With the curtains raising on yet another highly anticipated, exciting and action-packed Premier League, there are already questions being asked on who can challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City to the Premier League title? Who will finish in the Top 4 this season? Who could be the surprise packages to gate-crash the so called ‘Top Six’? And How will the top clubs fare and line-up this season?
Here goes my own view and predictions…
1. Manchester City
Manchester City have bought smartly and stylishly once again with the additions of Rodri and Joao Cancelo from Atletico Madrid and Juventus respectively. A further indication as to how Pep Guardiola has steadily moulded this supreme Manchester City team into his own image and also how his recruitment highlights replicates himself as a coach and the philosophy that we – whether City fans or not – come to really admire. Whatever, you may think of Rodri and Cancelo, these are two additions that fully add depth, quality and refinement to positions that Guardiola really wanted to strengthen. This is a Manchester City team so beautifully moulded and could slowly become one of the best teams to ever grace Europe, and it all comes down to that man once again, Pep Guardiola.
How Could City Line-Up?
Leroy Sane’s injury will be a huge hit for Pep Guardiola and his City team with the German’s skill-set, pace and trickery sure to be a massive miss but there are still quality options with Riyad Mahrez and Bernardo Silva all so capable of being deployed on the wings. Gabriel Jesus, Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, Nicolas Otamendi and Oleksandr Zincheko may not be shown in the above line-up but it is another indcation to the kind of depth and quality that Guardiola will call upon when needed. You can see why Manchester City have been and will continue to be the dominant force in English football.
A third straight league title on the cards? You’d probably bet your mortgage.
2. Liverpool
How Liverpool build on last seasons excellence both in Europe and domestically will be incredibly difficult. Not only because of Manchester City’s supremacy but because now Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham will be hot on their tails after the summer they’ve had. However, if last weekend’s Community Shield showpiece is anything to go by, then you really can’t back against Liverpool causing City more and more issues heading into the new campaign. You can clearly see the identity in Klopp’s side, like Manchester City and Guardiola, this is a Liverpool team consumately built in the image of Klopp. The front-three alone is so destructive and a huge representation of the kind of man Jurgen Klopp is. His rampant, vibrant and fiery nature and personality is shown through his sides style of play. One things for sure, it may not be another two-horse race for the Premier League this season and how Jurgen Klopp deals with the pressure of Mauricio Pochettino on his tail will be exciting to watch.
Just how far will the German go to not only bettering last seasons amazing points tally, but toppling Guardiola’s fascinating City side?
How Could Liverpool Line-Up?
The returns to fitness of both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Adam Lallana will provide Liverpool with the creativity that they so sorely missed in the middle last season and may have just been the reason why they failed to match Manchester City’s brilliance last campaign. No wonder Klopp placed so much emphasis on his wing-back set-up, he missed that creative presence in middle so made up for it with the attacking emphasis on both the full-backs; Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson who both shared the creative burden to such aplomb with 12 and 11 assists respectively. A league high for full-backs. But now Klopp holds such imagination in both his full-backs and in midfield coupled with the destructive force of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mo Salah up-front.
Liverpool may just have enough to seriously threaten Manchester City once again.
3. Tottenham
After reaching the Champions League final, there is an appetite for silverware at Tottenham being driven by their ambitious and astute manager. Can Mauricio Pochettino finally end Spurs’ trophy duck this season?
What a summer Tottenham have had. The signings of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovanni Lo-Celso and Ryan Sessegnon can now provide Pochettino with the depth and quality to now drive the club to the next step in their ambitions. This is a club firmly built in the foundations of a man who is gradually maturing to be one of the top coaches ever to grace the European game. The feats that Tottenham achieved last season will have surprised even the most hardcore fans. Pochettino’s side went into the campaign as the first club not to make a summer signing since the introduction of the transfer window 16 years ago but with the prospect of playing in front of more than 62,000 fans at their brand new spanking stadium. You would have though the club would head into this summers market in the same predicament of not having the funds to compete but their additions have smacked those doubts out of the water. Tanguy Ndombele and Giovanni Lo-Celso finally give Pochettino the depth in his midfield after having to deal with injuries and the departure of Moussa Dembele to China that their creative talents in Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have had to abandon their duties in the final third to help out lack of steel in the middle.
With Christian Eriksen’s future at the club still up in the air, Pochettino will have no worries or regrets letting him seek pastures new as the qualities of both Lo-Celso and Tanguy Ndombele is more than capable of replacing the play-making Dane, not only that but with the added steel, composure and energy of Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Dele Alli and even Eric Dier if needed, Tottenham now have a fine blend of youth and experience in the middle. Lucas Moura, Son Heung-Min as shown all throughout last season, are both more than capable of sharing the attacking load if Harry Kane is injured.
Can Tottenham go once step closer to glory this season? And can they fully challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City in the Premier League title race? Brace yourselves for another bumpy ride at the summit.
4. Arsenal
The time for excuses at the Emirates must surely be over now. Unai Emery must now claim a major assualt on the top 4 and with the talent and experience at his disposal, he must face a backlash if Arsenal fail to deliver once again.
