The new season in England is well and truly underway. Here we will analyse and predict the top six of last season and how they might do in each competition this season.
Manchester City:
Predicted spot in PL: 1
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carling Cup: Winners
Champions League: Semi-finals
Last season’s Premier League champions will be the team to beat once again. They won it all in the domestic circuit and Pep Guardiola’s team will want to do one better by conquering the UCL as well. Guardiola’s men have lost their iconic club captain Vincent Kompany this season and are yet to replace him. Silva has taken over as captain but replacing Kompany in the dressing room will not be easy. Knowing Guardiola and seeing them hammer the Hammers 5-0 has already set the tone and fans should not be surprised to see City win a third title on the trot. As for the UCL, it still feels like Guardiola’s Achilles and we predict him to lose out on it despite a better run this time around.
Liverpool:
Predicted spot in PL: 3
FA Cup: Winners
Carling Cup: Quarter-Finals
Champions League: Quarter-Finals
Liverpool won the big one last season when they beat Tottenham Hotspur and Barcelona in the last two rounds of the UCL. However, their biggest disappointment was losing the league to Manchester City by a point after collecting 97 points (a record) and more importantly throwing away a 10 point lead over City. However, there are reservations about Klopp’s squad quality this season with Liverpool choosing to stay quiet in the transfer market. Having Chamberlain back will be a boost but the squad depth seems to shallow to guarantee Liverpool a second consecutive title race. We predict them to finish third and lose out on their CL defence after two years of glorious runs. However, knowing Klopp’s men, we predict them to finish with an FA Cup winner’s medal next summer.
Tottenham Hotspur:
Predicted spot in PL: 2
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carling Cup: Quarter-Finals
Champions League: Quarter-finals
Mauricio Pochettino was perhaps the most over achieving manager last season despite the heroics from City and Pool. It is simply because Poch had little budget to do so and played their home matches away from home. However, this season it seems they have managed to keep their best players (fingers crossed for Eriksen) and have added a few quality boys to their squad in Ndombele and Lo Celso. This means Poch now has the much needed squad depth lacking last year and he might just give City the title race instead of Liverpool. We still predict City to edge it over them and the fatigue of the title race to cost them their chances of silverware in other competitions.
Arsenal
Predicted spot in PL: 5
FA Cup: Final
Carling Cup: 4THÂ Round
Europa League: Winners
Arsenal played the best poker on the table in the transfer market. Everyone had been leaked fake news about their limited transfer budget but the club went on a mad transfer frenzy by their standards and ended up with six new players including club record buy Nicolas Pepe. Pepe’s addition with Luiz at the back and Ceballos in the middle certainly gives Emery an attractive squad to play with. However, we feel they will just lose out on the fourth spot in the race for CL spots in the table due to their defensive frailties (we do not think Luiz is the answer to a defensive problem). However, Emery, the master of Europa League will want to go one better this season and finally conquer their UCL playing rights by winning the Europa. We also predict them to have a hot run in the FA Cup but to lose to Klopp’s men in the final.
Manchester United
Predicted spot in PL: 4
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carling Cup: Quarter-finals
Europa League: Semi-finals
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is in charge of his first full season at Old Trafford. United had a mixed up summer with a few good buys in Daniel James, Wan Bissaka and Maguire but failed to address their weak midfield area. Barring Pogba, none of the central players will make it to any top team, a reason of concern. However, their hot attack which can score for fun in counters plus their reinforced defence should see them pip Arsenal to the fourth spot. In the Europa, we predict an Arsenal-United face off with Manchester boys losing out to Emery’s more determined men, who are in the competition for the second time in a row. It all depends of course if United can manage to keep Pogba in their squad after 31st of August with Real Madrid circling around like sharks.
Chelsea
Predicted spot in PL: 6
FA Cup: Quarter-finals
Carling Cup: Finals
Champions League: Quarter-Finals
Chelsea legend and manager newbie Frank Lampard has taken the hottest seat in England; at Stamford Bridge; the funeral home of managers. From what we have seen from the Blues so far this season, Lampard seems under no immediate pressure to deliver. In fact, given the transfer ban and the loss of Eden Hazard, it seems Chelsea have prioritized this season to help Lampard fix their squad balance by inducting academy stars into the team. The nonchalant sale of David Luiz, a senior player on the last day of the window just goes on to show that Chelsea have resigned to top four or silverware this season. In fact they want to address their long term problems of having an overaged average-talent squad this season. We predict the Blues to make a spirited run in the UCL to the quarter finals until they clash with a heavy-weight opponent. In PL, they certainly will finish a far off sixth. As for the Carling Cup, we give them a sad repeat of what happened last season when they lost to City in the final of the tournament.
SEE MORE:
Tottenham Hotspur players salaries 2019: weekly wages, highest paid
Manchester City players salaries 2019: weekly wages highest paid 2018/19
