Tottenham-> Perennial underachievers. And Harry Redknapp is
not exactly your top 4 manager either. Apart from the opening
victory against Liverpool and the 3-0 demolition of Manchester
City, Tottenham has generally choked against the top sides, not to
mention points dropped against lesser teams at home to Stoke,
Wolves and Hull. With the toughest run-in I do not see Tottenham
finishing 4th.
Man City-> After a bright start in the Premier League under
Roberto Mancini City form has fizzled of late, losing to Hull and
Everton, drawing with Stoke and Liverpool, and nicking lucky 2-0
wins over Portsmouth and Bolton (mind you, they are fighting to
beat the drop) in their last 6 Premier League games. While they do
have a game in hand, their run-in is not that easy either. The
arrival of Mancini has not performed wonders for City's backline
and as such there is always a tendency to leak goals and drop
points in the crucial run-in.
Aston Villa->Personally my pick to dislodge Liverpool from
the 4th spot, barring any major injuries from now till the end of
the season. They have hit a rich vein of form and have a solid
backline and a pacy attack. However, let's not forget that at this
time last year Aston Villa went 9 games without a win in the
Premier League and ended up finishing 6th. If the first-team could
negotiate their F.A. Cup and Premier League fixtures without any
major injury concerns then they could well be the team that will
threaten Liverpool's place in the Big Four.
Liverpool->Yes, they have been there and done that before.
Like Aston Villa, they have a easier run-in to the end of the
Premier League season. While they have not been sharp in attack,
their defence has been pretty solid since Christmas and their
only defeat in the league came from their away game against
Arsenal. And that's where the scary part comes. With Liverpool
picking up wins without having Torres and Benayoun for the bulk of
that period Liverpool's attack is going to be strengthened with
Benayoun and Torres coming back from the injuries. Liverpool's
experience and the return of key players could be crucial in the
run-in and despite everything I think Liverpool would still be able
to keep their 4th spot intact, unless Aston Villa could avoid a
meltdown like they did last season.
My pick is: Liverpool (Hate to say this as a Man United
fan).
