Premier League: Gary Neville says top four spots are already SECURED this season
Gary Neville is adamant that the Premier League‘s top four spots are already secured this season due to the inconsistency of the teams below them.
With a rampant Manchester City running away with the title, a fierce battle for Europe has broken out – although champions Liverpool are adrift of the pace following their miserable campaign.
And Sky Sports pundit Neville has now tipped them to miss out entirely on securing Champions League football again through the league.
Gary Neville believes the top four spots in the Premier League are already secured this season
Manchester United and Leicester continued their fine form with crucial wins over West Ham and Sheffield United respectively at the weekend.
It is Chelsea who currently hold fourth spot and Neville is confident that, despite the closeness of teams around them, the complexion of the upper reaches is sorted.
He told the Gary Neville podcast: ‘Leicester are the ones that I think you’d be most nervous about because they did blow up last season.
Manchester United have kept up their quest for second after edging to a win against West Ham
Leicester are one point behind in third and fully in the mix after their rout of Sheffield United
‘They had a really difficult run-in. I don’t see West Ham catching Leicester. The teams below that are so inconsistent and seem to be all over the place.
‘I’m not sure which one of them is capable of putting a run together.
‘They’re capable of it, some of them, but I would think that Leicester this year would hang on and cement the fact that Brendan Rodgers has done a brilliant job two years on the bounce.
‘Last year, they were so unlucky to miss out on the final day against Manchester United. This year, I think they’ll get in the top four. I think it’ll be Chelsea third and Leicester will be fourth.’
Neville’s claim would mean that Liverpool miss out on the Champions League unless they win it
Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham have also been tipped to miss out on the top four for next term
Neville’s predictions have high-flying West Ham and Everton potentially playing in the Europa League next campaign – and Tottenham and Liverpool at risk of missing out altogether on Europe.
It may well be that two of the top-flight’s notable strugglers this term are forced to win the Champions League and Europa League respectively in order to qualify again.
Liverpool eased into the quarter-finals of the premier knockout competition with a 4-0 aggregate triumph over RB Leipzig.
Tottenham, meanwhile, travel to Dinamo Zagreb this Thursday with a 2-0 advantage.
