By contrast, Arsenal seem to be in regression, even if under-fire boss Arsene Wenger tries to argue differently. Ronald Koeman's Everton have laid clear their intentions to smash open the cosy top six with some astute signings, while Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche will hope to pick up where they left off last season with Bournemouth and Burnley respectively.
Rafael Benitez is back in the Premier League and his promoted Newcastle team will have their sights set higher than avoiding relegation. For the other newcomers, Premier League first-timers Brighton and Huddersfield, simply staying up would represent enormous success, while the likes of Stoke and Southampton could face a nervy few months after a discouraging summer.
Of course, all the above could be rendered as utter garbage by next May, with many a pre-season prediction proving wide of the mark in recent times. Whether I call it right or get it totally wrong, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming Premier League season transpires. This Friday night, the wheels will be back in motion!
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| Photo credit: Sky Sports |
ARSENAL
Victory in the FA Cup final in May at least allowed Arsenal to finish a troubled season on a positive note, but it was hard to escape the feeling that 2016/17 had been bitterly disappointing for the Gunners. They face up to a first season in 20 years outside the Champions League and if an embattled Arsene Wenger decides to go all-out for the Europa League, like Jose Mourinho ultimately did last term, will their league form suffer even more? They have managed to retain Alexis Sanchez for the time being, while Alexander Lacazette should be an excellent acquisition. Arsenal are still carrying too many passengers, though, and a couple of poor results early in the season will heap the pressure on a team badly in need of a confidence boost, even if winning the Community Shield laid down a positive marker. If Sanchez and Lacazette hit it off and other players raise their standards, the Gunners could return to the top four. Otherwise, they might have to start getting used to life outside the Champions League, as has been the case with Liverpool since 2010.
Prediction: 6th
BOURNEMOUTH
A historic ninth-place finish last term will be very difficult to replicate, never mind exceed, for Bournemouth, but barring an alarming downturn, they should be nicely tucked away in mid-table environs again. Joshua King's superb form may have made him a target for other clubs, but he remains at the Vitality Stadium, where is joined by Jermain Defoe, another player who enjoyed a prolific 2016/17. Securing Nathan Ake on a permanent deal was also good business, even if £20 million does seem an excessive fee for the ex-Chelsea player. Eddie Howe's men will again rely on their enviable team spirit and enterprising style of play to pick up the points that will keep them well away from trouble. If they can tighten up defensively and keep the goals coming, they will enjoy another excellent season. The Cherries shouldn't have too many worries this time around either.
Prediction: 10th
BRIGHTON
After missing out on automatic promotion to the Premier League by two goals in 2016, and following several foiled play-off attempts, Brighton made full sure they went up the direct route last season, even if blowing a seven-point lead at the summit of the Championship took some of the gloss off their promotion. They could hardly be in better hands as they prepare for their first Premier League season, with Chris Hughton a highly articulate and level-headed general. One only hopes that when the going gets tough for the Seagulls, as it inevitably will at some point, their manager won't be jettisoned in a panic like he was at Newcastle seven years ago. Brighton fans will also pin their hopes on Anthony Knockaert repeating his form of last season and new signing Davy Propper living up to the impressive reputation he carved out at PSV Eindhoven. I worry about where the goals will come from, though. Glenn Murray, their leading marksman in getting them promoted, seems like the archetypal Championship hotshot who struggles in the more unforgiving environs of the top flight. They will pick up some memorable wins and take their survival fight to the very end, but unless their squad is strengthened, they might not have enough to finish the right side of that dotted line dividing 17th and 18th.
Prediction: 18th
BURNLEY
Burnley's third Premier League season was the first which saw them beat the drop, but that was thanks to their superb home form, with 10 wins picked up at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche will know quite well, though, that if they only win once on their travels again this term, relegation almost certainly beckons. Their sturdy defence has been weakened somewhat by the sale of Michael Keane, and the sale of Andre Gray is a body blow in the striking department, but Dyche has made a clever attacking acquisition in Jonathan Walters, who could complement Sam Vokes nicely. They also boast one of the best goalkeepers in the league in Tom Heaton, while even without Keane their defence is usually solid. Still, it could be an uneasy campaign for Burnley, who simply cannot be so reliant on results at home this time around. They'll be in for a battle, but they might just have the organisation and firepower to fend off the drop.
