The Premier League is just days away from kicking off with Liverpool playing host to Norwich, and with it comes another season that plenty are expecting to be another two-horse race between Liverpool and last season's title-winners Manchester City. Will it be, though? Can one, or more, of the 'top six' leapfrog either of the sides? Or perhaps there will be a surprise from one of the other sides who battle for seventh to jump into the top four? The league is more wealthy and talented than ever, we expect to see the fruits of that come to be.
The Big Two (and the Other Four):
Within the top six that have traditionally held a stranglehold on Champions League spots, Manchester City and Liverpool turned the league into a two horse race that saw both sides winning each of their final nine matches. The two sides met in the FA Community Shield which saw City winning on penalties after a spirited ninety minutes including a Kyle Walker goal-line clearance in stoppage time and Liverpool hitting the post twice. It has been a tale of two different offseasons for the clubs. Manchester City have brought in Rodri from Atletico Madrid and Angelino on a buyback from PSV while also looking at a deal for Joao Cancelo for Danilo and cash from Juventus. Liverpool, on the other hand, have brought in a pair of teenagers -- Dutch CB Sepp van den Berg and Fulham youth Harvey Elliott -- as their lone buys, though a new back-up goalkeeper is likely. The two sides lost a bit: City sold Fabian Delph and Douglas Luiz (a youth to Aston Villa) while seeing Vincent Kompany head to Belgium while Liverpool sent Danny Ings to Southampton permanently, Simon Mignolet out to Club Brugge, and Daniel Sturridge saw out his contract on a free. The two teams look set to reload and reclaim the top two places on the table.
Of course, the other sides in Europe from England would like to change that. Chelsea and Tottenham will be representing the Premier League alongside Liverpool and City in the Champions League, but the two sides could not be more different right now. Chelsea, winners of the Europa League and finishing third, lose Eden Hazard to Madrid, Maurizio Sarri to Juventus, bring in Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic both permanently, but will not bring anyone else in due to a transfer ban. Frank Lampard, club legend, makes the big move up from Derby County to Chelsea and with him comes an apparent 4-2-3-1 with the squad and a big jump up in importance for Tammy Abraham, Chelsea's new number nine. Tottenham, on the other hand, continue to retain a stellar core within the club obviously led by Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen. Tanguy Ndombele is the key acquisition for the club from Lyon in center midfield. Mauricio Pochettino's ability and willingness to play with the versatility of his squad is always a plus for a team with the squad talent like Spurs do. While Chelsea have some question marks with squad depth and a new manager, for my money, Spurs seem like a possible third team in any theoretical title race.
Rounding out your 'top six' sides are Europa League representatives Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal continue to have similar questions raised in the early stages of this not-yet-season. They have plenty of attacking wealth, and have just added to it with Nicolas Pepe from Lille and Dani Ceballos from Madrid. Arsenal still have yet to address their weakness in defense, however. Unai Emery has a job to do with that defense and will need to do some work with it if he wishes to jump back into the top four. A dearth of center-backs and Pepe taking up a massive transfer fee at a position of already-established position of quality may come back to haunt the Gunners. United, on the other hand, are certainly looking to make an impact in the transfer window. After a rough half year with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunner Solksjaer took over and righted the ship, but this is a side still with issues. Bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and (nearly confirmed) Harry Maguire should shore up two positions of key weakness and the rumors of Bruno Fernando are tantalizing for United fans as well. If United can make these sorts of high-impact signings blend into the squad well, then they should be well in play for the top four.
The Race for Seventh -- Year Two:
I titled this section of last season's preview this, but it remains fitting. The key surprise was Wolves last year. The Portuguese-heavy side finished seventh and remain in the Europa League through the earliest qualifying round. With more fixtures and a squad lacking in serious depth, though, I do not think they will repeat this feat. They've added depth with Jesus Vallejo on loan from Madrid and Patrick Cutrone from Milan at striker, along with a couple U23 players from Braga. However, with Nuno Espirito Santo favoring a first-choice eleven so heavily I have concerns over how much they may actually play and how much fatigue this side will end up with over the long season.
