Bit of a change of pace today! After music, my second hobby is being a massive soccer fan - the Premier League my league of choice and Everton my club of fate. Today I whipped out a quick prediction for how the season to come will shake out, so please enjoy!
- Arsenal - Reigning champs who have only gotten stronger with the additions of Bruno and Tzolis, expect another championship for them.
- Chelsea - I think Xabi Alonso is a brilliant hire and their younger players will finally start to match their potential under him. He’ll manage the squad better than any of his predecessors. Don’t think they will make a strong title challenge but I expect them to be best of the rest after Arsenal.
- Man United - Think they know actually have a pretty well-balanced squad and will rely less on Bruno Fernandes hero-ball. I think Casemiro was a bit overrated for them and limited how they could play in midfield, whereas Tielemans and Santos will give them more flexibility.
- Man City - Lost Pep, lost Rodri, lost Bernardo Silva, lots of their recent signings haven’t panned out great (Savinho, Marmoush, Reijnders), and I think Anderson is good but not THAT good. That said, they’re still City, and they still have a pretty good front three with Semenyo-Haaland-Cherki.
- Liverpool - I think Iraola is a great get, but the squad is still too unbalanced. Lots of unproven talent in defense paired with an aging and declining Van Dijk. Can’t rely on Szoboszlai hero-ball half the season again, and of course they’ve lost Salah. I do think Isak will actually have a better season and Ekitike is back healthy, but I think it will be up and down for them.
- Spurs - Unfortunately I think they’ve made some great signings with Senesi, Fernandes, and Tonali. Van Hecke I’m less convinced, and Robertson is on the decline. Also seem to have figured some things out under De Zerbi last year by the end, and let’s not overlook how many injuries they were dealing with the last two seasons.
- Everton - Optimistic? Sure! But I think we have such a strong core in midfield and center backs, and I expect Barry to improve a lot this season. If we add fullbacks we’ll be in really good shape; if not, one injury to Rohl/Mykolenko/Barry and it might all fall apart.
- Bournemouth - Lost Iraola but I do like Marco Rose, and have kept many key players like Rayan and Kroupi, who only seem poised to improve. Senesi going hurts but they seem to have replaced him well.
- Aston Villa - I don’t think the free-fall will be as drastic as some are suggesting, but they have lost quite a few key players in sales (Rogers, Digne, Tielemans) or to injury (Onana). Manzambi is a great signing but the jury is definitely out on Ruggeri and João Gomes, not to mention Garnacho. Suzuki is solid but seems pointless if they’re also keeping Martinez. Still, Emery will steady the ship well enough even with European matchdays to balance.
- Brighton - Had a very strong second half of the season, seems things may have clicked. Still, they look to be losing Baleba on top of Van Hecke. Vuskovic is a great pick-up, and younger players like Hinshelwood and Minteh could take a step up to become truly elite talents this season. Huge question mark at striker caps their ceiling however, unless Kostoulas is ready to become a world-beater or Promise David makes the jump from the Belgian league.
- Brentford - Kind of a blah team this year. Signings are OK but not flashy, though they haven’t lost much either in terms of talent. Will be solid but not dangerous. I do think Igor Thiago is not nearly as good as his stats say, mind - we gifted him quite a few of those goals last season.
- Crystal Palace - Bit of a weird one in that Glasner is gone, but wasn’t really doing that well for them in the league. Lacroix going hurts, and the Johnson-McNeil swap could go either way. But I expect a bounce-back from Mateta now that his weird transfer saga seems to be over, the Mingueza addition is shrewd, and so far they’ve kept Sarr (who quietly had an phenomenal season) and Wharton.
- Leeds - Deceptively strong squad that didn’t lose much key talent while adding Trafford and Muharemovic. Now settled into the PL, I expect some stability this season. The main caveat is if DCL loses form or fitness, they will struggle for goals.
- Sunderland - Last year’s big surprise drops back into the pack with the challenge of Europe putting a strain on the squad. They also had a lot of close matches swing their way last season which, while replicable, could easily reverse course this year. I also don’t like that they’ve only signed Meunier so far, and I think they’ll miss Geertruida (whose loan ended) as his versatility would be especially needed with the added match strain.
- Newcastle - First, the good: I actually think Woltemade has some great qualities and will have a lovely season when finally allowed to play his preferred role. They also retain a pretty great defense between Hall, Thiaw, Livramento, Botman, and Ramsdale/Pope. However, their midfield is a mess after losing both Bruno and Tonali; Steur and Bamba are good signings but young years old, and I don’t think they’ll be ready to plug the gap. A midfield of Willock, Miley, Ramsey, and Joelinton gets exposed pretty quickly in my opinion. Toure could be a revelation as Gordon’s replacement, but I don’t think it’ll be immediate. Manager is also a question mark having been brought in so late from Saudi Arabia.
- Nottingham Forest - Lost Anderson and still have other gaps in the squad, but I do think Diomande and Schlager are two wonderful additions. Gibbs-White will probably spend the year bailing them out again, as I don’t think their wingers in Hutchinson and Bakwa will make the leap needed. Maybe Igor Jesus and Chris Wood contribute more this season, but I think it’ll be another middling one for them.
- Coventry City - While I do think Lampard is the type of manager who thrives in the Championship but struggles in the PL, I think Coventry have enough momentum and spirit to stay up this season. I know it doesn’t always translate but they did absolutely boss the Championship last year with 97 goals (next highest was 82), and had five players with double-digit goal tallies, meaning they aren’t too reliant on individual brilliance and have a good system in place. I like them adding Hamer, Tchouana, and Cherif too. Should edge it out and avoid relegation.
- Ipswich - A lot of the same squad that got relegated, which for me doesn’t bode well. I like some of their talent - Leif Davis especially, Matusiwa and Greaves somewhat - but lots of improvement needed in order to stay up. Signings are a mixed bag to me; I have faith in some (Maeda, Fatawu, Diop, Florentino Luis) and am skeptical of others (Akpom, Enciso, Scherpen). I don’t think it’ll be quite enough.
- Fulham - My freefall pick of the season! I have no gauge for how good a manager Arbeloa actually is as Real Madrid are an impossible barometer to use. Their 11th place finish last year flattered them in my opinion - they relied far too much on Harry Wilson wonder goals, and he’s now left. Jimenez is also gone, meaning the highest scorer left in the squad is Alex Iwobi with a whopping 4 league goals last year. Shea Charles is a good pickup, but I’m not thrilled with any of their other three signings thus far. They might need a Kevin or Oscar Bobb breakout season to avoid serious trouble.
- Hull City - Actually like some of their signings - Gourna-Douath has great potential, for one - but I think the talent gap is simply too high to make up. We know McBurnie doesn’t work in the Prem, and I just don’t see where the goals are going to come from as their best signings have all been defensive-minded. Expecting a retro Burnley-esque season where their solid defense is worn down due to a severe lack of attacking momentum; expect a lot of 1-0 and 2-0 losses.
Player of the Season - Bukayo Saka
Manager of the Season - Xabi Alonso
Golden Boot - Erling Haaland (again)
Golden Glove - David Raya (again)
Young Player of the Season - Estêvão
Signing of the Season - Luka Vušković
Michael's Unofficial Smattering of Breakout Players Awards - Thierno Barry, Jack Hinshelwood, Bazoumana Touré, Juanlu Sanchez, Lucas Gourna-Douath
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