Prediction: 17th
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| Photo credit: @AlvaroMorata on Twitter |
CHELSEA
Having come from the chasing pack to conquer their competitors last season, Chelsea are now the team that the other title contenders will be aiming to take down. They pressed the self-destruct button when last defending the crown two years ago, but a similar collapse would be unthinkable under Antonio Conte. The passionate Italian has not been afraid to make big calls squad-wise, ending the Chelsea careers of stalwarts like Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry, while he hasn't been slow in adding to his squad, something that didn't happen under Jose Mourinho in 2015. They have reinforced throughout the line-up, with Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata all joining the champions. The Spaniard may have cost £70 million, but he could be the signing that makes the difference for them, especially if Diego Costa leaves as expected. The Blues will have sterner competition for the title this time and Conte will need to find a balance between domestic and Champions League commitments, but the Italian is shrewd enough to rejig his team when needed and I think they'll become the first team in nine years to retain the Premier League trophy.
Prediction: 1st
CRYSTAL PALACE
Crystal Palace's last four managers have all been seasoned Englishmen, so it's an interesting break from the norm to hire Frank de Boer, who enjoyed much success as Ajax manager before a brief, painful spell at Inter Milan a year ago. The Dutchman's arrival brings with it the promise of a more adventurous Eagles side than the rigid yet well-organised team that Sam Allardyce guided to safety in the latter months of 2016/17. One wonders how Christian Benteke will fare under de Boer; the Belgian is generally best suited to teams who keep the gameplan simple and whip crosses into him, rather than those where pace and movement is key. Palace could also do with improvement from Andros Townsend and a continuation of Wilfried Zaha's form. If de Boer can get the blend right and impose his style on the Londoners, the relegation worries of last season are unlikely to resurface. He will not be afraid to rip things up and start over if the situation requires.
Prediction: 12th
EVERTON
Everton seem to be lodged just underneath the glass ceiling of a distinct top six in the Premier League, but this summer's transfer activity is indicative of a club that is determined to shake up the established hierarchy. The headlines were inevitably captured by Wayne Rooney's return after 13 years at Man Utd, but the Toffees have strengthened all over the field. Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane promise to form the backbone of a rearguard that will be difficult to penetrate, while capturing Sandro Ramirez from Malaga for only £5 million could be the bargain of the transfer window. Some supporters are understandably concerned over the sale of Romelu Lukaku, but Ronald Koeman has wisely reinvested plenty of that £90 million to improve the team as a whole. Even if they do finish seventh again this season, I fully expect Everton to be much closer points-wise to the top four than the middle of the Premier League. Don't be surprised if they upstage one of the league's marquee names to crack the top six.
Prediction: 7th
HUDDERSFIELD
It was Charlton in 1998, Fulham in 2001, Wigan in 2005, Hull in 2008, Blackpool in 2010 and Bournemouth two years ago. Now it's Huddersfield slipping into the role of that club which is hard to believe is playing in the Premier League. The Terriers pulled off the very rare feat of winning promotion despite finishing the regular Championship season with a -2 goal difference, but they held their nerve in two play-off penalty shoot-outs to earn a shot at the big time. David Wagner is a close friend of Jurgen Klopp, having been the best man at the Liverpool manager's wedding, and he adopts a similarly cavalier tactical mindset. He also realised that the squad of last season required strengthening and the arrivals of Laurent Depoitre and Tom Ince could be worth at least a dozen points alone. Huddersfield will likely claim a couple of major scalps early in the season and they'll be popular with neutrals as the attack-minded underdogs, but it's hard to see them having the strength in depth and endurance to see out the season without being relegated. Then again, most of us said that about Bournemouth in 2015...