So who does that leave? The big three are Everton, Leicester, and West Ham. Everton are a huge contender for the number seven position in the table. Moise Kean is the flashy new signing for the club, but Everton retain Andre Gomes permanently and also now have Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, a pair of midfielders who bring vastly different things to the table -- one with title experience, the other a 23-year-old DM from Lens's youth system. Leicester, on the other hand, are set to lose Harry Maguire. However, bringing in Ayoze Perez from Newcastle, Youri Tielemans permanently from Monaco, and with already established midfielders like Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy available for selection, Brendan Rodgers has plenty to work with. Finally, West Ham. Manuel Pellegrini got past a slow start last season and implemented bits of his system more-and-more as the season went on. They continue to make moves in the transfer window, the biggest one being Sebastian Haller as striker, but they already have talent in the roster. As a whole, West Ham confuse me a bit. I rate them fairly highly, especially with the lacking quality in the rest of the possible mid-table sides. If they can click, they are certainly going to contend for a Europa League place. If they do not, they could flounder a bit.
The Best of the Rest and the Relegation Sides:
Sides like Crystal Palace, Watford, Bournemouth, and Southampton all should have enough quality to survive. Starting with the higher-water side, Palace have a good amount of quality. Wilfred Zaha looks set to stay yet another season with Arsenal and Everton either not having interest that was though or not reaching the asking price. Roy Hodgson was able to drag them out of a brutal start to 2017-18, but the question of if they have hit their peak or not remains. Watford and Bournemouth, to me, look to be fairly similar to their squads last season. Bournemouth brought in the stronger of the summer signings with Lloyd Kelly and Phillip Billing being impressive signings from Championship sides, but also lack a bit defensively despite Nathan Ake performing generally quite well as a center back in the Cherries line. Watford keep their entire vital core intact and should have a similar season. Southampton struggled at times last season under Mark Hughes but Ralph Hasenhuttl steered the ship in the right direction. They still have defensive question marks that are absolutely massive, but perhaps the offense could attack well enough to cover that up? seems unlikely, but we shall see.
Then you have a group of six that could all range from mid-table to probable relegation sides. Burnley, Brighton, and Newcastle are the returning sides from the Premier League last season. Burnley are the same as ever and Brighton are now led by Graham Potter and are hoping to hit a new ceiling that Chris Hughton could not. Burnley seem to be the more steady of the two as Sean Dyche retains his core group of players and has Nick Pope in net, who has become a surprise top English keeper. Jay Rodriguez is also a possible new creative number nine coming from West Brom and being well-versed in both free-flowing and defensive-minded sides. Brighton on the other hand lack real creativity and are going to rely on Glenn Murray for a boost. Newcastle is a whole other story. Rafa Benitez is now gone, Steve Bruce is in, and they are still owned by Mike Ashley. I do, however, really rate Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin is a superb pick-up for a team in their position, and they have managed to retain their entire defense including super-keeper Martin Dubravka.
The three new sides, Aston Villa, Norwich, and Sheffield United, are all in danger, and dangerous, for different reasons. Villa could be the next Fulham as they have spent plenty of money on improving their side while retaining most of the players they came up through the playoffs with. A massive twelve first-team signings, the priciest being new number nine Wesley from Club Brugge, could see a lack of club harmony. However, a handful have either already played for Villa on loan (Anwar El Ghazi, Kortney Hause, and Tyrone Mings) or have previously played for Dean Smith at Brentford (Jota and Ezri Konsa). It will be a big job for Dean Smith to keep all his squad in order. Daniel Farke will hope his Norwich can be like Huddersfield in their opening campaign and avoid relegation, as will Chris Wilder's Sheffield United. Eyes will be on both of the new sides, both with plenty of quality in their rosters at the Championship level, both probably needing a bit more 'oomph' on the defensive end of the pitch if they are to stay alive in the Premier League.
Table Standings:
I must say, picking the entire top six in the correct order last season is something to tip my own hat to. I only got two more exact placements correct (West Ham #10, Brighton #17) but move Wolves up two spaces and everyone else down one, and that would have been a top half predicted correctly. I am much less confident on the table after the top six (maybe seven). It could be any three of the bottom six relegated and I would not be shocked. However, here's my best effort:
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Leicester
9. West Ham
10. Wolves
11. Crystal Palace
12. Watford
13. Southampton
14. Bournemouth
15. Burnley
16. Newcastle
17. Aston Villa
18. Brighton
19. Norwich
20. Sheffield United
So there you have it! Agree? Disagree? Want to call me out for picking your favorite team too low/high (if that's a thing you want to do)? Find me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan where I talk all about Liverpool primarily, but have a heavy Premier League and EFL Championship focus as well, while also discussing Michigan soccer and basketball, and AFC Ann Arbor when they're in season. Follow me for the top coverage of what will be an exciting season in English football!
