Can the newly promoted teams stay in the Premier League 2024/25?

The new Premier League season brings with it excitement for fans and their teams. This excitement is seen greatly in fans of teams who have been promoted to the Premier League. The three teams who have reached the promised land of the Premier League are Leicester, Southampton and Ipswich. Leicester and Southampton have been in the Premier League in recent years, and Ipswich are making their return to the Premier League for the first time since 2002. Last year we saw the three newly promoted sides Sheffield United, Luton Town and Burnley all suffer relegation. Do Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich have what it takes to stay in the Premier League?

Sheffield Utd, Luton & Burnley Stats

A good indicator to see if Ipswich, Southampton and Leicester have what it takes is to look at the stats for last season’s relegated teams to see if they are at a better standard or if they need to improve. The stats we will look at will be shots on target, possession, and big chances created, as these are good indicators of how a team is playing. Last season, Sheffield United averaged 3.39 shots on target per game, Luton averaged 3.71 shots on target per game, and Burnley averaged 3.73 shots on target per game. Sheffield United averaged 35.8% possession per game last season, while Luton and Burnley averaged 42.4% and 47.4%, respectively. With regards to big chances created, Sheffield United averaged 1.05 per game, Burnley averaged 1.18 per game, and Luton averaged 1.24 per game. For context, Liverpool created the most with 2.68 per game.

Ipswich Stats vs Liverpool

Ipswich had the toughest opening fixture of the three promoted teams as they took on title hopefuls Liverpool at Portman Road. Ipswich gave a good account of themselves, particularly in the opening 45 minutes. They played with high intensity, not giving Liverpool a moment on the ball, even putting in some crunching tackles to show Liverpool that they were there. They won aerial duels and made life difficult for the Reds. Liverpool had too much quality in the second half and ran out 2-0 winners, but Ipswich will be pleased with the account they gave. With regards to the stats, Ipswich had two shots on target, 38% possession and created 0 big chances. Their stats are worse than the three promoted sides averages of last year, although the context of who they were up against has to be considered. They will need to improve these, though.

Southampton Stats vs Newcastle

Southampton made the trip north to Newcastle on the opening day in what was a tense game. Newcastle went down to 10 men in the 28th minute when Fabian Schar was controversially sent off for a headbutt on Ben Brereton Diaz. Southampton did not take advantage of the extra man conceding right on half time to Joelinton, Newcastle ran out 1-0 winners. Southampton had four shots on target, but they will be disappointed with this return as they had 19 shots in total. They had 78% possession, although this is no surprise since they had the extra man. They created two big chances. The statistics of Southampton are better than those of last year's promoted teams, and they should have gotten something from this game, especially since they had a numerical advantage for over an hour.

Leicester Stats vs Spurs

Leicester took on Spurs on Monday night in what was a game of two halves. Leicester looked out of their depth in the first half and were lucky to go in at just 1-0 down, in truth it could have been 4 or 5 nil. They rallied in the second half and relied on club legend Jamie Vardy to get them a huge 1-1 draw, and they were in good attacking positions to win the game. They might have a points deduction in the near future, so any points Leicester can get early in the season will be vital for them. Leicester had three shots on target, 30% possession, and created two big chances against strong opposition from the Spurs. Their stats are similar to that of last year's promoted teams.

Can they stay Up?

It is hard, based on one weekend, to decide based on stats alone if Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich will survive this season. They are merely a guide and comparison to show the output they will need to consistently produce in order to better Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton’s stats from last year. All three teams showed glimpses over the weekend that they could have enough to stay up, but if they can produce it consistently and get enough points on the board, we will have to wait and see; it is very intriguing.

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✒️ Jack Guing – Football and GAA Sports Expert

Jack Guing has a strong knowledge of the sport of GAA through the lens of performance analysis with multiple GAA teams. He holds a master's degree in sports performance. He has a huge love of all things sports, especially golf, soccer and GAA. He uses statistics and performance analysis in order to predict the outcome of matches and events.