And finally we have arrived at the business end of the season, following the FA Cup interlude at the weekend. Officially – according to the Premier League’s own web site, it is now a four-way battle for survival between West Ham, Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Tottenham with twelve games to decide the third relegation spot.
The PL have carried out their own ranking of each drop-threatened side’s remaining fixtures, giving each a ‘difficulty rating’ to see which side has the toughest schedule.
West Ham may well be the form side of the quartet, but with two sides just replacing their managers being unknown quantities, it’s a difficult pick: Hence the Premier League ratings based on opponents of each and their ranking of each game called a ‘fixture difficulty rating’.
And it makes for grim reading: according to the Premier League’s own index:
“With an Fixture Difficulty Rating average of 3.08, it is West Ham who look to have the toughest set of matches to see out the season.
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It’s official: Nuno has the toughest fixtures
The Hammers have three fixtures over the next 12 Matchweeks that boast a difficulty rating of four (out of five), as they face Manchester City and Arsenal at home, and Newcastle United away, the latter outings coming in two of the final three weeks of the season.
Nuno’s side also have just three matches with an FDR rating of two or below as they take on Wolves, Everton and Leeds at London Stadium between now and May.”
Momentum, however, may be the least scientific basis on which to consider the last run of games: West Ham clearly have it and Spurs evidently don’t. So nothing is for certain, unless you happen to be Scott Parker or Rob Edwards.