The Big Two (and the Other Four):
Within the top six that have traditionally held a stranglehold on Champions League spots, Manchester City and Liverpool turned the league into a two horse race that saw both sides winning each of their final nine matches. The two sides met in the FA Community Shield which saw City winning on penalties after a spirited ninety minutes including a Kyle Walker goal-line clearance in stoppage time and Liverpool hitting the post twice. It has been a tale of two different offseasons for the clubs. Manchester City have brought in Rodri from Atletico Madrid and Angelino on a buyback from PSV while also looking at a deal for Joao Cancelo for Danilo and cash from Juventus. Liverpool, on the other hand, have brought in a pair of teenagers -- Dutch CB Sepp van den Berg and Fulham youth Harvey Elliott -- as their lone buys, though a new back-up goalkeeper is likely. The two sides lost a bit: City sold Fabian Delph and Douglas Luiz (a youth to Aston Villa) while seeing Vincent Kompany head to Belgium while Liverpool sent Danny Ings to Southampton permanently, Simon Mignolet out to Club Brugge, and Daniel Sturridge saw out his contract on a free. The two teams look set to reload and reclaim the top two places on the table.
Of course, the other sides in Europe from England would like to change that. Chelsea and Tottenham will be representing the Premier League alongside Liverpool and City in the Champions League, but the two sides could not be more different right now. Chelsea, winners of the Europa League and finishing third, lose Eden Hazard to Madrid, Maurizio Sarri to Juventus, bring in Christian Pulisic and Mateo Kovacic both permanently, but will not bring anyone else in due to a transfer ban. Frank Lampard, club legend, makes the big move up from Derby County to Chelsea and with him comes an apparent 4-2-3-1 with the squad and a big jump up in importance for Tammy Abraham, Chelsea's new number nine. Tottenham, on the other hand, continue to retain a stellar core within the club obviously led by Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen. Tanguy Ndombele is the key acquisition for the club from Lyon in center midfield. Mauricio Pochettino's ability and willingness to play with the versatility of his squad is always a plus for a team with the squad talent like Spurs do. While Chelsea have some question marks with squad depth and a new manager, for my money, Spurs seem like a possible third team in any theoretical title race.
Rounding out your 'top six' sides are Europa League representatives Arsenal and Manchester United. Arsenal continue to have similar questions raised in the early stages of this not-yet-season. They have plenty of attacking wealth, and have just added to it with Nicolas Pepe from Lille and Dani Ceballos from Madrid. Arsenal still have yet to address their weakness in defense, however. Unai Emery has a job to do with that defense and will need to do some work with it if he wishes to jump back into the top four. A dearth of center-backs and Pepe taking up a massive transfer fee at a position of already-established position of quality may come back to haunt the Gunners. United, on the other hand, are certainly looking to make an impact in the transfer window. After a rough half year with Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunner Solksjaer took over and righted the ship, but this is a side still with issues. Bringing in Aaron Wan-Bissaka and (nearly confirmed) Harry Maguire should shore up two positions of key weakness and the rumors of Bruno Fernando are tantalizing for United fans as well. If United can make these sorts of high-impact signings blend into the squad well, then they should be well in play for the top four.
The Race for Seventh -- Year Two:
I titled this section of last season's preview this, but it remains fitting. The key surprise was Wolves last year. The Portuguese-heavy side finished seventh and remain in the Europa League through the earliest qualifying round. With more fixtures and a squad lacking in serious depth, though, I do not think they will repeat this feat. They've added depth with Jesus Vallejo on loan from Madrid and Patrick Cutrone from Milan at striker, along with a couple U23 players from Braga. However, with Nuno Espirito Santo favoring a first-choice eleven so heavily I have concerns over how much they may actually play and how much fatigue this side will end up with over the long season.
So who does that leave? The big three are Everton, Leicester, and West Ham. Everton are a huge contender for the number seven position in the table. Moise Kean is the flashy new signing for the club, but Everton retain Andre Gomes permanently and also now have Fabian Delph and Jean-Philippe Gbamin, a pair of midfielders who bring vastly different things to the table -- one with title experience, the other a 23-year-old DM from Lens's youth system. Leicester, on the other hand, are set to lose Harry Maguire. However, bringing in Ayoze Perez from Newcastle, Youri Tielemans permanently from Monaco, and with already established midfielders like Wilfred Ndidi and Nampalys Mendy available for selection, Brendan Rodgers has plenty to work with. Finally, West Ham. Manuel Pellegrini got past a slow start last season and implemented bits of his system more-and-more as the season went on. They continue to make moves in the transfer window, the biggest one being Sebastian Haller as striker, but they already have talent in the roster. As a whole, West Ham confuse me a bit. I rate them fairly highly, especially with the lacking quality in the rest of the possible mid-table sides. If they can click, they are certainly going to contend for a Europa League place. If they do not, they could flounder a bit.