Prediction: 20th
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| Photo credit: Premier League |
LEICESTER
The fairytale of 2015/16 has been consigned to history and, after flirting with the drop for a few weeks last season, Leicester fans will probably be content with a steady top half finish this time. After the squad downed tools and got Claudio Ranieri sacked, Craig Shakespeare succeeded in restoring stability at the King Power Stadium and the back-to-basics approach worked. Whether it will pay dividends over a full season remains to be seen, but the Foxes seem to be going the right away about it. Some of last year's flop arrivals have been dispatched elsewhere, the majority of the title-winning squad remain and they have strengthened their hand with astute purchases such as Harry Maguire, Vicente Iborra and Kelechi Iheanacho. It's still unclear if Riyad Mahrez will stay with Leicester and how committed he will be to the cause if he does, and although he would leave enormous boots to fill, Shakespeare seems to have the chemistry of the team right and they have the match-winning troops to fire them to mid-table comfort. Their biggest impact this season may arrive in the form of a prolonged cup run.
Prediction: 9th
LIVERPOOL
In recent times, when Liverpool have had a good season, they have started it well. What Jurgen Klopp's men do between now and the middle of September could go a long way towards determining whether they kick on from last term's fourth-place finish or fall back to the dregs of scrapping for seventh. They have a tricky-looking start in the league and simply must beat Hoffenheim in the Champions League play-offs, a feat that won't be easily accomplished. Their fortunes are also likely to hinge on what happens with Philippe Coutinho in the coming weeks. If the Brazilian genius remains at Anfield, the Reds stand every chance of maintaining their place in the top four. If he finds the lure of Barcelona too tempting to resist, Liverpool fans better start shopping for the strongest liquor they can find. Here's the brief: get off to a flying start, buy a dominant centre-back rather than dithering over the possibility of signing Virgil van Dijk and hire a psychologist to convince Coutinho that he's already playing for the greatest football club on Earth. Get all that right and the curve will continue upwards. Mess it up and my prediction below will soon require some depressing revision.
Prediction: 4th
MANCHESTER CITY
The frenetic pace at which Man City started life under Pep Guardiola soon fizzled out and despite improving their finishing position to third, last season was one of anti-climax at the Etihad Stadium. A screen-door defence was the rock on which hopes of a title challenge perished, hence the top-heavy spending on a new goalkeeper in Ederson and defenders Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo. They have the greatest wealth of attacking talent in the Premier League, further reinforced by the gifted Bernardo Silva, so if Guardiola can sort out their defensive issues, City will definitely lodge a far more prolonged assault on a third Premier League title this time around. It looks set to be a three-way battle for supremacy along with their crosstown neighbours and Chelsea and it's one that should go the distance to May. I think City will take second, as Antonio Conte's champions look that bit further down the road as a cohesive unit.
Prediction: 2nd
MANCHESTER UTD
Jose Mourinho's ballsy gamble to sacrifice a domestic top four finish for Europa League glory ultimately paid off, so Man Utd are back in the Champions League despite a sixth-place finish in last season's Premier League. Expectations will be high that they will not be so reliant on a continental run to get back into Europe's flagship club competition again and with the money spent on Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Viktor Lindelof, United have to at least be in contention for the title if this season is to be a success. Mourinho usually comes good in his second season at a club and his pragmatic ways, while painful to watch, more often than not get results. Sadly, he'll probably whinge his way through another nine-month campaign, even if United return to the top three for the first time since they last won the league in 2013. They are quite likely to do that if Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard continue their improvement, Ander Herrera keeps pulling the strings in midfield and Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial display their evident talents more consistently.
Prediction: 3rd
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| Photo credit: CaughtOffside.com |
NEWCASTLE
As expected, Newcastle returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking and even though they only secured the Championship crown after a late sprint for the line, they look the best-placed of the three promoted teams to stay up. Rafael Benitez will certainly have his sights set higher than merely avoiding the drop, although aspirations of breaking into the top 10 will likely have to wait for another season. The Spaniard, who has restored his managerial reputation at St James' Park, seems content to place his trust in most of the promotion-winning squad, with new signings thin on the ground. Dwight Gayle, whose goals went a long way to getting the Geordies back up, is capable of scoring at Premier League level; it's a matter of whether he can do that consistently. Jonjo Shelvey is the driving force from midfield, bringing with him several years of top flight experience, while defender Jamaal Lascelles was rewarded for a superb season by being named club captain. Newcastle will have their usual peaks and troughs, but I reckon they should have enough to be safe from the drop coming into the final month of the season.
