Southampton are rooted to the bottom of the table (Image: PA)

Southampton

Why they might go down

No team has ever recovered from its position. In fact, Derby County, which finished last in Premier League history in 2007/08, had more points after 15 games than Southampton do presently.

Why they might stay up

Performances have not been as poor as the results indicate. They may have gotten a result against Liverpool, whom they lost 3-2 after leading 2-1, and were unlucky not to take the points away from Brighton, where a goal was ruled out in a 1-1 draw. The loss against Chelsea can be attributed to extenuating circumstances, and Aston Villa failed to break them down last weekend. A bustling January transfer window could help them, but getting players to sign with them may be difficult. Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling will develop over the season as they gain more experience at this level.

Gary O’Neil is under huge pressure at Wolves (Image: PA)

Wolves

Why They Might Go Down Wolves had the worst defensive record in the division, conceding 38 goals in 15 games, seven more than any other team. Chelsea thrashed them 6-2, while Brentford beat them 5-3. More recently, they were easily defeated by Bournemouth and Everton, 4-2 and 4-0 respectively. With a difficult schedule to begin the season, fans expected them to settle in and find their footing, but three consecutive defeats suggest otherwise. They can’t manage to turn terrible performances into draws, and they’ve been beaten ten times this season. Fans have turned against manager Gary O’Neill. Monday’s 2-1 loss to West Ham was supposed to be his last game in charge, but TalkSPORT have since reported that he’s expected to be in the dugout against Ipswich this weekend. The owners are incredibly unpopular at the moment and there’s a negative cloud hanging over Molineux.

Captain Mario Lemina had to be separated from Jarrod Bowen at full time in their last game, with the 31-year-old shoving his own assistant manager, Shaun Derry, in the process. All is not well in West Virginia 1. Why might they remain up? On paper, they have one of the strongest squads in the relegation mini-league. Matheus Cunha is an excellent football player with seven goals and three assists to his name. Rayan Ait-Nouri can contribute from both ends of the pitch. They have a strong bench, including former PSG forward Goncalo Guedes. Scoring goals is not a problem. Tottenham are the only team in the lower half of the table that has reached the back of the net 23 times this season of the net more than them.

Their 2-0 win against Southampton shows that they have what it takes to beat their relegation rivals, but their 4-1 victory away at high-flying Fulham was a sign of what they are capable of when everything clicks.

There’s every chance that O’Neil is sacked if results don’t improve in the next couple of weeks. A new manager bounce could help them out of the bottom three, and fresh ideas could see them stay about the dotted line.

Ipswich are still looking for their first home win of the season (Image: Steve Waller)

Ipswich Town

Why they might go down

No need to go too in depth on this one – we all know the issues. After back-to-back promotions from League One, the jump into the Premier League might be a step too far in such a short space of time.

One win all season is a concern, as is the fact that Town are yet to earn a single victory at Portman Road. They have failed to beat any of the teams in and around them so far. The longer that goes on, the more of an impact it will have on their mentality.

Injuries have been a real issue as well, and their squad depth doesn’t look as strong as their relegation rivals. They have a tough run of games coming up and need to work hard to avoid getting cut adrift.

Why they might stay up

Ipswich have been competitive in almost every single game so far this season. They would have quite a few more points on the board if it wasn’t for individual errors and bad luck.

January recruitment will be vital and the Blues will spent money to strengthen the squad. George Hirst is due back from injury next month to bolster the forward line too.

Ultimately, manager Kieran McKenna won’t be sacked under any circumstances and the club will be in a better place regardless of whether or not they go down. There should be plenty of positive vibes at Portman Road.

Crystal Palace sit four points above the relegation zone (Image: PA)

Crystal Palace

Why they might go down

14 goals isn’t a good return given the attacking talent at their disposal. Fans started to dream when Oliver Glasner had Crystal Palace flying at the end of last season while playing an attractive brand of football, but the results have nosedived and the style of play isn’t fun to watch.

Although they have lost the same number of games as Manchester United, they draw far too many. Two wins from 15 matches is alarming.

The January transfer window is an opportunity to strengthen, but will their Premier League rivals come back in for some of their star players? Marc Guehi was a big target for Newcastle United over the summer and Eberechi Eze has been linked with every top-six side under the sun. Losing either of them would be a blow.

Why they might stay up

They shouldn’t be anywhere near the bottom three with the quality and depth in their squad. Confidence is clearly a big issue at the moment, but if Glasner can improve that, they could easily soar up the table.

A dominant draw against Newcastle, an away win at Ipswich and an impressive point against Manchester City will go a long way towards doing that.

The Eagles are now unbeaten in four matches and have opened up a four-point gap on the bottom three. They boast the best defensive record in the relegation mini-league and have three colossal centre-backs to protect goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken four points from his first two games at Leicester City (Image: PA)

Leicester City

Why they might go down

Leicester arguably have one of the weakest squads in the league on paper, with limited summer transfer business due to FFP restraints. That will likely continue into January.

Ruud van Nistelrooy is in to replace Steve Cooper, which is a big risk. This is his first managerial role outside of the Netherlands and he comes into a pressurised environment. If the Foxes are relegated, it could have a devastating impact on the club.

Their 4-1 defeat to Brentford showed all of the issues in the team and was labelled by some as one of the worst performances of any side in recent Premier League history. Despite improved results in their last two games, they haven’t played that well. Star man Abdul Fatawu won’t feature again this season after injuring his knee.

If Van Nistelrooy can’t turn it around, they are unlikely to roll the dice again and sack him before the end of the season. This is make or break.

Why they might stay up

Leicester can play badly and pick up positive results. Consecutive wins against Bournemouth and Southampton proved to be huge. They were underwhelming against Ipswich and Brighton but got draws from both games.

West Ham created an xG of 3.10 against them from 31 shots, but were beaten 3-1 in Van Nistelrooy’s first game in charge. In fact, the Foxes have actually been pretty clinical this season, with 21 goals in 15 games.

The negative energy is starting to seep out of the King Power Stadium, which will do them a world of good if it continues.

Everton Why They Might Go Down Nothing ever seems to go right for Everton. Fans turned following a poor start to the season, in which they lost their first four games. Things have improved since then, although they remain outrageously unreliable, losing 4-0 away to Manchester United before reversing the result against Wolves at Goodison Park a few days later. Off-field concerns persist. A takeover has yet to be announced, thus Sean Dyche’s future and Everton’s January transfer budget remain uncertain. Despite their good defensive record, they have struggled offensively. Before thrashing Wolves last week, they had managed just 10 goals all season. They have good experience in their squad, but the some of the teams below them have far more quality and technical ability.

Their fixture slate is intimidating, with games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Tottenham, and Brighton scheduled before the end of January. Why might they remain up? As previously said, Everton’s defence is generally rock-solid, with 21 goals conceded thus far. Goalless draws against Newcastle, West Ham and Brentford have surely helped in a season when victories have been difficult to come by. If they are still in problems in a few weeks, the experienced members of their squad may be able to aid them greatly. Many of their players have been through similar experiences and understand what it takes to cross the finish line.

Fans are holding out hope for a potential takeover. If this happens before January, it might change their squad and boost morale on Merseyside. If Dyche fails to turn things around, he will most likely lose his job, and a new face will take over to try to calm the ship.

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