Premier League Pre-Season Picks
I thought it couldn’t get better
The Summer 2022 Transfer Window for Premier League clubs has been open since 10 June 2022 and there has been a plethora of activity since then. Teams have made a number of acquisitions, some of which have been from their league rivals. There’s a lot to look forward to this season so I will proceed by presenting my predicted league table as of 12 November.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea
5. Manchester United
6. Arsenal
7. West Ham
8. Leicester
9. Aston Villa
10. Wolves
11. Southampton
12. Newcastle
13. Brighton
14. Brentford
15. Crystal Palace
16. Everton
17. Leeds
18. Nottingham Forest
19. Bournemouth
20. Fulham
I except City and Liverpool to be atop of the table, with City winning all their games barring draws with Spurs and Liverpool. They’ve been buoyed by the signings of Haaland, Alvarez and Phillips so I expect them to continue on from last season’s success going into the World Cup break. Liverpool will begin life without Sadio Mane, hoping that Darwin Nunez and Fabio Carvalho can reduce the effects of his departure.
Spurs are the team to watch this season as they have had arguably the most impressive transfer window with their acquisitions of Bissouma, Richarlison, Spence, Lenglet and Perisic. Their squad depth could lead them to success both domestically and in Europe. Much has been made of Manchester United and their prospects for the season under Erik Ten Hag; I predict a fairly good start to the season, with optimism brewing as they begin to implement the progressive style of play the manager demands.
The mid-table battle will become evermore fierce as many of the league’s most settled clubs improve their squad depth in the transfer window. Newcastle have solidified their defence with the acquisitions of Sven Botman and Nick Pope, Aston Villa have made permanent the signing of Philippe Coutinho alongside securing Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara, and Southampton have most notably signed Joe Aribo in what could be one of the bargains of the summer.
End of season league table:
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Spurs
5. Manchester United
6. Arsenal
7. Leicester
8. West Ham
9. Aston Villa
10. Crystal Palace
11. Wolves
12. Newcastle
13. Southampton
14. Brighton
15. Everton
16. Brentford
17. Leeds
18. Nottingham Forest
19. Bournemouth
20. Fulham
By the end of the season, I expect there to be a few changes, with Chelsea displacing Spurs into third place and Crystal Palace working there way up the table to tenth place. In the end, Man City are my pre-season pick to win the Premier league as the Haaland signing ensures guaranteed goals and wins. He may also prove to be the difference in the Champions League, especially during the knockout stages where the need for clinical play is heightened. City’s loss to Real Madrid was a combination of Benzema’s ruthless finishing and their profligacy in front of goal. Of course we cannot simply insert Haaland into the positions Grealish found himself in when he had the chance to extend their advantage to a surely insurmountable three-goal lead, but if that were the case history could have fared very differently. For the newly promoted teams, as swiftly as they entered is as swiftly as they will depart. Not to be the bearer of bad news, particularly in the event that a Fulham fan is reading this, but if they manage to get relegated again this, I propose that they be placed on a ten-year probation whereby they are prohibited from Championship promotion, or relocated to the Eredivisie.
It is for the good of the league, the good of the club, and frankly the good of society.
For now, there is much to look forward to, much activity still to unfold. ‘Tis the season of redoing your FPL five times, transferring in Jesus then going for the tried and tested Alexander-Arnold-Salah-Kane trio whilst you fill in all the other squad players. Last thing- United to win the Europa League and return to the UCL.
Yes I said it.
Let the games begin- feel free to send me your league codes- the more, the merrier.