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This Premier League season has been enthralling so far can’t wait to see what will go down in May 2024.
The Premier League has been thrilling so far, from VAR controversy to thrilling 4-all draws (which is a bit of a mouthful if you say out loud). Today, if you’re willing to join me, I want to use my own crystal ball and look ahead to how I believe the Premier League table will finish and who will sweep up the individual awards at the end of the season.
So let’s go talk to bottom, starting with the team I believe it’s going to finish dead last.
- Sheffield United
As expected, Sheffield United are very low down in the Premier League rankings right now. Of course, it was always going to be difficult given they lost their two best players this summer in Sander Berge and Iliman Ndiaye. I don’t really think they could have done anything about Ndiaye, as he was a boyhood fan of Marseille growing up in Senegal and if even if you put that to one side, they are a much better side with a much better project and much better pay obviously.
However, the sale of Sander Berge is a confusing one for me even now. At the time, I was shocked because he was linked to some really well established Premier League sides and some other great teams around Europe and in truth, he’s a great holding midfielder and he still got potential to go even further with its abilities, but Burnley is at best a side step in his career, and isn’t the step up that he probably deserved. Though he was linked with teams like Liverpool and Tottenham, I don’t believe he’s good enough to be with them, but he was also linked to the likes of Brighton and I believe that would have been a really positive move for him and them.
And now with them gone, there is a real lack of firepower there and a real hero that can drag them out of the relegation battle. You look at teams around them, and you can say that even at Luton and Burnley there are a couple of good players that you could see putting into some great performance is which will help them achieve results which means they can stay in the league: Luton have a plethora of talent like at Ross Barkley and Andros Townsend that could help them stay in the Premier League; Burnley (despite their struggles) have good players and have been performing well; for me, Sheffield United don’t have this and they are going to finish rock bottom.
- Burnley
As I spoke about in my Premier League heroes and Villains article, Vincent Kompany and his Burnley team played some excellent football in the championship last season. Unfortunately though, this has not translated well into the Premier League.
In said article, I made the point that if Burnley are to remain in the Premier League, then Kompany needs to stop being so stubborn and needs to look at getting results and not good performances without the result. Unfortunately though, I don’t think Kompany will smell the coffee and even if signings are made in January, they will not be able to keep this Burnley team in the Premier League.
I’m sure that should they go down, they will come straight back up again as long as they keep with Vincent Kompany and may yo-yo for a few years. But despite the likes of Koleosho and Sander Berge in their team, I just don’t think they’re going to have enough to stay up.
- Luton Town
And the same goes there.
The story of Luton Town is that of a fairytale and it has been a joy to hear about their club and their story. However, last summer when they were just promoted and were about to enter the Premier League in August, I think everybody enjoyed the idea of Luton being in the Premier League, with rough house football, noisy fans and of course there fortress that is Kenilworth Road.
But unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to have enough to stay in the league. Though they have shown they are capable of picking up results at their home ground, I think their away form could be their downfall here and that this time next year we will see them in the championship once again.
Though I did like their signings this summer with the likes of Tahith Chong, Thomas Kaminski and Issa Kabore, I just don’t think the squad as a whole will have enough to stay up come May.
- Bournemouth
Bournemouth really haven’t been the side I thought they were going to be this year. I predicted them finishing much higher up in August but from what I’ve seen so far I really don’t see them getting any higher than 14 at best.
I like a lot of their players, I like Ireola, and I could see them signing a couple players in January that will help them improve in the second half of the season- however, I just don’t think that they have enough to stay out of the relegation battle for good. In my head, I think 17 is a good valuation for Bournemouth because I don’t think they are a better team than who I’ve put in 16th and 15th which I also don’t think there were worse than Luton, Sheffield United or Burnley.
If their form is to improve, then I think we need to see more from the likes of Kluivert and we need to see the players in the back line step up like Lloyd Kelly and Senesi. Small side note, they signed very talented and young French winger Roman Faivre in the summer but immediately loaned him back out into French football- this is a baffling decision to me, even now. They signed him for 15 million and is a very talented player technically and would walk into Bournemouth team, so why did they loan him back out? What did Iraola not see in him or if not here Iraola, then their sporting director?
