Top Six Selected
The dreaded three month wait is almost over as Premier League football will finally return this weekend to our television screens. Match of the Day, Gillette Soccer Saturday, Sunday Supplement, The Debate, you name it, it’s all coming back!
Now that the soap opera drama of the transfer window has almost subsided, it is now feasible for me to finally make my long-awaited predictions as to which teams will finish in the top six and who will finish where.
6) Manchester United
“There’s nothing about this United team I like at all. They’re just awful. They’re a despondent group of people.” That was the damning assessment made by the nine-time Premier League champion and former Red Devils captain, Gary Neville, back in May following United’s draw away at Huddersfield. I don’t know whether or not Neville possesses some kind of psychic ability to read minds because he basically summed up my thoughts about Man United almost to perfection. I really don’t rate United, at all. There are just too many question marks all over the club, from the owners all the way down to their team.
It has been yet another summer of empty promises and failure. United have been linked with almost everyone with two arms and two legs but despite that, they have only managed to purchase Daniel James, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Harry McGuire. This is underwhelming for a club that’s badly in need of surgery. Ed Woodward spoke about how there will be a director of football, something this club has desperately needed for years, but so far it hasn’t happened. Prior to the end of last season, Ole Gunnar Solskjær spoke about how he planned on offloading all the deadwood from his team but for the most part, that hasn’t happened either.
All in all, I expect United to finish the season with Europa League football and that’s exactly what they deserve.
5) Chelsea
The transfer ban, coupled with the loss of their dynamic talisman Eden Hazard and the sheer lack of firepower upfront is likely to cause Chelsea some serious problems in the new season. I predict that the hiring of a relatively young and inexperienced manager in Frank Lampard will prove futile for the Blues to be serious title contenders. It’s always a dangerous game bringing a fan favourite in as manager and for Roman’s standards, taking Derby County to the play-offs is simply not enough. Lastly, the Blues having a team that is mediocre at best will hurt their chances of reaching Champions League football for the 2020/21 season.
Whilst they have lots of young players that are blessed with an abundance of talent, skill and potential, only time and opportunities from the new gaffer will prove whether or not they will actually deliver on the field. Furthermore, they have spent little to no time playing together so it could be difficult for them to gel together as a team.
Last season, they finished third and even went on to win the Europa League. However, this was due to the sheer ineptitude of their rivals, not because they played well.
4) Arsenal
The introduction of Edu, an Arsenal legend, as the Technical Director and Raúl Sanllehí as the Head of Football has led to the Gunners doing considerably better in recruitment than their rivals, Chelsea and Man United, hence why I believe that they will edge both sides to fourth place.
Although Arsenal will score lots of goals with the French speaking trio of Alexandre Lacazette, Pierre-Émerick Aubameyang and the newly signed Nicolas Pépé, who will spearhead Arsenal’s front three. Nevertheless, there are still some concerns over their leaky defence, which has been their achilles heel for years, even with the signings of Kieran Tierney for an estimate of £25 million and now David Luiz for £8 million. As things have turned out, this transfer window has gone much better than expected for the Gunners.
3) Tottenham Hotspurs
Spurs will do better in the league this season, they now have their own venue plus they have finally made some acquisitions. After signing Tanguy Ndombélé for approximately £55 million, Spurs are now expected to complete the signings of Ryan Sessegnon, Giovani Lo Celso and possibly even Bruno Fernandes. That would turn out to be quite a transfer window!
Be that as it may, I do feel that Spurs are still behind the top two and thus will finish third this season. In addition, I expect this season to go like it usually has done for Tottenham over the last few years. It will go something like this: they will go on a good run and be viewed as serious title contenders. And when all looks as though it could not be merrier, a crucial brick will fall from their solidified front, whether a key player is injured or they suffer unexpected losses that they do not bounce back from. Same old Spurs, different year.
2) Liverpool
I can’t help but feel that Liverpool have really missed the boat. The Reds could have made a statement to the rest of the country this summer by making some serious signings in the transfer window, adding depth to their squad and subsequently leapfrogging the champions this season to the crown, ending a 30-year wait for the league title. This transfer window was the time to reduce the minimal gap between them and first place but they let it slip, no pun intended. Sepp van den Berg, Adrián and Harvey Elliott may turn out to be very good signings for Liverpool in the long run but having said that, I doubt that it will be enough. Nonetheless, Liverpool are still better than the rest and as a result, I predict that they will once again be the runners up.
1) Manchester City
At this current moment in time, no one is good enough to topple the indomitable juggernaut that is Man City. What more can I say? Their manager along with their goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack, substitutes and overall team are just phenomenal. It’s scary how they continue to strengthen every year. Much to the dismay of their local red rivals, City will make history this season as they will be the first club in a decade and only the second club in Premier League history to win a hat-trick of league titles.
“But what about the bottom three?” some of you might ask. I’ll be completely honest, I care very little for the teams in the bottom half of the table; notwithstanding that, if I was a betting man I would put my money on Newcastle United, Norwich and Sheffield United to finish in the bottom three and get relegated to the Championship. Why these three? It’s real simple. I feel that Newcastle’s disarray following the resignation of Rafael Benítez will manifest on the field. Steve Bruce’s track record is woeful and unlike the Spaniard, he won’t be able to steady the sinking ship and put an end to the turmoil. In contrast, Norwich and Sheffield United are the typical ‘yo-yo clubs’ where they get promoted up to the Premier League, only to get sent crashing back down to the Championship the following year. I expect the same thing to happen this coming season.
Am I right or wrong in these predictions? Who knows. Only time will tell. However, if there’s one thing that we can all agree on is that this season will be packed with pulsating drama, action, excitement, twists and turns!
Edits made by Lisa Berrie
