Being bottom this early didn’t used to be such a bad omen. Between 2013-14 and 2018-19, only one of the six sides that were propping up the table after five games ended up going down – Newcastle in 2015-16 – while Crystal Palace finished as high as 11th in 2017-18.
In fact, the good news for Tottenham fans is that the last time they were in this situation, they finished eighth. The club were bottom with just two points after five games in 2008-09 but, after replacing manager Juande Ramos with Harry Redknapp three games later, still finished in the top half.
Looking at the relegation battle more broadly, at least one of the teams in the bottom three at this stage has been relegated in the last eight seasons – so one of Tottenham, Fulham and Coventry will very likely be heading to the Championship in May.
The pool of contestants for this season’s relegation battle may already be decided too as the three sides that ultimately went down in the last three seasons were all in the bottom six after five games, which would add Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace to the mix.
The last sides to be outside the bottom six at this point but relegated were Leeds and Southampton in 2022-23, who were both in the top half (7th and 9th). With their teams currently sat in 8th and 11th place, Hull and Ipswich fans will hope that’s still the case at the end of this campaign.
While the season may well have barely begun, the Premier League table is already starting to take shape.
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