The Times listed three possible scenarios today in the eventuality that the season is cancelled. Don’t know how much of this is pure guesswork, but none of them do us any favours.
How to work out table if season is not completed
Premier League clubs are pushing for the season to end on July 1 regardless of whether the remaining fixtures can be completed. Given that not all teams have played the same number of games, a formula will need to be devised to resolve key issues such as the Champions League places and relegation. With Manchester City banned from Europe next season, fifth place would ensure Champions League football. Bill Edgar outlines three ways the final table could be calculated.
Option one
Points per game
The most straightforward way to calculate the standings, with teams’ current points totals divided by their games played to give a points per game figure. The only change to the current table would be Sheffield United and Arsenal, who each have a game
in hand on most of their rivals, leapfrogging Wolves and Tottenham. Goal difference is used to separate any teams level on points per game, so Watford and West Ham would be saved, with Bournemouth going down.
Champions League places Liverpool, Leicester City, Chelsea, Man Utd
Europa League place Sheffield United
Relegated Bournemouth, Aston Villa, Norwich City
Option two
First meetings this season
Only matches from the first 19 rounds of fixtures are counted to avoid differences in opposition — for example some teams have played strong sides such as Liverpool and Manchester City twice, while others have only faced them once.
The problem with this method is that it does not account for current form, meaning that Watford would be relegated based on poor results before their upturn in fortunes after Nigel Pearson arrived
in December.
Champions League places Liverpool, Leicester, Chelsea, Man Utd
Europa League place Sheffield United
Relegated Aston Villa, Watford, Norwich City
Option three
Predict the remaining fixtures
Teams’ home and away form this season can be used to predict any unplayed game. For each fixture, the home team’s average points per home game is compared with the away team’s average points per away game, with extra weighting for the past five home and away matches respectively.
If one team’s figure is at least 0.2 greater than the other, they are winners. Otherwise, the match is drawn. Under this model Sheffield United versus Wolves, which was due to be played on Sunday, would go down as a home win — with United having an average home points score of 1.8 and Wolves an away score of 1.4.
Champions League places Liverpool, Leicester, Chelsea, Sheffield United
Europa League place Man Utd
Relegated Watford, Aston Villa, Norwich
Imo all of these have more legal challenges than a totally Void season, which could see the following:
liverpool- denied being champions, bar the prestige aslong as prize money is awarded on current standings financially they really don’t lose out and still get CL football. Any title awarded by a legal challenge would be massively hollow and given circumstances make them look really bad.
Leicester- probably biggest losers as no CL football, but given current form that wasn’t guaranteed any legal ch
Chelsea/United / sheff u etc - All ifs and buts none could really legally challenge with a firm case. Same with Leeds/WBA yes bad luck but they aren’t 20 pts clear
However all scenarios above could be massively challenged legally purely on fact you’ve just awarded prizes by changing the rules 3/4 through a season. It’s not like duckworth Lewis or 3/4 laps of a GP complete those rules are already in place.