Prediction: 14th
SOUTHAMPTON
Once again, change has been afoot at St Mary's over the summer. Despite taking the team to eighth in the league and a rare Wembley outing in the EFL Cup final, Claude Puel was given the boot in June and Southampton fans weren't exactly in revolt over his dismissal. They have again gone to the continent to source a manager, with Mauricio Pellegrino being cherry-picked from Alaves in Spain. The former Valencia defender comes with a promising reputation and he'll need to live up to it if Saints are to even come close to replicating last season's report card. The soap opera over wantaway Virgil van Dijk has not helped, either, and after so many years of steady progress, the south coast club now seem to be paying the price for commissioning the sales of their prized assets. Confidence is low going into the new campaign and Southampton could have some testing months ahead, although the club record signing of Mario Lemina from Juventus gives the side some much-needed creative impetus.
Prediction: 13th
STOKE
After falling from three consecutive ninth-place finishes to 13th last term, under-fire manager Mark Hughes cannot afford as slow a start this time around like the one Stoke had a year ago. The Potters are in the Premier League for a 10th consecutive season, but the fearless optimism of previous years has given way to a mood of trepidation. The summer sales of Jon Walters and Marko Arnautovic have not helped, with the two front men usually good for their share of goals, and no strikers have been signed in their place. It's also time for highly-rated enigmas like Xherdan Shaqiri, Giannelli Imbula, Bruno Martins Indi and Bojan Krkic to live up to their once-esteemed reputations. It was worrying that their top scorer last season was the ageing Peter Crouch, who wasn't even a first team regular until the latter weeks of the campaign. If they start slowly again this term, they might just find themselves peering nervously over their shoulders at the relegation trapdoor. They're very unlikely to go down, but life could be grim around the bet365 Stadium this season.
Prediction: 15th
SWANSEA
Swansea looked a beaten docket during the first half of last season before the arrival of Paul Clement turned things around. Perhaps the biggest factor in them beating the drop, though, was Gylfi Sigurdsson, the Icelandic playmaker who continues to be linked with a move away from the Liberty Stadium. If he does relocate from south Wales, the Swans will find it very difficult to avoid relegation. Aside from a couple of the promoted clubs, they probably have the weakest squad in the Premier League, and their main arrivals thus far - Roque Mesa and Tammy Abraham - don't strike me as players who would instigate a substantial improvement. The tactical acumen of Clement and the quality of Sigurdsson give them a fighting chance of staying up, but if results are hard to come by and another manager is given his P45, or if their best player is lured elsewhere, I really fear for Swansea. The exciting, consistently consistent days under Brendan Rodgers and Michael Laudrup seem like a bygone era. This could be the year that the Swans lose their Premier League status.
Prediction: 19th
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| Photo credit: Sky Sports |
TOTTENHAM
It might seem like lazy analysis to expect a downturn in Tottenham's fortunes purely because of their temporary relocation to Wembley, but until such time that they regularly pick up good results at the 90,000-capacity venue, that noose will remain around their necks. That said, they boast an excellent manager in Mauricio Pochettino and the strongest squad in at least a generation. The likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen have proven that they can deliver consistently enough to avoid being labelled one-hit wonders, although Spurs will surely have to contend with stiffer competition domestically this time around. They will also be under pressure to have a decent run in the Champions League, having exited at the group stage last year. If they give Europe a prolonged push, it could take its toll on their Premier League form. They gave an admirable chase for the league title in 2016/17, but this time I reckon Tottenham will be more concerned with holding onto their place in the top four, especially with no new signings brought in while rival clubs have wasted little time in adding to their squads.
