John Barnes predicts it will be between Chelsea and Arsenal for the fourth spot in the league
Speaking to BonusCodeBets (h/t Football.London), Liverpool legend John Barnes has predicted that it will be between London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal to fight out for the fourth spot in the top-four race of the Premier League this season.
Barnes, who has also played for Watford and Newcastle United, thinks that the top two will still be between Manchester City and Liverpool, while Tottenham Hotspur will take the third position.
Despite Arsenal’s terrific start to the season where they are top of the league with six wins from seven games, the 58-year-old believes the Gunners are still a young side who would need more experience to cope with a bad patch during the season.
Here’s what Barnes said regarding his top four predictions (h/t Football.London):
“Man City and Liverpool are going to be the top two again then after them will be Tottenham. Then Arsenal and Chelsea; Arsenal are doing really well at this moment in time but of course, they’ve still got a young side and if they go through a bit of a sticky patch, the young players probably need a bit more experience but while they’re doing well now, it will be between them and Chelsea for the fourth spot but I think the top three will be Man City and Liverpool or Liverpool and Man City then Tottenham.”
Generally, it is said that a league table only begins to take shape when each team has played 10 games. As of now, some are at seven and some at six because of the distorted nature of the past two game-weeks due to the death of the Queen.
Chelsea have made an underwhelming start to the season, with only 10 points from six games and sitting sixth in the table. They look like a club in transition with manager Thomas Tuchel getting the sack on September 7 and Graham Potter taking over a day later.
The squad doesn’t look in the best of confidence, meaning there is a big job in Potter’s hands to get them right and start to win games.
There are some big games coming up for the Blues in the league after the international break. They start with a visit to Crystal Palace, followed by a home game against Wolverhampton Wanderers before facing Aston Villa away. These games, on paper, should be won. However, none of them will be easy given how this team is playing at the moment.
More Chelsea News:
- Benjamin Pavard considered leaving Bayern Munich amid interest from Chelsea
- Chelsea are interested in signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz
- Toddy Boehly unhappy that Marina Granovskaia failed to complete the transfer of Aurelien Tchouameni to Chelsea
So, in a way Barnes is not wrong in not keeping Chelsea as a given for finishing in the top-four. There are doubts and it is justified.