A new season is just around the corner and like most season build ups it’s shaping up to be an incredibly entertaining season. Last season was a rollercoaster not just for the struggles of former title holders Chelsea but the incredible and unbelievable title winning side that was Leicester. Their win is in many ways still very surreal but for the season ahead it makes very real the possibility to every side in the league that anything is truly possible. It is of course though a feat that surely won’t be repeated for some time but it may stir the competitive juices of some unsuspecting sides. That combined with the new TV deal allowing mid-table sides to splash a little more cash has seen an influx of talent already enter the league. On paper at least we should have an even more competitive and tougher league this season. It won’t just be on the pitch that our attention is captured but off the pitch the fascination of the interactions between managers will also build the atmosphere. The charismatic Klopp was a welcome addition last season but the return of Mourinho and the debut of Guardiola will no doubt build the tension and anticipation. Last season was a surprise but there’s no doubt this season will have its own surprises.
Title Contenders
Looking back at last season it was a little clearer as to who the usual suspects in the title chase would be before the season started. With Leicester stunning everyone to win it though, things are muddier this time around. The usual top sides such as Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham all have arguments for their chances this season and some of the market activity just intensifies the competition this season. For me right now there’s no clear outright favourite but some sides do have advantages over others. Also no disrespect to Leicester but right now there’s surely little chance they can repeat the efforts of last season whilst also navigating their way through the Champions League not to mention the hole left in midfield from the recently departed N’Golo Kante. It just goes to show though that Leicester would fit within the top 7 and there’s still sides such as Crystal Palace, Stoke, Everton, Southampton and West Ham not even accounted for yet. This is going to be a monster season and perhaps the most competitive yet for the title. Here I’ll look at which sides genuinely have a chance of winning the title followed by my predicted table.
Chelsea ($7)
The 2015/16 season was horrid for Chelsea with a 10th placed finish humbling the champions of the previous season. It’s still difficult to see where it all went wrong for them but they have a fresh start under a new manager this season in Antonio Conte. Add that they won’t have the distraction and demands placed on them from European football and they should be a genuine title contender this season.
The key for Chelsea this season is a fit and firing Eden Hazard who struggled throughout last season. There were positive signs in the Euro’s though that he’s getting back to his best and that could be crucial to their chances of a title. In Chelsea’s title winning season of 2014/15, Hazard produced 14 goals and 10 assists compared to 4 goals and 3 assists last season. A turnaround to his 2014/15 season will keep Chelsea in the hunt. That will also complement the recent additions of N’Golo Kante and Michy Basthuayi that further strengthen the side. Kante in particular is a huge addition as perhaps one of the best performing midfielders last season. My one knock on Chelsea at the moment is that defensively they were suspect last season and with John Terry another year older they could do with some strengthening in that area. I do think Conte will go some way to restoring a defensive strength back into this Chelsea side but it’s something they’ll need to focus on after conceding 53 goals last season.
Arsenal ($7)
Another transfer window and a lack of activity for Arsenal is a worrying sign. For a side that finished 2nd last season they have the foundations of a title winning side but they need to be a little more ambitious in the transfer market if they want to take that next step. It isn’t just up front where they need support either though because down back they’ll be impacted defensively through injury to Mertesacker as well as extended seasons from the Euros for the majority of their first team.
I think this will be another season of the same for Arsenal unless they bring in a big name up top to support the likes of Giroud and Sanchez. At this stage though I can’t see it happening and it could very well be a long season for Arsenal. In saying that, if they can keep Ramsey fit for the majority of the season and see continued strong performances from Sanchez and Ozil then they may not need attacking signings to win a title. It’s just risky relying on that for the whole season though without other options that bring a freshness and a new dimension to the team. They’ll be in the hunt through periods but this could potentially be a season where Arsenal fail to finish top 4.
Manchester City ($3.25)
Finishing 4th last season was disappointing for City considering after 16 games they were top of the table. Much like Chelsea and Manchester United this season they have a new manager and what a manager he is. Pep Guardiola will bring a winning mentality back to Manchester City and could deliver in his first Premier League season.
There’s been a feeling that Manchester City have been growing old but already they’ve address this in bringing in genuine exciting young talent. Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus bring attacking talent and youth to the team up top where they were perhaps lacking at times last season. The additions of Nolito and Gundogan just further strengthen the depth and options at Guardiola’s disposal. Throw into this mix the current attacking options in De Bruyne, Aguero and Silva and from an attacking standpoint they are probably one of the strongest sides in the league in that area now. My one concern for Manchester City is down back. Kompany can’t be relied on for his fitness whilst Otamendi and Mangala aren’t exactly world class. They are chasing another defender which is where John Stones comes into calculations so signing him or another player of similar ability gives them the edge in the title race.
Tottenham ($11)
Spurs had an incredible season to finish 3rd but they did capitulate in their remaining games and particularly on the final day of the season when they lost 5-1 to relegated Newcastle. Champions League football is their reward and it will be interesting to see how they handle the step up in competition. It’s easy to forget though that this was the youngest side fielded last season in the Premier League. They’re now another year older and another year wiser and with no major departures there’s no reason Tottenham cannot push for at minimum a top 4 finish once again.
