Having just finished the Premier League season, the focus now turns to the start of next season. Currently, the date is June 30th 2022, some would say it's far too early to make predictions, but many football fans, like myself, need their daily fix of Premier League content. In the coming weeks, I will do a more detailed prediction, but for now, here are my early top 7 predictions...
Champions & Top four:
1. Liverpool (C)
2. Man City
3. Man U
4. Spurs
Despite the disappointment of losing out on the final day to Manchester City, I believe Liverpool will go one better and win the Premier League title. In the end, Liverpool fans were disappointed with the season but that is a testament to the level Jurgen Klopp set in recent years. Prior to this season, winning the domestic cup double and qualifying for the UCL would've been considered a great accomplishment, but with the prospect of earning a quadruple, it turned out to be par for the course.
The departure of Mane will, of course, be a huge loss for Liverpool, but since the arrival of Luis Diaz in the winter, the Colombian appears set to take on the role. It certainly makes for positive reading for Liverpool fans going into the new season with the incoming arrival of Darwin Nunez, who was superb for Benfica last season scoring 34 goals in 41 appearances.
Manchester City will no doubt mount a title challenge, as they have consistently done since Pep Guradiola joined. One of the most notable transfers of the summer window was Erling Haaland's departure from Borussia Dortmund to the Citizens for £54 million. The Norwegian scored 27 goals in 29 appearances last season and I expect him to hit similar numbers this season. Gabriel Jesus' departure necessitated City signing a replacement, and boy have they done that. It would be surprising if Haaland retired without winning the Ballon d'Or...
The rest of my top four include United, who may be a surprise, but looking at their squad, if Ten Haag can get them playing even 20% better than last year, they should finish comfortably in the top four. Harry Maguire should have a better season, while Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho have now gained the experience to play to their best abilities. The outcome of this prediction depends on how they respond to the need for a completely new midfield. Now that Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic are leaving, it makes sense to overhaul that area of the field. If reports are true, Frenkie De Jong would be an excellent signing and adding a defensive-minded midfielder would significantly strengthen their chances of finishing in the top four.
My final spot goes to Spurs. Both Conte and Kane staying means a second successive season in the top four. The Kane, Son, and Kulusevski forward trio is one of the best in Europe, and Cristian Romero has significantly improved their defence since he was signed. The summer business so far looks promising with Ivan Perisic and Yves Bissouma already through the door. Djed Spence and Richarlison appear to be close to signing contracts, which will greatly strengthen the squad's depth.
Europa League:
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Leicester
Chelsea only picked up two wins from their last 6 Premier League games last season which saw them look over their shoulders for the final few games of the campaign. With the Ownership troubles, it made for a very uncertain atmosphere among the club however now with all of that behind them, the new owner, Todd Boehly, will be hoping for a successful debut season under his ownership. With the loss of Antonio Rudiger, I do feel their defence is greatly weakened and he will certainly be hard to replace. The blues have so far not made a summer signing but reports suggest Raphinha may be close to joining the club. At current, I do not see them finishing above Arsenal.
I just feel Arsenal have a settled group of players now and Mikel Arteta has built a team that is constantly improving season on season. The signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester city is a huge upgrade on the departed Alexandre Lacazette. Jesus suits the way in which Arteta wants his striker to play as he possesses excellent link up play and he also works very hard for the team when pressing from the front. After just missing out on top 4 last season it wouldn't surprise me if they go one better and sneak into the champions league places despite my prediction.
Leicester concludes the final spot in the European positions. A 7th placed finish would see them return to the UEFA Conference league and I would expect the foxes to mount a challenge towards the top 6. Injuries have been a heavy burden for Brendan Rodgers' men however towards the back end of the season, their form really picked up after Wesley Fofana & Jamie Vardy returned from the sidelines. Leicester will be without European football next season which will allow them to fully focus on the Premier League and for that reason, it wouldn't surprise me if they finished higher than my prediction (7th).
Golden Boot: Mo Salah
Playmaker: Kevin De Bruyne POTS: Mo Salah
YPOTS: Dejan Kulusevski
Surprise POTS: Rodrigo Bentencur
The notable predictions here both play for spurs... I can see Kulusevski carrying on his blistering start to life in the Premier league and picking up young player of the season.
Bentencur is my surprise player of the season. Like Kulusevski, he too joined Spurs from Juventus in the January transfer window and it proved to be a shrewd signing as he displayed multiple exceptional performances from midfield.
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