While the new Premier League season is still a few weeks away, we can already start making predictions as to who will be taking home the crown at the end of the season. While there are a couple of obvious choices, there may be some surprises.
Considering their performance last season, all bets will be on Manchester City to retain their crown and become back-to-back champions, but there are some other teams that can easily take that away from them.
Manchester City
Manchester City is out and out favorites already. The blue side of Manchester was ridiculously dominant last season, and very early on in the season, they made it clear that they weren’t going to get caught.
While stalwarts Fernadinho and Sergio Aguero have both moved on from the club, across all of last season, they weren’t really needed, and City are also lining up some massive transfers that could end the league early for opponents.
Both Harry Kane and Jack Grealish have been linked with moves to the club to the value of about £200 million. Combine these two with the players that City already have and you can see why they are already odds on favorites.
Liverpool
Liverpool struggled last season, injuries played a huge role in their fairly lacklustre defense of their title. However, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomes, Joel Matip, Jordan Henderson and the multiple other players that were injured will all be back.
These players have been out for so long that they are going to feel like new signings, especially the centre-back combination of van Dijk and Gomes, as that was an area Liverpool struggled in and were punished repeatedly for just being too weak.
Harvey Elliot will be returning from a very successful loan spell at Blackburn to add dynamism and speed to the midfield, and Liverpool have also signed Ibrahima Konate, a centre-back that will either start or play back up.
Manchester United
Finishing second last season, Manchester United would have felt like they could have done better, as they gave away some easy games and actually made it far easier for City to stride so far ahead like they did.
United have proven to have the talent they need to win the league, they just don’t have the consistency. There have been patches where this wasn’t true, but if they are able to keep clean sheets, they are going to be formidable opponents.
They can definitely score the goals too, Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes have proven to be a deadly combination, and if Fernandes performed as well as he did in his first season , imagine what he can do now that he has had time to settle in?
Chelsea
Chelsea is another team that have seemingly turned a leaf. Under Thomas Tuchel they have been superb. Whether it has been in defense or attack, they were putting in world-class performances week in and week out.
Timo Werner and Kai Havertz may not have lived up to expectations, but they are both still very young, and your first season in the Premier League only ever goes really well or completely average, never really in between.
Now that they have had more than enough time to settle into their surroundings, there is no telling what they will be able to do now that the “first season pressure” is off their shoulders. They have shown huge sparks of brilliance, turning that into consistent top level performances will make Chelsea a very tough opponent next season.
Spurs
Some may think Spurs are an interesting addition to this list, but there is a reason. At some point, their bad luck has to break. Spurs always go into a season looking strong, and then somehow mess it up for themselves.
If Kane stays, the dynamic duo of Kane and Son can tear defenses apart, but if he has to leave, there is definitely no player at the club right now that could fill his boots. They will have the money to buy almost everyone if a sale goes through, but it has to be the right player.
With their manager search still ongoing, it is also hard to say how their new manager would influence them. Just looking to the other side of London with Tuchel and Chelsea will show you how quickly a new manager and system can change a team that is down on their luck.
Leicester
The one in a million champions from a few seasons ago are getting stronger and stronger every season. Brendan Rodgers has turned them into a team that can beat the very best in the world on their day.
They will definitely be dark horses, but they finished out of the top 4 just by sheer bad luck, and they will be looking to cause major waves again when the season kicks off in August. It would be silly to think they couldn’t win the League again.
The season is nearing ever closer, and we still have the Euros to enjoy, but early predictions are possible, and while City is already the favorites, you can bet on other teams being able to shale the Blue Moon Boat.
