend against Tottenham Hotspur, the Hodgson factor will manage to keep them safe once again.
16th
Swansea City
Points 27
Manager: Carlos Carvalhal
With only three wins all season, the powers that be at the Welsh club called time on Paul Clement as coach on Boxing Day. Not the nicest of Christmas gifts, but the introduction of Carvalhal has been a welcome present for the Swansea faithful as they have slowly but surely started to look like the Premier League side that won over so many neutrals since their promotion from the Championship in 2011. They have the proverbial six-pointer against Brighton up next at the weekend but three wins (including against Liverpool and Arsenal) and two draws in their past five games is just the sort of form any manager or fan of a club hovering over the relegation zone craves and Carvalhal should guide them to safety.
17th
Huddersfield Town
Points 27
Manager: David Wagner
Huddersfield were sitting pretty in the top three early in the season and there was talk of another Leicester City-style shock on the cards. However, not all fairy tales come true and it turned into a nightmare for Wagner’s side as they picked up only four more wins before the victory over Bournemouth earlier this month. On paper, you would think facing bottom side West Brom would be a welcome fixture, but Huddersfield have lost to all three teams that began the day at the bottom of the table this season. The likeable German has been a breath of fresh air in the Premier League, but they have been in free fall and will go down.
18th
Southampton
Points 26
Manager: Mauricio Pellegrino
Southampton head into a difficult stretch of games starting with Burnley this weekend. Then it is Stoke City, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Manager Pellegrino will also have to make do without key defender Maya Yoshida during this period as he is added to a growing injury list. Pellegrino has also lost midfielders Steven Davis and Sofiane Boufal due to injuries.
That said, a four-game unbeaten streak preceded the recent loss to Liverpool, and if they can keep up a sustained run of form, and keep their confidence, there is no reason why they should have to depend on getting something from the final game of the season where they will face champions-elect Manchester City.
19th
Stoke City
Points 25
Manager: Paul Lambert
Things started fairly positively for Stoke as they beat Arsenal and drew with Manchester United inside the opening four games of the season.
Needless to say it did not last, and they have picked up only five more wins all season. Mark Hughes was shown the door in January and in came Lambert, tasked with keeping them up. That task looks beyond him as the losses continue to out weight the positive results. The Saints should start planning for a summer rebuild as Championship football beckons next term.
20th
West Brom
Points 20
Manager: Alan Pardew
Basement side West Brom have 20 points. They have three league wins this season. They are five points adrift at the bottom of the table and seven from safety. They are on a three-match losing streak. They have chalked up one win since August (when they bizarrely won their first two games of the season).
You don’t need to be a master tactician to predict where West Brom will be playing their football next season. Even with the favourable fixtures that they have in the immediate future (Huddersfield, Watford, Leicester City, Bournemouth, Burnley), this team has been so lamentable that, never mind Pardew, Superman could not rescue them.
