Near Season 7's end

The quality of the Manta Premiership has gone up significantly over past seasons and with it so has competition. So do we have a 3-4 team deadlock for the title two match days away from the final standings? “Unfortunately” from a neutral spectator’s point of view it’s pretty much Botev’s title yet again. The six point gap means Botev must lose both remaining games including a home game against second place Noodle FC, so that benzb’s side have a chance at getting the gold. With recent performances in mind, this seems quite unlikely. Botev are second in the form chart, while 2 draws and an unexpected loss at home to Liverpool City have left Noodle in 8th. Looking at the other stats between the two, Hristoskov’s side has scored the most goals (72), while Noodle have conceded the least (32), but despite having only 1 loss, the latter has registered 13 draws compared to Botev’s 7 and it seems victories is what benzb must be aiming for if he is to challenge the established Manta monopolist Hristoskov for his title next season.
In 3rd, 4th and 5th, just several points behind Noodle FC, we find the constantly threatening Rex Mundi, the Premiership’s best original squad Hornets and the league cup winner Kif Villans. And while Rex' performance in the last 5 matches has cost them a shot at second place, Hornets have been doing their best in recent times to finish as high as possible. Looking at their remaining games, two very probable wins for Hornets mean that Rex can’t afford anything than a win in their last game away to Scudders - a target Guermano would be more than glad to ruin. The Villans were considered potential title contenders ever since joining the Premiership, but despite a commanding performance in the league cup, manager kifd just can’t find the right rhythm for his boys to stay in contention. Being one of only 3 teams with no losses at home so far, it’s the away games that should probably be given attention in the future. Kif’s 2 representatives in the top 3 Premiership most expensive players table tells a lot of the team’s true potential, so look out for his side in the future!

Sitting comfortably in 6th, Chaos Shumen have had nothing more to fight for ever since Thursday when their position was sealed and one could wonder if their defeat at Liverpool City on the next day was a result from that. Despite the several injuries chaosmaster has complained about, his side have held on to another finish just behind the top dogs and with the good cup run this season, his side might be looking for a better performance in the seasons to come. Stat wise, Chaos are the lowest placed of the three teams without home losses alongside Kif and Botev and second in terms of goals conceded at home behind likely champions Botev. Scoring also seems to be nicely covered as their HPL Jason Yates is top of the scorers table in the Premiership.

And now we get to the zone where things are still very interesting despite the few remaining games. From 7th to 12th, Easyfit Walsall, Mad Dogs United, Smirnenski United, Scudders, Liverpool City and Inter Milager are just 5 points apart and every point and maybe even goal in the next two matches could be essential towards a team’s final standing. Totti’s first season at Easyfit has been quite a success and if a few of those 10 away draws were converted to wins, he could’ve given Chaos a tough fight for the higher position. Scoring doesn’t seem a problem for this team with 64 and only 3 teams having scored most, but 52 conceded compared to Shumen’s 35 give away a hint as to where totti’s future problems may lay. After losing their original manager Mad Dogs United are plummeting downwards in both performance and position and relegation might be lurking behind next season’s corner for them. Smirnenski have done a good job to be in the top of the table in their first Premiership season, but despite an impressive home form, away games seem to be causing ryanj1991 too much problems. Scudders have played a good season as well, but their manager’s satisfaction from the current position is questionable. Their big stadium and star-striker Sukova’s second place in the top scorers chart could prove a difference in seasons to come, but an away game to in-form Liverpool and a derby at home against Rex Mundi will likely hinder Guermano’s team’s chances of finishing higher than they are right now. Despite a great run in recent games, including wins over Noodle FC and Chaos Shumen, Liverpool City stumbled away against Norwood FC and that has cost them a third place in the form table. Considering the team’s early season crisis, one can safely say Boozer has made a great job of motivating his players and had he done it sooner, contention for 6th could have been possible. Last in this group, but with probably the easiest matches left we find “draw master” Inter Milager. A win in his derby against rival Webby could move pleasant’s side to the top 10 in the final standings - a finish the manager should be happy about.

In 13th and 14th, Castle King FC and Sabbath Albion are battling it between themselves for a higher position. Last season’s promotees Castle King were looking impressive at the start of the season with 7 home wins out of 7, but with the same number of losses away they were stuck in mid-table. Now this cycle seems to have shifted to draws at home and losses away, justifying their current position. Sabbath, on the other hand, started off at the bottom and were considered by many (myself included) likely to be relegated. However, their resilience granted them a chance to prove their worth in seasons to come, as their finish in relegation doesn’t seem likely in the next few seasons.

Just over the relegation line, Lancaster Bombers, Burnthouse Surfers and Coimbra All Stars are lucky to be pretty much certain of staying in the Premiership for at least another season. Webby’s disappointing single win away is likely the reason why he isn’t challenging for a higher finish, while Hazie could’ve done better if a few of those home draws ended in victories. Lastly, Coimbra have been in the “most likely to be relegated” graph for 2 seasons now, but just like fellow original Premiershiper Sabbath, they are still refusing to leave their “birth place”.

Below the relegation line, Norwood could be cursing their luck, as just a few more points could have meant their staying in the Premiership. However, with just 3 wins at home their place doesn’t look all that surprising. 3 points further behind and absolutely certain of relegation, Thames Ironworks haven’t really had a good first Premiership season and 4 points away pretty much explains why. Finally, we can see the perfect example of what happens to an established club once his original manager leaves it at the start of the season - Crazy Clowns with a measly 4 points were nothing more than a boxing bag for almost everyone in the division and their future in the Championship also doesn’t seem certain.