With Faivre or not, I do see Bournemouth being safe but not as high as they probably should have been this season
- Everton
For a third season in a row, I see Everton finishing just outside of the relegation zone. At time of writing, they’ve just received a 10 point deduction for a breach of financial fair play, and there is potential of further punishment in the rest of the season, with the potential of legal trouble with the likes of Leicester, Leeds and Burnley as they look for compensation- and rightfully so- and fairly so as they played by the rules but got relegated unfortunately in the time that Everton broke rules and did stay up.
I think this 10 point fine will restrict them from ultimately finishing higher in the table, but I still think that Dyche and his Everton squad are much better than the three that I predict to finish in the relegation zone. After an impressive first season in English football, despite Everton’s lack of success last year, Onana has looked even better in that Everton midfield, and Brainthwaite and Tarkowski have formed a really solid centre-half pairing at the back in front of England international Jordan Pickford.
Though I think they lack elsewhere in defence and of course their long acknowledged problems in attack, I still think they have enough to stay up in the Premier League by a good margin. I definitely don’t think the relegation battle will go to the final day here, I think Everton can establish a seven maybe eight point lead ahead of Luton by the end of the season or whoever finishes 18th if I’m wrong.
- Fulham
I do fear for Fulham, and I think 15 maybe generous to them. In January despite the contract extension he signed after the summer transfer window ended, I would not be surprised if Joao Palhinha did leave the club more specifically to Bayern Munich where he traveled to on deadline day last summer.
While Leno has been good for them this season continuing his good form from last year, I don’t think they’ve been as good defensively even though Palhinha has just become even better in the six role for them.
They’re really suffering obviously without Mitrovic leading the line and they do just look blunt offensively and generally easy to beat. They really need to make a couple signings in January and potentially shift some dead wood out of the club.
- Nottingham forest
I think Forest would take 14th but after even after more signings this summer I don’t think they’d be too pleased. Last year, I think they can put most of the thanks to staying up on the international break for the World Cup in December and this is actually something that Chelsea suffered from in the second half of loss season which led to their 12th place finish.
During this period off in the season, most of the Forest squad did not go to the World Cup which means that they had time on the training ground to gel as a team, get to know each other and understand each others game better, and Steve Cooper was able to see who he needed to put in his squad to really push on in the table in the second half of the season (which is of course what they did and they stayed up). Unfortunately, Chelsea did not have this liberty of having most of their players staying in London over December and even then so invested more in January which would have only contributed to the feeling of unfamiliarity in the dressing room at Stamford Bridge and at Cobham.
But once again this season, Forest have bought big and shipped a lot of players out the door also in the summer but this season, they are not blessed with a month off half way through the season. Though the team have arguably gotten better, they still need to be getting results on the pitch and once again I think if they are to do well and stay out of a relegation battle then they need not only to maintain good form at the City Ground, also away from home in the Premier League.
So far this season I’ve been impressed with the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga and Nico Dominguez. If forest can maintain good form but more importantly good unity in the squad and Nuno Espiritio Santo can settle on who his best 11 is week in week out then I think Forest will be just fine.
- Wolves
Wolves have been surprisingly good and entertaining this season.
I predicted them to finish 18th before the start of the season as I believed the squad was lacklustre and truly lacked the goals to stay up in the Premier League as well as having a generally poor manager in Bruno Lage. However, since Lage has left the West Midlands and former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neill has come into the job, given the conditions of he came in under, O’Neill has done a fantastic job so far. Before another really unfortunate injury, Pedro Neto looked back to his best and looked set for a fantastic season with them, but unfortunately it seemed like we won’t see him again until 2024.