The Best of the Rest and the Relegation Sides:
Sides like Crystal Palace, Watford, Bournemouth, and Southampton all should have enough quality to survive. Starting with the higher-water side, Palace have a good amount of quality. Wilfred Zaha looks set to stay yet another season with Arsenal and Everton either not having interest that was though or not reaching the asking price. Roy Hodgson was able to drag them out of a brutal start to 2017-18, but the question of if they have hit their peak or not remains. Watford and Bournemouth, to me, look to be fairly similar to their squads last season. Bournemouth brought in the stronger of the summer signings with Lloyd Kelly and Phillip Billing being impressive signings from Championship sides, but also lack a bit defensively despite Nathan Ake performing generally quite well as a center back in the Cherries line. Watford keep their entire vital core intact and should have a similar season. Southampton struggled at times last season under Mark Hughes but Ralph Hasenhuttl steered the ship in the right direction. They still have defensive question marks that are absolutely massive, but perhaps the offense could attack well enough to cover that up? seems unlikely, but we shall see.
Then you have a group of six that could all range from mid-table to probable relegation sides. Burnley, Brighton, and Newcastle are the returning sides from the Premier League last season. Burnley are the same as ever and Brighton are now led by Graham Potter and are hoping to hit a new ceiling that Chris Hughton could not. Burnley seem to be the more steady of the two as Sean Dyche retains his core group of players and has Nick Pope in net, who has become a surprise top English keeper. Jay Rodriguez is also a possible new creative number nine coming from West Brom and being well-versed in both free-flowing and defensive-minded sides. Brighton on the other hand lack real creativity and are going to rely on Glenn Murray for a boost. Newcastle is a whole other story. Rafa Benitez is now gone, Steve Bruce is in, and they are still owned by Mike Ashley. I do, however, really rate Joelinton, Allan Saint-Maximin is a superb pick-up for a team in their position, and they have managed to retain their entire defense including super-keeper Martin Dubravka.
The three new sides, Aston Villa, Norwich, and Sheffield United, are all in danger, and dangerous, for different reasons. Villa could be the next Fulham as they have spent plenty of money on improving their side while retaining most of the players they came up through the playoffs with. A massive twelve first-team signings, the priciest being new number nine Wesley from Club Brugge, could see a lack of club harmony. However, a handful have either already played for Villa on loan (Anwar El Ghazi, Kortney Hause, and Tyrone Mings) or have previously played for Dean Smith at Brentford (Jota and Ezri Konsa). It will be a big job for Dean Smith to keep all his squad in order. Daniel Farke will hope his Norwich can be like Huddersfield in their opening campaign and avoid relegation, as will Chris Wilder's Sheffield United. Eyes will be on both of the new sides, both with plenty of quality in their rosters at the Championship level, both probably needing a bit more 'oomph' on the defensive end of the pitch if they are to stay alive in the Premier League.
Table Standings:
I must say, picking the entire top six in the correct order last season is something to tip my own hat to. I only got two more exact placements correct (West Ham #10, Brighton #17) but move Wolves up two spaces and everyone else down one, and that would have been a top half predicted correctly. I am much less confident on the table after the top six (maybe seven). It could be any three of the bottom six relegated and I would not be shocked. However, here's my best effort:
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Leicester
9. West Ham
10. Wolves
11. Crystal Palace
12. Watford
13. Southampton
14. Bournemouth
15. Burnley
16. Newcastle
17. Aston Villa
18. Brighton
19. Norwich
20. Sheffield United
So there you have it! Agree? Disagree? Want to call me out for picking your favorite team too low/high (if that's a thing you want to do)? Find me on Twitter @RMAB_Ryan where I talk all about Liverpool primarily, but have a heavy Premier League and EFL Championship focus as well, while also discussing Michigan soccer and basketball, and AFC Ann Arbor when they're in season. Follow me for the top coverage of what will be an exciting season in English football!
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