Predicted Top 6 in the Premier League 17/18

With just 11 games left for the 17/18 Premier League season, it will be interesting to see which teams seal Champions League qualification, who will head into the CL qualification and who will play in the Europa League next season.

Although the top six teams are somewhat guaranteed European action next season, given their current standings, some teams have left themselves with too much to do while others are left to consolidate the positions they have held all season.

The teams heading into the Champions League next season are all but determined. Here is an analysis of the top 6 teams in the league and where they will end up:

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola's team has been dominant this season just like they are dominant in possession in each game. With just one loss, to rivals Liverpool, in the season so far, it is almost certain that they will win the league. The team is currently 16 points ahead of second-placed Manchester United and it is hard to see them lose any form despite some injuries to first team players. Having scored 79 goals and conceded just 20 as of 13 February 2018, the team are hot favourites to maintain their league position until the end of the season.

The star players this season include Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. Aguero has scored 21 goals thus far, just 2 goals behind Golden Boot leader Harry Kane and 1 goal behind Salah. Out of the top 3 contenders for the Golden Boot, Aguero has the highest shot conversion rate including blocks of 23.86% as per Opta. He has had the most number of hat-tricks this season (3). That has made him an invaluable player for the team. Together with Sterling, the duo has been responsible for the majority of goals scored by the team. Despite some of their games ending off as a victory by just a goal, Manchester City have managed to keep hold of their lead in the game and defend well.

Kevin De Bruyne has been the assist king for his club this season. Most of the attack came from his superb vision and accuracy in passing, which has led to Guardiola claiming that he should be in contention for the Ballon d'Or. It is important for all players to defend and attack as a team. De Bruyne has been excellent in the transitioning from defending to attacking, making him hard to stopr.

With their spectacular form and decisiveness in the attack, it is no wonder that Manchester City have led the race right from the beginning. With 16 points adrift, there is hardly any race for the trophy and it is pretty comfortable for Guardiola's team to win the title.

Manchester United

Predicted position: 3rd

An away loss to Newcastle United over the weekend saw them drop further behind leaders Manchester City. The Red Devils are still clinging on to the second position as the fight for the other 3 qualification spots into Champions League fire up. Liverpool are just two points behind second-placed United. Meanwhile, Tottenham, who are fifth in the table, are a mere 4 points away.

Manchester United have conceded the least goals this season but have far scored fewer goals than Manchester City, their goal difference is incomparable to that of the latter. David de Gea their star goalkeeper has been superb as always and his consistent performances have led his club to such a standing. Last season, the team missed out on Champions League qualification spots but having won the Europa League, they have enabled themselves to play in the prestigious Champions League.

However, the team does not have an easy route towards the end of the season. They still have 4 more matches against the top six teams in EPL, which include tough competitors like Manchester City and Liverpool. Even with new signing Alexis Sanchez, the team showed their struggles against big teams like Tottenham, where they fell to a 2 goal defeat. The team now sits second, but I think Liverpool will beat them to second place in the final standings.

With such a close gap between Liverpool and Manchester United, in my opinion, the latter may succumb to the pressure in big games, leaving Liverpool the chance to move ahead.

Liverpool

Predicted position: 2nd

I wonder how Liverpool would be faring if not for Salah's presence. He has been such a great recruit for Jurgen Klopp's team this season, and he is one of the most prolific strikers in the Premier League. Liverpool lost Coutinho recently but as long as Salah remains their man, his scoring form can bring Liverpool great success.

Liverpool's season has been flawed with defensive problems. Welcoming Virgil van Djik has not brought in that much of an impact so far, but it remains to be seen whether they can improve their defence next season.

Scoring has not been an issue for the team who have scored 61 goals so far. Throughout the season, they faced a couple of hiccups especially when it was regarding the best defence line that should be played. If the team can hang on without conceding too many goals until the end of the season, it is likely that Liverpool can move further up the table.

With just two more matches involving the top six clubs, it is hard to see Liverpool dropping out of the top four and I believe this gives them an added advantage over Manchester United. Majority of the games left for Liverpool to play are against lower ranked teams, which should make it possible for Liverpool to gain all 3 points.

Consistency in the final run of games is what Klopp will require of his team from now on. They have had their slips, but I am certain that against the lower ranked teams, Liverpool can do their best, though they recently lost consecutive matches to relegeation-contenders, Swansea and West Brom.