If wolves can continue their momentum into the new year and continue to get the best out of the likes of Hwang and Kalajdzic in attack, and continue to build on the solid midfield that they are developing with the likes of Joao Gomes, Lemina, and Bellegarde, then Wolves could have a blueprint to finishing well away from the relegation zone this season.
Wolves need to continue to develop as a squad if they get the best out of Pablo Sarabia and Matheus Cunha who have both looked good in parts this season- once they can build a consistent run of good games, then I really think both of them will boom in the Premier League, with the potential of Sarabia returning to his form that we thought him in at Sevilla and Cunha returning to the form we saw him in during his Bundesliga days, which were his best days in my opinion.
- Crystal Palace
It’s a strange old time at Crystal Palace at the minute, but so far have looked solid enough to maintain their status as a mid table Premier League club for another season.
Roy Hodgson is still in a job at the grand old age of 76, and it’s the first season with out club Legend Wilfred Zaha. They also haven’t seen much of Olise this season, as he missed their opening 11 games of the season through a hamstring injury and made his first appearance of the season last weekend against Everton. Though though they’ve achieved some great results this season like a thrilling 3-2 victory over wolves and of course winning at Old Trafford for the first time since 2020, they’ve also been on the other end of some heavy defeats and disappointing performances against Arsenal and Newcastle.
Once Olise is back in form, I’m sure he’ll be able to return to the levels we’ve seen him perform at in the past few years at Palace. His partner in crime Eberechi Eze has returned to the levels we saw him at last year also, looking a threat every time he steps on a pitch, producing 38 shot creating actions and averages a progressive carry of the ball every 34 minutes this season.
One of the most balanced and efficient centre half pairings in the league for me in Guehi and Andersen of also looked strong again this season, as Guehi looks to break in to Gareth Southgate’s Euro squad next summer. However, if Palace are to improve this season, then I believe they really need to lock things down offensively and I believe the way they do that is through Edouard and not Mateta or Ayew.
- Brentford
As of writing right now, I think Brentford are going to keep Ivan Toney, improve a hell of a lot and ultimately finish 11th this season. So far they’ve played 20, 6 won, 4 drawn for lost 10 and currently have a goal difference rating of minus 4. It’s fair to say Thomas Frank’s Brentford team are underperforming given the quality of the squad.
Of course, they were never going to be as good without David Raya and Ivan Toney missing for half a season. Though Toney will probably finish on double figures on goals (already getting going with a goal upon his return against Nottingham Forest), which may be the kickstart to their season and see them progress up the table, I still think Brentford look more beatable and then they did last season. Defensively, I don’t think Pinnock and Ben Mee have looked as stable together as they did last year, and they’ll definitely feel the impact of Rico Henry’s injury throughout the rest of the season.
Though their consistent midfield still looks solid with the likes of Matthias Jensen and Christian Norgaard, they’re still feels to be a massive gap in that midfield. This may be down to a drop in form from Vitaly Janelt, who has not been on form this season, averaging less tackles per 90 then he had by this point of the season last year. The lack of a top attacker coming through the door last summer has also hindered Brentford this season, as Maupay and other attacking options that had filled in previously in the front three in space of Ivan Toney has now meant that Brentford have been shifting to a front two, which hinders the brand of football that Thomas Frank wishes to play.
Despite great victories this season again Chelsea and West Ham, disappointing results have also been marking their season for example the 2-all draw with Bournemouth and a 1-all draw against Crystal Palace at home which they have made a fortress in the past two seasons.
Brentford have reason to be optimistic, but there is no guarantee that Ivan Toney will still be a Brentford player come the end of January. If they can hang on to him until next summer, then then I would not be surprised if Brentford do try and push into the top 10 possibly even being in contention for a European spot. However, with a tough run yet to come in February, this season I don’t see Brentford finishing in the top 10, rather just outside.
- West Ham
When West Ham have been on form this season, they’ve looked great, looking like they can really push into those Europa League spots while also maintaining good form in the Europa League. However, for every game where they’ve looked electric against the likes of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, there are games that they’ve played like they have done against Aston Villa and Everton where they have looked lacklustre and poor.
