Johnny Phillips: Race for a Premier place will throw up more twists

Last season’s relegated Premier League clubs Leicester City, Leeds United and Southampton attempting to bounce straight back at the first time of asking.

Yet, the hugely impressive Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town are currently top of this four-way fight.

At the beginning of 2024 it was Enzo Maresca’s Leicester who looked nailed on certainties to go straight back up to the Premier League, topping the Championship table with a 13-point gap over third-place Southampton.

There have been some tough times since then and defensively the Foxes have looked vulnerable while up top the goals have dried up.

On Tuesday night I was at Southampton’s comfortable win over Preston North End. It was a night of free-flowing football for the home side at St Mary’s Stadium, with Che Adams the vocal point of an attack that dominated throughout.

That victory for the Saints put them back in the hunt. Two of their remaining four games are against sides they are directly competing against: Leicester and Leeds.

The final day trip to Leeds could in fact represent a play-off final before the play-offs.

Every time Leeds appear to have hit top gear they stall with a shock result.

The home defeat to Blackburn Rovers last Saturday night was a case in point.

They have so much talent throughout the squad that they will surely finish the season strongly, though.

Ipswich have confounded the pundits by staying the distance so far. McKenna has fashioned a brilliant team that is clearly more than the sum of its parts. Some of the football, particularly at Portman Road, has been a joy to watch.

Russell Martin’s Saints, in fourth, are on 84 points – five points behind leaders Ipswich but with a game in hand over both the East Anglian club and Leeds. Leicester trail Ipswich by just a point with a game in hand, too.

While Daniel Farke’s Leeds are a further point behind but with only three games left.

Fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion can be the first to put the cat firmly among the pigeons when they travel to the East Midlands for today’s lunchtime kick-off, televised on Sky Sports against Leicester.

If the Baggies win that one then the other three sides will receive a massive boost.

Southampton are away at Cardiff, before Leeds travel to Middlesbrough on Monday night. Ipswich have a weekend off.

Then on Tuesday night, Leicester host Southampton in a huge match that will go a long way to shaping the table at the top.

On Friday night, I’m looking forward to working in West London where Leeds play Queens Park Rangers.

So, by the time this column is out next Saturday we should have a much clearer picture of who the favourites are.

In the event of one or more teams being level on points, the league is decided on goal difference, then goals scored, then most points in the head-to-head matches, then goal difference in head-to- head games, before goals scored in those games.

If all of that is level then the decisive numbers are the amount of wins, then goals scored in away games.

Whatever happens, there will be plenty more twists and turns between now and the final day of the season on May 4.