The key for Tottenham so far is that they have kept their side together but have also added quality to it in key areas. It was clear Harry Kane was overworked last season despite finishing up with the Golden Boot but the addition of the Dutch League’s top scorer in Vincent Janssen gives Spurs another option and a break for Kane in what is going to be a long season. Also the incoming Victor Wanyama adds muscle and support for Eric Dier and Dembele in midfield especially when Dembele will miss the start of the season through suspension.
There was a lot of excitement about Tottenham’s performances last season and this season should be no exception. The continued growth and development of Lamela, Alli, Kane, Dier and Eriksen should push this Tottenham side right into title contention this season. Ultimately they may fall short but this team will continue to improve.
Manchester United ($4)
The Van Gaal era is over and the Mourinho one begins along with a huge amount of investment. How far this investment in both Mourinho and the transfer market pushes them up the table remains to be seen but there’s a growing expectation and somewhat confidence coming from United at the moment. The additions of Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan and Bailey will go a long way to potentially winning the title. One addition that has so far eluded them is Pogba and regardless of the speculated fees he commands, he would complete the puzzle for this side. Whether that translates to a title winning side I’m not too sure but they will be well up there in the top 4.
Looking at last season Manchester United recorded the equal best defensive record in the league with Tottenham. There’s little to suggest that will change this season especially under Mourinho and so this is where the additions of Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan become crucial. Ibrahimovic has a proven goal scoring record and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t score more than 15 this season whilst Mkhitaryan can not only create but score as well. United only scored 49 times last season thanks to unadventurous tactics offensively. Expect a similarly solid side defensively this season as last season but a side that will also score more goals. That will see them climb the table but we’ll have to wait and see how far.
Liverpool ($10)
I have Liverpool here and whilst I have no doubt they’ll improve and progress further under Klopp, I don’t see them as having a genuine chance of winning the title. They are probably a year away from really challenging but steady progression under Klopp this season will give them a great foundation. Finishing 8th last season there’s definitely room to improve but there’s a feeling that their side just isn’t complete and there isn’t great depth and quality in all positions. Up front they have enough talent but it’s talent that is either out of form or injured. In saying that, if they can keep Sturridge fit and on the pitch for the majority of the season then they’ll be in top 4 calculations without a doubt. Perhaps similarly to Chelsea they won’t have the distractions of European football. The difference to Chelsea is that Chelsea have some World Class players whereas that’s an area where Liverpool are lacking at the present.
Predicted Table
This season feels more difficult than most to come up with a predicted table given there is little separating a lot of the top sides. Right now I’m giving Manchester City the edge for the title but the winning margin will be narrow in what could be a title fight right up until the final day of the season. Mid-table finishes this season too are just as hard to predict given the influx of funds that Premier League sides now have at their disposal. The fight to avoid relegation does look a little clearer though where Hull, Burnley and Sunderland right now look the most likely. Sunderland have been on the edge for far too long and this could be the season where they fall whilst Burnley and Hull haven’t done enough yet to convince me they can survive the drop at this stage. You could also throw West Brom and Watford into the mix as well. Watford had a great first half of the season last year but fell away whilst West Brom just seem to lack a bit of polish and goal scoring ability. The Baggies scored the 2nd fewest goals last season (34) and I can’t see them improving on that tally drastically.
1 Manchester City
2 Chelsea
3 Manchester United
4 Tottenham
5 Arsenal
6 Liverpool
7 Everton
8 Leicester
9 West Ham
10 Stoke
11 Crystal Palace
12 Southampton
13 Swansea
14 Bournemouth
15 Middlesbrough
16 Watford
17 West Brom
18 Sunderland
19 Hull
20 Burnley
Goal Scorers
The usual suspects of the last few seasons will be up there in the form of Kane & Aguero who have scored 96 goals between them in the last 2 seasons. For Kane it proved that he wasn’t a one season wonder whilst for Aguero it was much of the same. Both of these players will be up there this season though for Kane I’d expect his output may drop slightly depending on how well new striker signing Vincent Janssen goes. For Aguero it should be much of the same again but there’s added competition in the form of Ibrahimovic. He might be 34 but he scored 38 league goals last season and 50 in all competitions. There’s the argument that he may take some time to adjust to the Premier League but I have little doubt he’ll score goals.
My Top 3:
Aguero at $4.5
Kane at $7.5
Ibrahimovic at $9
Other good goal scorer bet options
Ibrahimovic to score over 15.5 goals at $1.96
Sanchez to score over 12.5 goals at $1.85
Top Promoted Team
At this stage of writing I can’t go past Middlesbrough. They’ve done some outstanding business in the transfer market and assuming they can gel quickly they’ll trouble a lot of sides. The signings that they have managed to bring in are a good mix of experience and talent and should complement what they already have quite nicely. Negredo hasn’t produced a lot of goals in recent seasons but has played in the league before so shouldn’t take much time to adapt. At the other end of the pitch the additions of Victor Valdes and Brad Guzan add experience and quality between the sticks. An exciting addition is that of Viktor Fischer who is young and has an eye for goal.
Middlesbrough’s promoted counterparts in Hull & Burnley have been here before in recent seasons so they’ll know what to expect but there hasn’t been a lot of ambition shown as yet. Maybe that’s a smart move knowing that spending doesn’t always mean success and safety and you need only look at a side like Bournemouth who did nothing extravagant but still managed to stay up for another season. Both strategies are risky in their own way but for me I’m backing Middlesbrough to finish the season highest of the 3.
Middlesbrough to finish top promoted team at $1.83
