Manchester City looked on course to win the title comfortably last season thanks to a 13-point lead over Liverpool in January. Liverpool strung together a 10-match winning run and that closed the gap on Manchester City and ensured a nervous final day of the season. Aston Villa took a shock 2–0 lead over Manchester City after 63 minutes. However, Manchester City scored 3 goals in under six minutes to win the match and the title. It was an extremely exciting game, and you will find the slots and new Platincasino games equally as thrilling. But will Manchester City be able to maintain their title next season?
Winning Trajectory
Manchester City are clearly a team at their peak. Going back to the beginning of the 21st century, Manchester City were in the second tier of English football. One of the major turning points came in 2008, when the club was purchased by the Abu Dhabi United Group. Offers for big-name players soon followed, with Kolo Touré, David Silva, Sergio Agüero, and Vincent Kompany being four of the key signings. The other major arrival was in the dugout when Pep Guardiola became manager in 2016 and the former Barcelona manager has guided Manchester City to 4 titles in the past five seasons.
Seemingly Unbeatable
Having won the Premier League 4 times in six seasons and finished third and second, there is an aura surrounding the current Manchester City setup. Since the 2016/17 season, Manchester City have lost 30 Premier League matches from a total of 228 fixtures, which is an incredible record. Almost a third of the losses came during the COVID-19 hit 2019/20 season and that further underlines the dominance of Manchester City under Guardiola. With the additions of Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, and Julián Álvarez, we could be about to see more of the same from Manchester City. However, other teams have added players and could come back stronger.
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp’s team pushed Manchester City all the way last season and even moved to the top of the table on the final day. The Reds have added striker Darwin Núñez to their ranks who was the top scorer in Portugal last season. The Uruguayan joins Fábio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay as new arrivals. Minus the departed Sadio Mane, Liverpool have retained their squad from last season. The squad reached the Champions League final, finished second in the Premier League, and won the FA and League Cup. There is no reason to doubt their title credentials for the upcoming 2022/23 campaign.
Tottenham Hotspur
There has been some criticism levelled at Tottenham Hotspur’s transfers this summer but on closer inspection, Antonio Conte looks to have got it right. Ivan Perišić, Yves Bissouma, and Richarlison are all high-quality additions to the Spurs squad. There is no one who is going to necessarily come in and replace a player from last season but they each provide competition for places at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Following a shaky start last season that saw Spurs drop to 11th in the Premier League, Conte came in and guided the club to the top four. Expect more this season from the Italian’s team.
Chelsea
Following the uncertainty of last season, when no one at the club knew what was going to happen with the finances, Chelsea are under new ownership. There have been some big name exits, including Antonio Rüdiger, Andreas Christensen, and Romelu Lukaku but the additions of Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly are strong signs Chelsea want to challenge for the Premier League title next season. There are likely to be more incomings before the closure of the transfer window and Thomas Tuchel is a manager who has proven he can win big trophies with Chelsea.
Conclusion
We expect to see Liverpool pushing Manchester City all the way in the 2022/23 Premier League title race. However, things could become more difficult for Guardiola and his players with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur entering the mix. With Tuchel and Conte at the helm, Chelsea and Spurs could add another dimension to the title race and it will be interesting to see how Manchester City cope with three teams on their tail.
