Do top team at Christmas usually win title?
Liverpool are top of the table at Christmas for the 21st time in English football history – more than anyone else. The Reds will celebrate Christmas Day top of the Premier League table after a 6-3 win at Tottenham, with Southampton looking up at everyone else from bottom spot .
But who sits where and what can we read into it? Exactly half the time – in 16 seasons out of 32 – the team top of the Premier League table on Christmas Day goes on to win the title.
Liverpool’s record though is much, much worse than that. This is the seventh time the Reds have stood first on December 25 – but their only success since the top-flight’s 1992 rebrand was in 2019-2020.
Liverpool have been in this position more than anyone else in English football history – 21 times, winning 11 of the previous 20.On being top at Christmas, boss Arne Slot said: “It tells you we are a very good team.
“Still three games to go until halfway, but we are a hard team to beat. If it was easy to win the league, then every team would do it.” Going back to the Premier League era, Arsenal led the table over Christmas for a fourth time last season – and, like the previous three occasions, failed to lift the trophy.
In contrast, Chelsea and Manchester City – plus one-time winners Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City – have always won the title when they have led the pack at this stage.
On four occasions, a team have been outside the top four at Christmas and won the title – including last season. Manchester City were fifth at the time – six points behind Arsenal, albeit with a game in hand, and finished champions for a fourth successive time.
The others to do so were Manchester United, having been fifth in 1996-97, Arsenal (sixth in 1997-98) and Pep Guardiola’s City again (eighth in 2020-21). The top four are currently Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and… Nottingham Forest.
Bournemouth, who sit fifth, could land a bonus Champions League place depending on how English teams fare in Europe this season.Aston Villa are sixth and Manchester City seventh – which could be the Europa and Conference League places, depending on who wins the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Last season only West Ham (in sixth) were in the top seven at Christmas, but dropped out of it, with Chelsea (who were 10th) taking their place. What about the relegation zone?
Ipswich, Wolves and Southampton occupy the relegation slots, with the latter two very recently changing managers. It is quite rare for the relegation zone to contain the same three teams at Christmas and on the final day – but it did happen last season.
Which team occupy seventh spot now? Manchester City.
Culled from BBCSports
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