Who will win the Premier League, grab a Champions League spot, and who is doomed to relegation? Here’s my predictions for the 2016/17 season.
Premier League football is back at long last, in what promises to be the most exciting season in the history of the league. Arguably seven teams can win the title this year, words we’ve rarely been able to say before.
Of those seven, who will go onto win the title? Who will qualify for the Champions League and who will fall into the Championship?
If you’re reading this in May 2017, please don’t laugh at these predictions. At the time they didn’t seem so ridiculous, although by seasons end they will all be wrong.
1. Manchester City
Picking a title winner is tough, but I’m tipping Pep Guardiola to get the job done in his first season. Manchester City won’t be the finished product this year, but neither will their closest title rivals. If Sergio Aguero stays fit, City will be a tough team to beat.
2. Chelsea
Chelsea are set to bounce back under Antonio Conte. There are still some question marks over this team, but there is enough talent in the squad to regain a spot in the title race. Only two years ago they were champions, but they’ll fall just short this season.
3. Manchester United
Jose Mourinho is a great coach, but not a miracle worker. To simply expect a few signings and a new coach to turn a mediocre fifth-placed team into title winners might be a little too much to ask. They will make great strides this year, however, setting the foundations for a strong title push in 2017/18.
4. Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs continue to get written off as they were last year, but this is a great squad with the benefit of continuity. Champions League football will test the depth of the squad, and improvements from the teams around them will make it tough to sustain a title challenge, but Mauricio Pochettino’s team is talented enough to finish in the top-four.
5. Arsenal
Maybe I’m the fool for picking Arsenal to finish below Spurs and outside the top-four, but Arsene Wenger has again sat on his hands over the summer and it will hurt them. The Gunners are without a top striker, and unless they find one before the window shuts, it might be the year they miss out.
6. Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is taking Liverpool forward, but at the time of writing they haven’t done enough to their back four. Daniel Sturridge is an injury-risk up front which leaves them without a clear number one striker. Like last season, the Reds might score lots of goals but struggle to keep them out.
7. West Ham
Playing Thursday nights will put additional strain on the West Ham squad, but they are still loaded with quality and should be right up there in the top-seven when it’s all said and done.
8. Leicester
The Foxes might be the toughest team to predict this year. Is this simply a case of writing off the Premier League champions wrongly again? Maybe so, but it’s tough to see Leicester matching last season’s level of play without N’Golo Kante. The mentality changes now. Will the Foxes be as hungry? How will the other teams gameplan against them? The addition of midweek games in the Champions League won’t help, either.
9. Everton
The Toffees have a talented squad, and Ronald Koeman can help get the best out of them. Still, it’s tough to see them finishing much higher than ninth given the amount of heavyweight teams in the league this year. Keeping Romelu Lukaku is a must.
10. Southampton
It was another summer of change for Southampton, and they need to find another goalscorer before the window shuts. Saints will be a dangerous team to play against, but nothing better than a mid-table finish.
11. Stoke
Stoke have talent and should build on last season. With so many good teams around them, it’s a tall order to break into the top half of the table.
12. Swansea
Swansea have made some good signings over the summer, but will it be enough to catapult them into the top half of the table? That’s possibly too much to ask.
13. Watford
Can Troy Deeney do enough to keep Watford away from the bottom three? He does, and Watford finish a respectable 13th.
14. Sunderland
Losing Sam Allardyce squashed some of Sunderland’s momentum, but David Moyes was a smart hire. He will set them up well and make them tough to break down. It’s easy to forget the success he had at Everton, and Moyes will look to replicate it at Sunderland.
15. Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace’s slide in the second half of last season was particularly concerning, raising questions with Alan Pardew’s management. They have made some good signings and Christian Benteke would be a welcomed addition.
16. Bournemouth
Bournemouth were impressive last season and play good football under Eddie Howe. They will need to take a step forward to avoid relegation this term, but I think they do just enough.
17. Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough have lured some big-name players to the club over the summer such as goalkeeper Victor Valdes, striker Alvaro Negredo and playmaker Viktor Fischer. It’s enough to keep them up—just.
18. West Brom
Tony Pulis will have West Brom well organized and they have a good chance of surviving, but they just aren’t a very good team and will find life difficult.
19. Hull
Losing Steve Bruce so close to the season makes a tough job become almost impossible. Hull have some talent, but they are in a mess right now and will struggle to say adrift.
20. Burnley
Burnley will fight all season long and this may come down to the wire, but I think there are 19 better teams than them, dooming them to an immediate return to the Championship.
Next: Premier League opening weekend: Picks for each game
Full table:
1 Manchester City
2 Chelsea
3 Manchester United
4 Tottenham
5 Arsenal
6 Liverpool
7 West Ham
8 Leicester
9 Everton
10 Southampton
11 Stoke
12 Swansea
13 Watford
14 Sunderland
15 Crystal Palace
16 Bournemouth
17 Middlesbrough
18 West Brom
19 Hull
20 Burnley