West Ham on paper have a very good team, with the likes of James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Paqueta, Edson Alvarez and Mohammad Kudus. However, at times the defence has still looked shaky with some questionable performances from everyone in that backline.
I think West Ham will continue to rock between great results and looking like they can push up the table to then losing a few and look like they’ll be lucky to finish in the top 10. I think what will ultimately hinder them from reaching European football again at least through a league finish is their prioritisation of competing in Europe which hindered them last season but obviously did not cost them in the long run. Unfortunately, this season I do not believe that European glory is to come back to the Olympic Stadium if they are to prioritise European competition in the latter stages of the season instead of the Premier League, then I believe that they can get to the quarter or maybe even the semi-finals.
Come the end of the season, I think West Ham will look back on it with a lot of promise and a lot of pride over the new faces that have joined David Moyes’ team this season and will be with them for years to come.
- Brighton
I think Brighton are to suffer the same fate as West Ham. The prioritisation of European competition will ultimately hinder them from competing in the Premier League.
This season, Brighton are competing in the Europa League for the first time ever, and while I certainly do not think it will be the last, I don’t think we will see them there next season. There’s a lot of parallels between them and West Ham at the minute, and like West Ham they’ve looked very resounding and confident at times whilst also at times looking very afraid and timid on a football pitch. They’ve celebrated great victories against the likes of Man United at Old Trafford and Newcastle, but have also suffered terrible defeats against the likes of AEK Athens and Aston Villa. They’ve also looked dull and low quality in disappointing draws against the likes of Fulham, Everton and Sheffield United, games which last season they would score three or four in and win comfortably.
Again, like West Ham, they’ve had some brilliant performances from the likes of Evan Ferguson, Joao Pedro, and Simon Adingra, players like Lewis Dunk and Bart Verbruggen have not looked as good as they have previously (though Verbruggen is currently in his first Premier League season so gains a bit of leeway).
Ultimately, I think at the end of the season, Brighton and De Zerbi will look back with fond memories of their first season in Europe, potentially achieving a spot in the quarterfinal or maybe even the semi-final of the Europa League. Unfortunately though, if they are to do this, I think they will suffer a lot of injuries which will ultimately hinder them from finishing higher in the table.
- Chelsea
Chelsea are a very strange case at the minute.
Since Todd Boehly took over the west London outfit, they’ve they’ve splashed over one billion pounds on transfer and loan fees. That is an eye watering some on players, and I genuinely believe if you gave that amount of money to spend on transfers to anyone else not only in the big six but probably in the rest of the Premier League, at the very minimum the top 10 last season, they would have invested it so much better than Chelsea have. This is not to say that the players they have signed are no good, because a lot of the players they’ve signed are decent players, or were when they signed them. However, the amount of overpayments we have seen during Boehly’s reign is simply astounding.
Arguably the best recruitment in this time has to have been Mauricio Pochettino. He is a world class manager and is in the top five managers in the league, arguably in the top three. He’s made Chelsea look a lot more cohesive and there is definitely a vision there for how they are to improve. Though this vision seems to have blurred at times this season, for example in games against the likes of Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, resounding performances against the likes of Brighton, Tottenham, and of course the four all thriller against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge definitely show the team that Chelsea can be.
If any other team finished 12th and the next season afterwards they finished 8th, they would be very happy with that. Unfortunately, after spending that much and being the club the size of Chelsea, this is still unacceptable. If they can keep the squad settled and make sure they continue to gel together, and arguably the most important factor is keeping their captain Reece James not only fit but in good form when he is available, then I’m sure Chelsea will remain hopeful for next season come the end of this season, even if that means no European football once again.
- Manchester United
Once again, another very interesting case here at Old Trafford.
So far this season, Chelsea have looked a better team than Manchester united, despite what the table and the stats may say. At Chelsea, there is a clear vision for the future with a brand of football that they are trying to play and there is a clear thought process behind everything that they’re doing. However, this is not the case at Manchester United.
