Now that we have taken a look at the candidates for the drop, let us continue our way upwards to the top with places 14 to 16.
14. West Ham
Last season, West Ham finished 13th. Led by “Big” Sam Allardyce, the London side was a hard nut to crack for any team, waiting for the counter while they hold their own, even defeating Chelsea in that manner, which led to quite the hilarious press conference afterwards.
West Ham has signed some exciting players, who will surely prove an asset in the battle for survival. With Enner Valencia, who made a name for himself in the World Cup with Ecuador, and big surprise Alex Song to control the midfield, the Hammers have equipped themselves for the hardship to come. It will also be interesting to see how last year’s lads perform, with Mark Noble already showing promise in midfield, supported by Jarvis and Downing on the sides, bringing enough vision and pace to the table. Good showings from them throughout the year could mean a better spot for West Ham, but they will have to hit their stride quickly, and with some tough match-ups coming – next week they play Liverpool at home, after which they travel to Old Trafford – they have their work cut out for them.
15. Sunderland
Close call for Sunderland last year, narrowly avoiding relegation after a season-long struggle with their form. Had Paolo di Canio stayed on as manager, I believe they would have dropped, but after the arrival of Gus Poyet in late October, they gradually got a bit of their mojo back, eventually staying up, even winning against nemesis Newcastle twice.
This year however, Sunderland will not be in the same danger they found themselves in last time. Building on Poyet’s philosophy – and with the Uruguayan still in charge – they will find the stability needed to perform in the Premier League, and with new-comers such as Jack Rodwell and Ricky Alvarez, they have strengthened their midfield considerably.
One thing that still seems worrisome is their attack, which proved lacking last year as well, but has seen no reinforcements come in this summer. Relying on Wickham and Fletcher to carry the responsibility of scoring goals might not be the best decision in the long run. For now, the midfield performs the duty of putting them in admirably, with Larsson, Cattermole and Rodwell having scored all three goals made so far, but in the long run, this may prove troublesome indeed.
16. Queens Park Rangers
After dropping to second-tier two seasons ago, QPR have made their return. The Harry Redknapp side were fourth place in the Championship, earning themselves a spot in the big league. A challenge lies ahead for the Hoops, but the quality is there to stay up this time.
QPR could just as well finish higher, but adapting to the much higher level of play the Premier League requires will be a difficult task for the promoted side, even if they have brought in a lot of relegated players like Fer from Norwich and Caulker and Mutch from Cardiff.
Redknapp bought some quality players in Sandro, Mutch and Vargas, two of which have experience in the Premier League, and it will be exciting to see how they perform with their new club. The position that worries me, as for so many of the lower-ranked teams, is the striker. Even though we are only three games in, scoring only one goal is insufficient, especially when teams in the vicinity, such as West Ham and Sunderland, have already bagged 4 and 3 goals respectively. A poor showing from an otherwise attractive side so far, and they will have to improve upon that soon.
Source: DSG