Prediction: 5th
WATFORD
The departure of Walter Mazzari in the days after the conclusion of last season was not one that Watford fans mourned, and even less so when Marco Silva was swiftly named as his replacement. The Portuguese manager earned plaudits for the effort he made in trying to keep Hull in the Premier League, even though the Tigers ultimately dropped, and among the litany of managerial appointments made under the Pozzos' ownership at Vicarage Road, he represents one of the best. Unsurprisingly, there have been multiple ins and outs in Hertfordshire over the summer, with Nathaniel Chalobah and Tom Cleverley secured permanently and the highly-regarded Will Hughes signed from Derby for what seems a bargain fee. The best capture of all could well be that of Andre Gray from anticipated relegation rivals Burnley. Still, the ever-changing nature of the squad denies the Hornets of some valuable continuity and, having finished 17th last term, they could be in for another nervy fight against the drop. The reliability of Troy Deeney and the intelligence of Silva will likely be enough to narrowly keep them in the top flight.
Prediction: 16th
WEST BROM
Unless your club was playing them, you'd nearly forget that West Brom were in the Premier League, such is their 'slow and steady wins the race' status. It's a stability that the likes of Newcastle and Sunderland would consider heavenly, but with the Baggies failing to properly push for Europe as the likes of Leicester and Southampton have done of late, The Hawthorns faithful are beginning to feel short-changed. It doesn't help that they play some of the league's most insomnia-curing football under Tony Pulis, although the results that he achieves justify his pragmatic approach. The £15 million arrival of Jay Rodriguez should lift some of the goalscoring pressure off Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu, both of whom tend to be form players who will either experience famine or feast. Expect defenders Gareth McAuley and Craig Dawson to chip in with the odd goal from set pieces, too. West Brom fans might not be enthused by the prospect of another season under Pulis, but his Ronseal-style nature of doing what it says on the tin will ensure another year of mid-table comfort for the Baggies. It's up to their fans to make of that what they will.
Prediction: 11th
WEST HAM
West Ham's first year at London Stadium was a rather challenging one. The team struggled to adapt to their new surroundings, with results only picking up after January. That was the month when Dimitri Payet, who was outstanding the previous season, threw his toys out of the pram and engineered a transfer to Marseille. Add in multiple instances of crowd trouble and it was a season that is best consigned to the memory bank for the Hammers. Things should improve for 2017/18, though, with the Payet saga left in the past and some superb recruitment over the summer by Slaven Bilic. Firepower was needed given Andy Carroll's nightmarish injury record and a litany of ineffective strikers, hence the excellent captures of Javier Hernandez and Marko Arnautovic. Not only do the new arrivals promise goals; their styles are sufficiently varied so that Bilic could deploy one or the other depending on the scenario of a match. A lot of attention will also focus on how Joe Hart fares in attempting to resuscitate his career, but even if he proves a disappointment, Adrian is a reliable presence in goal. The Premier League has a fairly clear top seven and after that, I think West Ham will be the pick of the bunch.
Prediction: 8th
PREDICTED FINAL TABLE
1. Chelsea
2. Man City
3. Man Utd
4. Liverpool
5. Tottenham
6. Arsenal
7. Everton
8. West Ham
9. Leicester
10. Bournemouth
11. West Brom
12. Crystal Palace
13. Southampton
14. Newcastle
15. Stoke
16. Watford
17. Burnley
18. Brighton
19. Swansea
20. Huddersfield
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| Photo credit: Sky Sports |
First manager to be sacked: It may seem a little surprising to opt for the division's second longest-serving manager, one who is at a club that has made a habit of mid-table finishes, but Stoke could wobble this year and the fans may well turn on Mark Hughes if they start this season poorly.
Top scorer: You'd have to think Harry Kane will be in the mix again, as should Romelu Lukaku. Sadio Mane could be a good shout if he can stay injury-free throughout the season, but I'm going to plump for Chelsea's new arrival Alvaro Morata.
Breakthrough boys: Angel Gomes (Man Utd), Kyle Walker-Peters (Tottenham), Jonjoe Kenny (Everton), Sam Field (West Brom), Josh Sims (Southampton)
Making a good first impression: Alvaro Morata (Chelsea), Davy Klaassen (Everton), Alexander Lacazette (Arsenal), Vicente Iborra (Leicester), Mario Lemina (Southampton), Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield)
Plenty to prove: Claudio Bravo (Man City), Anthony Martial (Man Utd), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Joe Hart (West Ham), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke)
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