No doubt about it, Arsenal have had an excellent summer of business. Unai Emery has managed to address the areas of need. Dani Ceballos replaces Aaron Ramsey even if it is for the season The signing of Nicolas Pepe sees Arsenal finally possess a player capable of wowing the fans on the wings, and a talent sure to take them to the level. David Luiz – as surprising as it is – gives Emery the experience, know-how and professionalism needed in defences certainly after the departure of former club-captain Laurent Koscielny. Kieran Tierney is certainly a left-back that Arsenal will utilise for many years to come and finally provides the club with a full-back blessed with carrying out both his attacking and defending duties with aplomb. It may be another season without Champions League football for Arsenal, but now is the time that these hugely talented crop of footballers catapults the club back to its roots and a return to the Champions League is one thing that Emery must deliver come May. Whether they can beat off the challenges of Manchester United and Chelsea is one we’d certainly have to keep close tabs on throughout the season.
Though, Arsenal’s consummate business this season – though its too early to predict – should help them get over the line.
How Could Arsenal Line-Up?
Looking at the line-up, this is a Arsenal side that can potentially win the league… if Manchester City and Liverpool weren’t as good as they are now, but surely Emery will have no excuses if his team is unable to deliver when its needed most. Arsenal fans have had enough disappointment to last for a lifetime. However, this is a first 11 that will hopefully provide the fanbase something to shout about. Gone are those days when Arsenal had fighters all over the pitch but you can argue that club have been soft for all of 15 or so years but this current side provides goals, skill, pace, trickery, creativity, grit and experience.
Finally, Arsenal may just have the full package needed to fulfil their ambitions.
5. Manchester United
In the six previous summer transfer markets since Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure, United have been stuck in groundhog day of disappointing and overpaid recruitment that have relatively led to much underwhelming campaigns. Especially in comparison to their ‘noisy neighbours’, United’s business in the transfer market has been nothing short of sub-standard and embarrassing. Whether its to do with lack of planning, policies or even a lack of structure upstairs, United have been clutching at straws when it comes to signings.
In summer window no.7 though, it has been the turn of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to break that cycle. The Norwegian’s challenge was to succeed where predecessors David Moyes, Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho have failed in trying to rebuild a club suffering from the lack of structure, philosophy and ambitions that so much as blessed the club in many ways. Solskjaer has addressed a pressing need during this window, in recruiting players that will help sure up his defence, one that conceded the most goals out of any side in the top 6 last season. The additions of Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are very smart and future-driven signings but you still feel – at the end of the window – that United are still missing a cutting edge, especially in the middle. With a mountain of rumours surfacing around players such as Bruno Fernandes and Sergei Milinkovic-Savic possibly joining the club, but to no avail, you now feel that Solskjaer’s men are a Pogba-injury away from tumbling down the table even further.
The irony is that Pogba is precisely the quality of talent Solskjær needs to add more of, not lose. Yet to retain him by default is a gauge of the dysfunction at the club. Romelu Lukaku can be included in a similar class. The Belgian may not be an elite No 9 but he was, again, United’s top scorer – with 15 goals to Marcus Rashford’s 14. And to lose him may leave a gaping hole in United’s options up front. Despite Pogba’s wish to go he could end up staying but, again, only because no deal has been possible with Real Madrid. How United’s season shapes up from here remains to be seen.
It could be another season without Champions League football for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his men.
How Could United Line-Up This Season?
6. Chelsea
Frank Lampard may be a popular choice with fans, and an appointment that may bring steady progression for the club as a whole. But if the past is anything to go by, is that Chelsea’s hierarchy lack patience and the question remains heading into the new season, whether Lampard will be provided with the time and tools needed to bring a lasting success to Stamford Bridge. The pressure may be off considering the fact that Chelsea have been banned from the transfer market this summer, but whether their current squad is good enough to maintain their position as the third best team in England based off of last seasons standings is something Frank Lampard will feel a huge weight on his shoulders.
Lampard did impress at Derby as they narrowly missed out on a play-off promotion to the Premier League but the Chelsea legend will surely know that the step up to management in and amongst the big boys will be a massive one. One positive tonic for Lampard if there is one, is that at his disposal, there are a number of quality young players that will be itching to thrive under his tutelage. Maybe, they can be considered his new signings in a way. Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Fikayo Tomori have long been considered the future of Chelsea football club and this season provides them with the platform to impress and stake their claim for a starting berth in Lampard’s plans. Chelsea do have a lot of experience and know-how in their squad, even with the departure of David Luiz, but the departure of the supreme Eden Hazard will hurt, and how Lampard copes with qualities such as the Belgians will be an interesting story line to delve into once their campaign kicks off.
How Could Chelsea Line-Up This Season?
Chelsea’s squad is certainly stacked with quality, and maybe there wasn’t a need to delve into the transfer market without a ban anyway. One things for certain, is that Lampard will have a number of options to choose from once he finds a first 11 capable of challenging for the champions league.
The race for the Top 4 this season could just be the best yet.
WHO ARE THE SIDES CAPABLE OF BREAKING THE BIG-SIX PARTY?
Leicester City
Everton
Wolves
West Ham
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