Away they go: The race for Premier League football

The Sky Bet Championship promotion race is arguably the tightest that the competition has seen in many years. The top 4 teams sit within 8 points of each other, all looking to fire themselves into the Premier League. Will it be the favourites Leicester, who's relegation last season shocked the world and have seemed to bounce back and set the league alight this season. Will it be the underdogs Ipswich Town, in their first season back to the Championship and could be heading for back-to-back promotions. Will it be Leeds United, with both Leeds players and manager Daniel Farke wanting a quick return to top flight football. Or will it be Southampton, who quickly made a name for themselves and manager Russell Martin in a league where many thought they would struggle. These 4 teams have been excellent this season, but how did the promotion race get so close. I take a look through each team's seasons up to March, as the race to the Premier League heats up.

LEICESTER:

Starting with the team currently top of the Championship table, Leicester City. The former Premier League champions had a miserable 2022/23 campaign in the Prem, being relegated in 18th on the final day thanks to Everton's win against Bournemouth. A lot of their star players also left in the summer, such as James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Harvey Barnes and were even managerless after sacking Dean Smith. However, the Foxes rebuilt and bought in the likes of Harry Winks, Conor Coady, Stephy Mavididi, and Mads Hermansen to bolster their squad and enlisted the managerial support of Enzo Maresca, the former assistant manager to Pep Guardiola. The signings worked, Leicester won their first 4 games in the league, including a home win against rivals Coventry thanks to a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall brace. The Foxes first league loss would come at the hands of Hull City in September, but would use that to win their next 9 games in the league until November, where they would eventually fall to a 1-0 loss to Daniel Farke's Leeds side. A trip to Middlesbrough would see Leicester drop more points before going unbeaten in 10 league games, only drawing to relegation threatened Sheffield Wednesday and promotion rivals Ipswich Town. The new year would see Leicester getting a win, a loss and a draw in the league, which included Coventry paying the Foxes back for the first game of the season and once again drawing with Ipswich Town in the reverse fixture. They would win their next 4 league games after that, but soon started to slip up and feel the pressure for the first time. Leicester would lose their next 3 in the league, Middlesbrough coming back to haunt the Foxes as well as Leeds making a statement to the league leaders and a QPR side fighting against relegation. Leicester currently sit top of the league, only 3 points ahead of a fierce Ipswich Town side who want to please their new owners. Can the Foxes quickly regain form in their next fixture away at Sunderland, or is the bell tolling for Enzo Maresca's promotion hopes.

IPSWICH:

As a Norwich City fan, seeing Ipswich as a team that are good enough to fight for automatic promotion does hurt, but even I can't deny how impressive the Tractor Boys have looked this season under Kieren Mckenna. The man who took charge halfway through the 2021/2022 season when Ipswich were in League 1 has taken them from strength to strength and put them into a promotion race that no-one saw coming. The Tractor Boys where active in the transfer window, bringing in Omari Hutchinson, George Hirst and Axel Tuanzebe alongside more whilst being able to retain the core of their squad. Their season started with a bang as they made a statement, beating a Sunderland team who were 6th in the Championship last season. They would use this to win their next 2 games, before a tense and bitter 3-4 loss to Leeds and former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke. However, Ipswich would capitalize off of this, going unbeaten in their next 12 games in the league including wins against Southampton, Hull and Blackburn. Their 2nd loss of the season would come at the Hawthorns in a 2-0 loss against West Brom, but the Tractor Boys would not mind at all as they would win their next 4 games and continue to show their class. However, Ipswich would go without a win in their next 5 games, a home draw in the East Anglian derby would be followed by a 4-0 domination by Leeds United at Elland Road, and Ipswich would draw their next game against league favourites Leicester City. Ipswich would then hit a short patch of inconsistency as they would once again draw with Leicester in the reverse fixture, lose to Preston North End and winning against Sunderland. However, Ipswich would soon regain form, winning their next 5 games and looking to be the favourites when they host Bristol City. The Tractor Boys currently sit 2nd in the league, only 2 points in front of a Leeds side who want to give Daniel Farke another chance at Premier League football. Ipswich have had a great season regardless of what happens in the final stage of the season, the question is, can they remain consistent and gain automatic promotion, or will the wheels fall off the tractor.

LEEDS:

A team with the best home record in the league and are yet to lose at Elland Road, it is clear to see Leeds want to go back to the Prem after a disappointing season last year, finishing 19th, 5 points away from safety. The Whites had bought in former Norwich City manager Daniel Farke as an experienced Championship manager who was eager to spend in the transfer window, bringing in Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Joel Piroe and Djed Spence as their main signings. However, a lot of the squad had left the club; Brendon Aaronson, Robin Koch, Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra and Tyler Adams as the main leavers. With a top half expectation set by many, Leeds season would start poorly, drawing to Cardiff in their first game and losing to Birmingham a week later. As well as this, behind the scenes drama with star player Wilfried Gnonto refusing to play for the club made Leeds fans nervous about their promotion hopes. Their first win of the season would come against a strong Ipswich Town side and would use that momentum to go unbeaten in their next 4 games, 2 draws and 2 wins set a ball rolling for Leeds and with Wilfried Gnonto back in the starting 11, things could only go up for the Whites. A loss against Southampton didn't deter Leeds as they would only lose 1 of their next 10 games, including an emotional return to Carrow Road for Daniel Farke and beating top of the table Leicester away at the King Power Stadium. After that, Leeds would only win one of their next 5, a home win against Ipswich but losing all 3 away games. Nevertheless, a fire would be set under Leeds and they would fight back and win their next 10 games and drawing their 11th against rivals Huddersfield. Leeds are currently 3rd in the league and sit 2 points behind Ipswich Town and 3 points ahead of Southampton with their next game at Elland Road against a struggling Stoke City side. Can Daniel Farke lead this Leeds side to a comeback no-one expected, or will the Whites be stranded in the Championship once again.

SOUTHAMPTON:

The team who finished last in the Premier League last season with only 25 points, some people expected Southampton to struggle after a poor season under Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles. They would also lose some key players in the summer, like James Ward-Prowse, Romeo Lavia, Nathan Tella, Mohammed Salisu and Valentino Livramento. However, the Saints would start a rebuild by bringing in a new manager, Russell Martin, who had impressed in his time at Swansea City. The signings would start flooding in, some of those signed would include Ryan Fraser, Mason Holgate, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ross Stewart, Shea Charles and Flynn Downes. Southampton would start well, a win away at Sheffield Wednesday was followed by a game of the season draw against Norwich City at St Mary's Stadium, with 2 more wins against Plymouth and QPR. But times were about to change, 4 consecutive losses including a 5-0 defeat against Sunderland and doubt started to creep in to Southampton's season. However, the Saints would rise again, going 23 games unbeaten in the league and becoming one of the championship's super teams, but all great things must come to an end. After 23 games unbeaten, Southampton would be defeated by Liam Manning's Bristol City team at Ashton Gate Stadium, but they had become challengers for an automatic promotion spot. They would win their next game against West Brom, but they would then lose their next 2 games in the league, 2-1 losses to Hull and Millwall at home would knock hopes for automatic promotion slightly but they would bring it back with a narrow win away at Birmingham. The Saints host Preston North End in their next game, currently they sit 4th only 3 points behind Leeds United and 5 points off of Ipswich in 2nd. Can The Saints rise up in glorious fashion once again, or are they doomed to become fallen angels in the Championship.