What if form was fed into final Premier League table?

Matt Stead

Premier League football may or may not start again, but what has been taken off the table is a null and void season. If no more football can be played, the table might well be decided on PPG (points-per-game), just because all teams have not played the same number of games.

But would it be fairer to take form into account? Surely an uptick in form prompted by a change of manager or January signing should be acknowledged, while an ungracious slide down the table should not be halted by a mere pandemic.

So we have come up with a table that reflects form. The results of the last nine/ten games of the curtailed season basically count double so that each team ends the season with a points total from 38 games, which seems a better reflection of the way the season was panning out…

Some things to note…

* Assuming Manchester City’s European ban is upheld, Manchester United narrowly hold onto the final Champions League place, thanks to a massive uptick in form that keeps them ahead of – this will never not seem odd – Sheffield United.

* The Blades would be joined in the Europa League by Arsenal (whose form has drastically improved under Mikel Arteta) and likely Wolves.

* Tottenham really are quite, quite sh*t. Though they would argue that returning players may have turned around that horrible form.

* Of the six troubled clubs, Watford are the only team with the pedigree to pull out of the mire.

* Brighton somehow survive on goal difference despite being the worst team in the Premier League on current form.

* Aston Villa are relegated on goal difference despite their game in hand; such a dire defence cannot possibly be allowed to survive.

* Norwich are f***ed.