Chelsea

Predicted position: 5th

Antonio Conte's side has been unable to replicate the success they were capable of this season. Having loaned Batshuayi out to Dortmund in January, Chelsea bought Olivier Giroud as their back-up striker. Alvaro Morata, the team's number 9, has lacked goals this season. Out of the top six clubs, Chelsea has scored the least number of goals as of February 2018. The lack of goals scored meant that Chelsea were losing out on many occasions to win the game. With such a close fight at this stage, goal difference is starting to make a difference.

Their inconsistency this season has seen them lost to Bournemouth and Watford. However, with the saviour, Eden Hazard, Chelsea can try to find some form among themselves. Hazard scored a brace against West Brom to secure a victory for the Londoners and it will be hard for Chelsea to keep hold of him come next season. This inconsistency disfavours the team as it causes them to lose confidence in battles against lower ranked teams.

Chelsea face an uphill battle of advancing any further in the Champions League this season as they will face Barcelona in the round of 16. The team still have 4 more matches against top six clubs which makes things even harder for them to qualify for Champions League this season if they continue with the trend.

Chelsea have been far too reliant on Eden Hazard just like Liverpool on Salah, but Hazard is not Chelsea's main striker. While he can pull strings in the midfield, Chelsea nevertheless has to involve their strikers to bring in the goals and win games. In order to maintain their position in the top four standings, Chelsea has to show that they can start a winning streak. Given that Chelsea will be facing a number of high ranking teams, it can be damaging to their confidence and Conte's side may not play as well as they should.

Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United seem to have a stronger team than Chelsea. This makes it extremely likely that the Blues will drop out of Champions League qualifying positions this season.

Tottenham

Predicted position: 4th

If there is no Harry Kane, the current superior and high-flying Tottenham may probably not exist. Harry Kane and teammate Heung-Min Son have guided Tottenham to high positions for the last few seasons. Being a prolific goalscorer in the EPL, Harry Kane has no problems scoring on any day. Turning 25 this year, Kane has scored 101 goals in 139 appearances for Tottenham as of 10 February 2018. He has been awarded two Golden Boot awards and this season, he may be receiving his third.

A victory for Tottenham in the match against Arsenal has widened the gap between the two teams as Arsenal distant themselves from the competition for the top four spots. Tottenham have been far more consistent than Chelsea this season and I think they will be able to overtake Chelsea to make it into 4th place, qualifying for the Champions League play-off.

Tottenham have shown they are too good to be in Europa League and should qualify for Champions League this season. They have even beaten Real Madrid in the group stages of the Champions League and their incredible comeback last night against Juventus only goes to show how strong this Tottenham team is. The first team players of Tottenham are currently all fit and they have recovered from their injuries at the right time for the final push of the season.

The team is now comfortable both at and away from home, excelling in their run of games. Their convincing win against Manchester United has illustrated that Tottenham are capable of being strong when they encounter obstacles.

The midfield play by Tottenham has been improving and in their latest match against Arsenal, it is observed that by having a strong midfield play, they can dominate the game and press high and hard on their opponents. That is what Tottenham has to continue for the rest of the season. This team does not recognise the ''giving up'' attitude and with such a determination in them, they are making the impossible possible.

Arsenal

Predicted position: 6th

This Arsenal team is better than average but not good enough, hence landing them in a neither here nor there position of sixth. Arsenal are not expected to drop any further than that but it looks near impossible to compete for fourth place.

Wenger's hope of qualifying for Champions League through the play-off spots is nearly over, but a strand of hope remains for them in Europa League. They face Ostersund in harsh cold conditions this week before welcoming them to the Emirates next week.

The team's home form has been excellent all season and with new recruits to bolster their attack, scoring at home does not seem to be any huge problem. The main and biggest problem is scoring and winning away from home. New signings have struggled away from home in their first few games and Arsenal are simply not doing enough to salvage the situation.

With the smallest goal difference out of the top six teams, it goes to show how bad the situation is. A leaky defence has seen the team concede 36 goals, 5 more than Liverpool and the worst out of the top six clubs. Too often, Arsenal found themselves playing catch up in the game and fighting hard for a point when their opponents grab a late winner. The team seems to be content with just a point in their games when they should be aiming to get all 3 points.

The team now has to focus on Europa League and play their star players in order to keep their Champions League hope alive. As much as Burnley have been impressive this season, the gap between Arsenal and Burnley is too great for any drastic changes.

Hence, Arsenal are expected to remain 6th until the season ends unless they can pull off a late dramatic finish to reach Champions League qualification spots. Even if Arsenal does finish well, it is dependent on the results from the other teams. Arsenal are now at the mercy of their opponents and I don't think their opponents will be that kind to let Arsenal join in the race.