What is bodeing well for United though is they are picking up results and ultimately it is results that see you do better in the table, not performances. I think it is agreeable to say that a club the size of Manchester United should not be competing in the Europa Conference League, but I believe that this is the fate of Manchester United in 2024 and 2025. Ultimately, I think that the poor performances will catch up with them and results will begin to dry up which will prevent them from properly cementing themselves as a team in contention for finishing in the top four.
A seventh place finish and a probable exit from European competition, or at the very minimum no knock out football in the Champions League in 2024, may also not be enough to keep Eric Ten Hag in a job. Only time will tell at Old Trafford.
- Aston Villa
At time of writing, Aston Villa are astoundingly holding a place in the top four, having played 21, won 13, drawn 4, and lost 3. Though losses to the likes of Nottingham Forest, Legia Warsaw and Everton this season have been disappointing, wins against the likes of Man City, Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham have made Villa look like a really polished and efficient side.
I truly believe as well that this, Villa team has the depth and quality to not only prioritise Europe and win the Europa Conference League but unlike West Ham last season, be able to maintain good form in the league and ultimately see them finish in the top six.
Ollie Watkins has looked electric this year for Villa, so far scoring 14 and assisting 10 in 29 games. Moussa Diaby has been an incredible signing, which can also be said for Pau Torres. Luca Digne has also been great at left back for Villa, after it looked certain he would leave this summer after the signing of Alex Moreno, but due to his unfortunate injury Digne have had plenty of chances in the first team and seems to have seized them and cemented himself as Villas first choice left back even when Moreno returns.
As long as they can remain consistent and keep players fit, I think Aston Villa are going to be in for a very special 2024.
- Newcastle
Newcastle are currently experiencing what Villa could experience next year; back in Europe with an elite team with great depth, playing some excellent football and playing in front of a rocking home crowd every week who are now 100% behind the players and the manager.
Despite some disappointing games against the likes of Bournemouth, Dortmund, and somehow losing to Liverpool in August, Newcastle have also enjoyed some fantastic games and victories against the likes of Manchester City, PSG, and of course the rampant game at Bramall Lane.
Just like last season, Newcastle generally look well oiled and confident when they play. This is the core of Eddie howe’s footballing philosophy, which has been embraced and imbedded perfectly at Newcastle. The depth signings they have made apart from Sandro Tonali have been excellent, and the familiar faces that sent Newcastle to the Champions League last season have been even better than last year. Isak and Wilson have looked amazing up top, and Bruno Guimarães has continued to run the midfield and be the beating heart of this Newcastle team.
I think Newcastle are capable of staying in the hunt for a position in the top four for a long while, but unfortunately I think their participation in the Champions League and a potential FA Cup run could see them just miss out on a return to the Champions League next season.
- Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have absolutely blown me away this season. I was very anti-Ange. Though I did think that Tottenham needed to shift away from just hiring big names who are going to play a routine way of football that has achieved lots through the years, I did not think that Ange Postecoglu was the answer to their managerial prayers. I believe they had went too far to the other end of the stick and hired a manager that was simply too inexperienced and too different to lead to Tottenham back into the Champions League. However, now I can confidently say that I believe Tottenham are good enough to return to the Champions League next season.
Tottenham have struggled with injuries to James Maddison and Mikey Van de Ven throughout the season, two players at the heart of everything Tottenham are doing well this season. Though it can be said that these injuries and the amount of injuries they are suffering are exposing the lack of squad depth they have at the minute . However, though down the years Daniel Levy has been reluctant to invest, I truly believe that this January Tottenham will be delving into the transfer market to continue to build the team that Ange Postecoglu wants to build at Tottenham.
Despite the poor run of form they are on now, and other poor runs they may go on throughout the season (or should Madison sustain another injury or the likes of other important players like Son or Vicario suffer knockbacks also), I believe that the lack of European football to focus on will ultimately lead Tottenham to be able to sustain a top four challenge that will see them finish fourth. I believe Maddison and other injured players will only come back stronger, will ultimately see Tottenham return to Europe elite next season.
