Winter is coming. With 11 matches gone and the festive period in sight, the teams at the bottom of the table are having to prepare themselves for a relegation battle.
Four of the bottom five clubs have now changed their manager in 2021/22.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 |
Everton
EVE
|
38 | -23 | 39 |
| 17 |
Leeds United
LEE
|
38 | -37 | 38 |
| 18 |
Burnley
BUR
|
38 | -19 | 35 |
| 19 |
Watford
WAT
|
38 | -43 | 23 |
| 20 |
Norwich City
NOR
|
38 | -61 | 22 |
Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Norwich City will all be looking for an instant impact from their new bosses, while Watford will hope their decision to make the first change and appoint Claudio Ranieri in early October has given them a headstart in the race for transformation and security.
The next month is set to be a key period, with the head-to-head duels between the clubs looking particularly important.
See: History shows clubs will get 'new manager bounce'
Newcastle are heading towards two such meetings with relegation rivals, back-to-back.
Their new head coach Eddie Howe has two matches in which to install new principles before crucial home fixtures against Norwich and Burnley, which could play a big part in deciding the Magpies' Premier League status.
Burnley are the only club in the bottom five who have stuck with their manager and they are showing signs of turning a corner under Sean Dyche, beating Brentford and then drawing 1-1 at Chelsea in their last two matches.
Of the teams who are most in danger, the Clarets have, in theory, one of the kindest schedules over their next five matches, facing only one of the top seven sides when they host West Ham United on 12 December. They then face Watford and Villa in succession.
Fixtures for bottom five clubs
| Club | MW12 | MW13 | MW14 | MW15 | MW16 |
| AVL | BHA (H) | CRY (A) | MCI (H) | LEI (H) | LIV (A) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAT | MUN (H) | LEI (A) | CHE (H) | MCI (H) | BRE (A) |
| BUR | CRY (H) | TOT (H) | WOL (A) | NEW (A) | WHU (H) |
| NEW | BRE (H) | ARS (A) | NOR (H) | BUR (H) | LEI (A) |
| NOR | SOU (H) | WOL (H) | NEW (A) | TOT (A) | MUN (H) |
Villa, lying 16th, are the best-placed of the bottom five clubs but are in the worst form after five straight defeats. But they will hope the appointment of Steven Gerrard can give them a lift heading into a tricky run of fixtures.
Four of their next five opponents are top-half teams, including Manchester City and Liverpool, while their only bottom-half foes are a Leicester City side who are in Europe.
Watford's schedule looks even more challenging, with Ranieri's side facing three of the top six sides in Manchester United, Chelsea and Man City, plus Leicester.
Norwich are bottom of the table but secured their first win last time out, and Dean Smith, who they appointed head coach on 15 November, just eight days after he left Villa, will have home advantage in his first two matches against midtable Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Canaries' trip to Newcastle on 30 November will be key. They then face challenging meetings with Tottenham Hotspur and Man Utd before Smith will have a reunion with his previous club at Villa Park on 14 December.