Premier League: Revised Title, Top Four & Relegation Predictions
Premier League Revised Predictions
With the Premier League season now more than a quarter complete, it gives everyone the ideal opportunity to take a breather. While it also provides the perfect opportunity to revise any predictions that were previously made.
The race for the title includes some different entrants. It has also meant the quest for Champions League invites has been muddled. Add a cut-throat battle to avoid relegation and this season is already shaping up to be a classic.
We look at each of these three main sub-plots and offer revised predictions on what we have seen over the past couple of months.
Premier League Champions
Who would have had Arsenal sitting at the top of the table after 12 weeks of the season? Arsenal supporters. However, the rest of the Premier League’s global fanbase would have likely plumped for Manchester City or Liverpool.
While the Merseyside men are a considerable distance behind the current pacesetters, the Etihad outfit are not. A two-point margin is the difference between the Gunners and the defending champions at the time of writing.
Can Arsenal last the pace? That is the next question that everyone is now asking. With just one defeat from their first 11 league outings, they are certainly not avoiding defeat in the Premier League by accident.
One defeat for them and one defeat for Manchester City means the two at the top have almost matched each other punch for punch. If Arsenal can avoid a knockout blow when these two sides meet, their chances of league success will only increase.
Then again, Erling Haaland has shown everyone that his transition to life in the Premier League has been as smooth as it could possibly be. If he keeps his scoring rate at its current level, a first English league title will be his next May.
Top Four
If Manchester City and Arsenal are going to be the two protagonists in this season’s title race. It means just two berths in the Champions League will be left over and this is where things will get incredibly interesting.
Tottenham’s bright start to the campaign has faded. Although there are some complaints from supporters, manager Antonio Conte is surely the right man to lead the North London outfit to the Champions League once more.
Liverpool cannot seem to get any real consistency together this season. They recently beat Manchester City in a breathless performance, before following that up with a poor showing at Nottingham Forest.
If Jurgen Klopp cannot avoid his usual seven-year management itch things may start to turn sour at Anfield. This could result in that final Champions League invite going to either Chelsea or Manchester United.
Both teams can certainly be considered a work in progress at present. With the Blues installing Graham Potter just a month or so ago, the former Brighton boss has been swift in making progress of his own.
Chelsea are not the finished article, but you could also say the same about Manchester United. Under Erik ten Hag, for every step forward they take, they have a habit of taking at least one back. This has been a point of frustration for the Dutchman so far this season.
United’s biggest name has also been rather frustrated in recent weeks. Cristiano Ronaldo is stealing the headlines at Old Trafford for all the wrong reasons. This issue will need to be solved by ten Hag once and for all.
If the Red Devils can find harmony throughout the squad, it may be the one attribute that thrusts the club into the top four. While if they fail to do so, a top-four finish will surely go Chelsea’s way.
Relegation
The beauty of this season or at least from a neutral perspective, is that there is not one team that looks like being an abject failure. An outfit that is already cast adrift by the end of October and is now counting down the weeks before relegation to the Championship.
This season, the challenge to stay above water is going to be far more difficult. Win a couple of league encounters in a row and you are most definitely hot. Lose a couple of league fixtures in succession and you are most definitely not.
At the time of writing, it is Leeds, Wolves and Nottingham Forest who find themselves in the relegation zone. One of those names is a huge surprise.
Managerless Wolves are the surprise outfit in the drop zone. While the same could be said for Leeds, it is not the biggest surprise to see them where they are.
Admittedly Forest being in the bottom three comes as no real shock to anyone. Although they purchased no fewer than 22 players across the summer, it is going to take time for manager Steve Cooper to gel a new team together.
However, the signs of progress are certainly there. After recording a recent win over Liverpool, the City Ground outfit have shown that they are capable of mixing it with the very best in the division.
If Leeds and Wolves can get their houses in order, then the likes of Southampton and Everton may be swallowed up. There is no such thing as mid-table safety anymore in the Premier League. Any team can take points off each other and this is what makes this part of the table so fascinating.
A team like Crystal Palace could be easily dragged into a relegation battle if they are not careful. The Selhurst Park outfit are one of the more exciting teams in the Premier League but have a habit of not getting the rub of the green. If this continues, they may end up getting relegated.
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