Big Four becomes Big Eight in Premier League

The same four teams have taken the Champions League spots in the Premier League – apart from Everton’s brief incursion into the top four in 2005 – for the best part of a decade now.
But things are more likely to change this year than any other.

The ‘Big Four’ might have lost their aura. Already this year Manchester City has beaten Arsenal, Tottenham has knocked off Liverpool and Aston Villa too went to Anfield and won.
Manchester United and Chelsea will most likely battle it out for the title but beyond that the next six spots are really up for grabs.

Everton started dreadfully this year but will cause teams some headaches when they get their best team on the park.

It might be the tightest contest yet for the cash-cow that is the Champions League.
Liverpool and Arsenal will have to be at their best to claim what they probably believe is their right to a top four finish.

I expect a real gulf to open up between their eight teams mentioned above and the rest.
Sunderland are probably best placed to break up that group, but it’s unlikely. The depth of their squad will be tested and it’s here that the top eight look streets ahead.

For those at the bottom, it’s an uphill battle.
This season five and six goals in a game has been a regular occurrence –Hull, Burnley, Blackburn, and Wolves have all conceded five goals or more in a match to teams placed well above them.

With 227 goals already scored in just 75 games (that’s three goals a game) and first and sixth separated by just six points, this could be the best season - and tightest at the top - in recent memory.