Sam Allardyce believes the scrap for Premier League survival this season is unlike any other, with only six points separating 10th-placed Swansea from second-from-bottom Cardiff City.
With the battle for the four Champions League places at the top intensified by Manchester United’s struggles and the resurgence of Arsenal and Liverpool, the fight for much-prized safety is equally as enthralling in the lower half of the table.
There are just six points between as many clubs at the basement and a further two points separate the next five sides overall and Allardyce cannot recall a campaign like it, with so many possible imponderables and permutations with a third of the term to play.
“It has never been like this. There has never, ever been four points only separating the bottom three clubs and the 10th-placed side, so it is one of those seasons that we haven’t seen before,” said the West Ham manager, whose team currently sit in 11th place. “You know you’ve got to get to 38 points at the very least and probably 40 this year. The quicker you do that, the more the lads ease themselves from the pressure that they’re under and — of course — deliver better results.” The Hammers haven’t been struggling to deliver good results of late, having arrived here in the emirate for some warm-weather training on the back of three wins in a row over the Swans, Aston Villa and Norwich City.
However, the former Bolton Wanderers boss is experienced enough to know that things can change very quickly in professional sport, especially in such a tightly congested pack. “The pressure is off somewhat to what it was, but — when you look at 11th place — you would think that that position would be looking more comfortable than it actually is,” the 59-year-old said on the sidelines of the outdoor pitch at the Dubai Sports City Football Academy.
“We’re only four points from the team third from bottom, so we’ve still got a lot to do and there’s still a long way to go. But, our previous results were bad because of the huge injury list we had and now that has diminished, our results have improved dramatically.”