What happened to the last side bottom of the Premier League at Christmas?
By Euan Burns
The gap between those teams at the bottom of the Premier League table and those at the top of it has steadily widened in recent years, so being bottom of the table at Christmas is an extremely worrying situation.
One way to view it is that if you make peace with the idea of relegation, you find yourself in an 'only way is up' scenario. Any miraculous escape will be made all the sweeter, and the likely relegation will not hit so hard as you've been mentally prepped for months already.
Here is a look at the precedent that has been set by teams at the bottom of the Premier League at Christmas.
Who was bottom of the Premier League at Christmas 2021?
In the 2021/22 season, it was Norwich City that occupied the bottom spot in the Premier League and it's fair to say that they never showed much sign of rescuing themselves.
The Canaries ended the season with 22 points, which was 16 points off safety. Norwich fans had made their peace with the situation very early that season.
Generally speaking, much like the situation with the teams top of the table at Christmas, it is a very good indicator of how the season will end. Famously in 2005, West Bromwich Albion managed to avoid the drop having been bottom at Christmas, but they were an exception to the rule.
The team at the bottom of the Premier League at Christmas has gone down in 2010 (West Ham), 2011 (Blackburn), 2012 (Reading), 2015 (Aston Villa), 2016 (Hull City), 2017 (Swansea), 2018 (Fulham), 2019 (Watford), 2020 (Sheffield United) and in 2021 with Norwich City.
Beyond West Brom in 2005, only two other sides have escaped after being bottom at Christmas. Sunderland achieved this n the 2013/14 season as they rallied late on and actually ended up 14th. Leicester City did the same in 2014/15 as they avoided the drop and then won the title in the next season.
Who is bottom of the Premier League at Christmas 2022?
There is potential for this season to be different to the usual trend as the team at the bottom of the table is Wolverhampton Wanderers. In regard to the quality of the squad, they have no business being at the bottom of the table.
They have just appointed Julen Lopetegui as head coach and Matheus Cunha has just joined from Atletico Madrid to add another option in attack. They will also be hoping to get more from Diego Costa now that he should be up to fitness.
They are only four points away from safety with 23 games left to play which means an escape could be on the cards this season from the bottom of the table.
Wolverhampton Wanderers next four Premier League games
- 26/12/2022: Everton vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 31/12/2022: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Manchester United
- 04/01/2023: Aston Villa vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
- 14/01/2023: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs West Ham United