Heres my predictions for the upcoming season. Obviously a lot can depend on what happens in the remaining weeks of the summer transfer window. But as it stands.
1. Liverpool
2. Manchester City
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea
5. Arsenal
6. West Ham
7. Manchester United
8. Newcastle
9. Aston Villa
10. Leicester
11. Crystal Palace
12. Brighton
13. Everton
14. Wolves
15. Leeds
16. Brentford
17. Nottingham Forest
18. Fulham
19. Southampton
20. Bournemouth
The title race will be another closely fought race but this time Liverpool will just come out on top. The race is likely to boil down to which team adjusts quicker to their new striker. Neither team have played with a target man number 9 for a number of years and will both require some tactical adjustment to get the best out of their new striker. The adjustment should be easier for Liverpool, while a greater spread of goals in their attack should help them. Without Jesus and Sterling, it is hard to see where the goals will come from for City if Haaland gets injured or struggles to adapt to the premiership straight away. Liverpool have Salah, Jota and Firmino to share the goal load with Nunez and that could be the difference.
Below them are four
teams going through somewhat of a rebuild, all too far off challenging for the
title but with serious hopes of achieving top four and all-important champions
league football.
Spurs, with Conte in
charge will take some stopping. They have recruited well in the transfer window
with Richarlison finally providing some cover for Kane while strengthening
throughout the team. Big question will be whether, now with Conte in charge,
they finally have the mentality to seriously challenge for trophies. The league
looks out of reach but they could do well in the cups.
Chelsea have had to
rebuild their defence which is still ongoing at time of writing. How they do
this season will depend on how the last few weeks of the transfer window play
out, they continue to be linked with various big names. They will be there or
thereabouts although after the failed Lukaku experiment, they could still be
short in attack.
Arsenal look to have
missed their big opportunity of making the top four last season while Tottenham
struggled. They have recruited well in the transfer window and are still
expected to make 1-2 more signings. Likely to just miss out on top four, winning
the Europa League would be a very achievable alternative way into the champions
league though.
Manchester United are
going through a big rebuild after the disasters of the Solskjaer and Rangnick
period. Erik Ten Hag looks like a very capable replacement but the squad
remains bloated with underperforming and average players. So far in signing Martinez,
Malacia and Eriksen, United seemed to have signed players Ten Hag likes, rather
than players they need. They now have five left backs but no decent out and out
striker for example. If Ronaldo leaves, there will be a gaping hole in attack
which Martial and Rashford don’t look good enough to fill. A lot of work for
United to do and they won’t get back into the top four this season.
Indeed, they could even
be beaten to sixth by West Ham who have made some decent additions to an
already strong team. Unlucky to miss out on top six last time around, they are
capable of doing that this season, while the greater squad depth should help them
go far in the Europa conference league as well.
Newcastle and Aston
Villa are fast improving and should finish comfortably in the top 10 having
done good transfer business this summer. The next step for them then in 2023-24
will be to challenge for Europe.
Leicester are stagnant,
last season was a real struggle with injuries and loss of form. No signings
this summer, plus potential outgoings of key players suggest that their days of
challenging the top four are over for now.
Crystal Palace and
Brighton should consolidate their mid-table positions and continue to impress
with their style of play under rising managers Vieira and Potter respectively.
Its likely to only be a matter of time before someone bigger comes along to
poach them though.
Everton should join
them in mid-table after their disastrous 2021-22 season. Richarlison is a big
loss, but Tarkowski should make a big difference to their shaky defence.
The remaining seven
teams are likely to be in a dogfight to avoid relegation. Wolves should be
strong enough to be safe, but the lack of attacking firepower is a big worry
especially with the injury to Jimenez.
Brentford and Leeds
have both recruited well but have lost key players in the transfer window.
Second season syndrome to strike Brentford and they could easily be relegated.
Leeds should have enough to stay up, especially as they have addressed their
lack of squad depth.
Southampton have signed
a number of overpriced youngsters, but after a disastrous run of form towards
the end of last season I think their time in the premiership could be coming to
an end. They are another team lacking goals in attack while their defence can
be very shaky. Its hard to judge how the new players will do but it’s a lot of
pressure on them.
Of the newly promoted
teams, Bournemouth look relegation certainties. The team looks significantly
weaker than the one relegated in 2020 and they have been very quiet in the
transfer window.
Nottingham Forest by
contrast have been very busy in the window, but all the new players will take
time to gel as a team. If they can come together quickly, then their quality could
see them safe.
Fulham will depend on
how well they can utilise Mitrovic in the premier league. He struggled the last
time in the premiership but the team seems better equipped to get the best out
of him this time and he has undoubted quality.
