EPL TABLE PREDICTIONS - PART 2

Sebastian Zucchet

10. Aston Villa

With the money that Aston Villa have spent recently, it is expected that they would finish in the top half of the Premier League-something they haven’t done since 2011. This season Steven Gerrard has high hopes for his squad, as do the fans. They made Philippe Coutinho’s loan spell permanent, and even brought in Diego Carlos from Sevilla.

A new captain in John McGinn could prove to be very influential. The squad is already flooded with talents such as Emiliano Martinez, Matty Cash, Ollie Watkins, and Emiliano Buendia. Villa must perform and show results this season or questions will be asked and fingers will be pointed at Gerrard and the ownership.

9. Newcastle United

It’s a new era and exciting time for the Newcastle fans as it will be their first season under the ownership of the Saudi Public Investment Fund group. Eddie Howe will also take charge of his first full season with the club.

Many are buying into the “pay to win” hype, but the rebuilding of a team takes a few years, so I don’t believe they will achieve the expectation of European football this season.

Their squad is really starting to come together and bring big results, and the Magpies will rely heavily on Chris Wood, Allan St. Maximan, and Joelinton for goals, with fan favourite Burno Guimaraes looking to create many moments of magic.

As for the transfer window, they haven’t spent as much as people expected, which is a good thing. They brought in a good goalkeeper Nick Pope, along with Matty Target, and the much anticipated Sven Botman for thirty-five million pounds from Lille. A new era begins in Newcastle, and it is going to be exciting.

8. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Finishing in and around eighth place seems to have become the new norm for Wolves, and should be the same again this season. They’ve only signed Nathan Collins this window but the squad they already had was a pretty solid one, and manager Bruno Lage knows how to get results out of this team. With ambitious owners, it seems that Wolves can only go up from here, a few more signings and the fans may be able to think about another European tour.

7. West Ham United

After a successful league and European campaign, West Ham are determined to do it again. They were semi finalists in the Europa League, losing to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt and had a very good league campaign once again. They’ve kept a very similar squad, the only blow is losing long time captain Mark Noble.

They added Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain, Nayef Aguerd from Rennes, Italian star striker Gianluca Scammaca. David Moyes has been incredible and this year is no different, they will compete in the Conference League this year and will definitely be favourites to go on and win it, and with some good results could even sneak into the top six.

6. Manchester United

Shocking. Disappointing. Not good enough. All good words used to describe Manchester United’s 2021-22 season. It all looked to be so good with the return of Cristiano Ronaldo, but it was the complete opposite. This season looks a little bit different, but not much has changed. Talented manager Erik Ten Hag joins the team, and they have offloaded some big wages such as Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Edison Cavani, Jesse Lingard, and Juan Mata.

They improved the CB position with the signing of Lisandro Martinez, who followed Ten Hag to Manchester from Ajax, as well as signing Tyrell Malacia and the legendary Christian Eriksen. On the pitch in preseason looked promising, with Rashford, Sancho, and Martial all looking good, but issues off the pitch involving Cristiano Ronaldo have been the major headlines, and if things off the pitch get out of hand, they could spill over to the overall gameplay of the team. If everyone is happy then Manchester United will be alright, but I really don’t see much improvement from last season.

5. Arsenal

After last season’s heartbreak, Arsenal will be in another top four battle all season long. I fear that they will finish fifth, but it will be very close just like last year. They have improved on their squad, signing the likes of Oleksander Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira, and Matt Turner.

The likes of Alex Lacazette and Bernd Leno have departed the club, and with Gabriel Jesus coming in, there is a source for goals which Arsenal have been lacking recently. The attack is flooded with talent with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Gabi Jesus, Gabi Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka all looking to shine bright.

Their defence becomes more solidified as William Saliba finally returns from his loan to slot right into the CB position. Arsenal’s preseason record has been incredible, including a 4-0 win over Chelsea in the Florida Cup, and a staggering 6-0 win over Sevilla. Arsenal look like they can do damage but its always the hope that kills them, and their consistency in the league has held them back, maybe give them one more season and Champions League nights will return to the Emirates.

4. Chelsea

That all important fourth position will be a fight between Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United, but I think Chelsea edges it. There has been a lot of negativity around Chelsea because of the ownership issues with Roman Abramovich, and they also have had some transfer issues with Barcelona seeming to steal every player they make a bid for.

Chelsea had a mediocre preseason but since then have made some solid signings like Raheem Sterling, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Kalidou Koulibaly. Losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen was a blow but Koulibaly is a very solid replacement. Lukaku has been sent on loan and it seems Armando Broja will get his chance up top after impressing on loan at Southampton last season.

Conor Gallagher will also have more chances to shine in an already strong midfield alongside Jorginho, Kovacic, and Kante. Chelsea should reach top four with this squad, and anything less will be seen as a failure.

3. Tottenham Hotspur

A rogue shout to put Tottenham in third, but it is looking pretty likely to happen. Antonio Conte is a serial winner and can push any team to new heights. Their summer window has been great, signing Ivan Perisic, Richarlison, Yves Bissouma, and Djed Spence.

Perisic and Richarlison provide support in an already stacked attack including Kane, Son, and Kulusevski. Djed Spence had an incredible season at Nottingham Forest last season and was a key part of the reason why they won promotion. The vibes are positive at Tottenham, and with Champions League football returning, they will look to one up last season.

2. Liverpool

The race for the Premier League title is only down to two teams, Liverpool and Manchester City. Liverpool will miss out on the title but only just by a few points I reckon. They have more or less the same squad as last season with the only major business being Sadio Mane out and Darwin Nunez in.

Nunez is a born goalscorer, so him with Salah and Jota with Luis Diaz will be dangerous. We’ve seen how good and consistent Liverpool are in the league and this season will be no different.

The key for Liverpool this season is keeping their star players healthy and being able to beat Manchester City when they meet in October and April. The brilliant Anfield atmosphere will also have a big part to play in it.

1. Manchester City

The 2022-23 Premier League title will go to Manchester City. They’ve dominated the league for years now and it really doesn’t look like they’re going to stop.

They have had an interesting window, losing quite a few players that have been keys to their success such as Gabriel Jesus, Oleksander Zinchenko, Raheem Sterling, and Fernandinho. They have arguably made the biggest signing of the summer, securing the services of Erling Haaland, football's most promising wonderkid.

Haaland’s goals will be heavily relied on and the relationship between him and De Bruyne will be crucial to their league and Champions League success. They have also signed the young Kalvin Phillips, who provides stability in an already rich midfield. If City perform like they did in the first half of the season last year, then there should be no issues going for three in a row.