- Arsenal
This year, everybody seems to be talking about how well Liverpool have rebuilt and how they are ready to push Manchester City to the end of the season for the Premier League title potentially. While this is true and the Reds have looked awfully impressive, I believe this is disrespectful to another team in red.
Arsenal have also looked really impressive this season. 100 million pounds is a hell of a lot of money, but Declan Rice has been so good for them in the heart of midfield that everybody have forgotten how much he was brought in for. He’s carrying that Arsenal midfield to the extent that there is a lack of commentary generally in the media of how poorly Martin Odegaard has been this season. Not only has Rice been putting in strong defensive performances acting as a four, but has also been able to operate as an eight. He averages 1.92 tackles and 1.73 interceptions per 90, an impressive stat for a player that also gets forward well.
I don’t really understand why there is such a narrative that the title race has to be two teams. Well this is definitely more realistic, I genuinely believe this season we could see a three-way title race that could go down to the last game’s of the season with all three standing a chance of winning the title. While I believe a potential run in the Champions League and the FA Cup will hinder Arsenal from finishing in the top two, I believe that would will be very happy with third if that means they are able to go on a good run in the Champions League this season.
The Arsenal still have room to improve, most notably if I can get better performance is out of the likes of Odergaard and Martinelli, they are already a team on top form that are pleasing to watch every time they step onto the pitch, even if some results haven’t gone their way this season.
- Liverpool
Now, to talk about that special team in red that everybody seems to be believing will push Manchester City all the way this season, Liverpool.
The team people described as Liverpool 2.0 have been high flying in the Premier League so far this season. Their only lost so far this season is technically a 2-all draw with Tottenham, which is credit to how strong Liverpool have been so far, only denied so far through a var fault. I believe the key reason to Liverpool successor season can be put down to the return to form of one man: Virgil Van Dijk.
Naturally, despite a strong 21/22 campaign, the disappointing 22/23 campaign saw many question if Van Dijk will ever return to the height of his powers. However, it is clear to see now that Van Dijk is back to his best. It is obvious that is new role as club captain have seen him step up massively on and off the pitch, and while we will never truly understand the impact he has around the training ground and in the dressing room, we can see how well he’s been doing on the pitch, averaging 1.2 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per 90 so far this season.
Elsewhere, the likes of Szoboszlai, Salah and Nunez have also been on fire the season contributing to the electric attacking options Liverpool possess at the minute. Like Arsenal, they are not perfect, as Mac Allister looks uncomfortable playing after six and looks like if Liverpool are to become a top team once again and they need to really solidify that six position in midfield and truly fill the void Fabinho left. But so far Liverpool 2.0 are looking like a nine out of 10.
- Manchester City
The immovable object. Once again, I believe Manchester City are going to take home yet another Premier League title. It is only further credit to them that it seems once again that England’s most dominant team in the past 10 years are going to cruise their way to another title. However, this time it might not be as easy as people think.
One thing to credit City about is their ability to move players on but to replace them sufficiently as well. No better player prove this point than Jeremy Doku. The young Belgian has looked electric this season, and have run teams rampant with his electric pace and excellent decision making in the final third. Though he offers a slightly different profile on the wing to the Algerian, he is almost the perfect replacement for Riyad Mahrez. He’s nimble, smart, and has that raw attacking ability that can really make a fullback shiver. Though it will be difficult to reach a similar level that Mahrez got to the peak of his powers at city, at such a young age with such a good team around him and a great manager at the helm, Doku definitely has the potential to get there and beyond.
Once again, we are running out of adjectives to describe Erling Haaland. He continues to break records and astound pundit, players and fans alike. Though his numbers are still incredible, they are weaker than his numbers he had put up by this point last year. This is a narrative that a lot of people are looking at which lead them to frown upon him: but bare in mind he still has 22 goal involvements in 19 games, which is still unbelievable. This is why we are running out of ways to describe this goal scoring phenomenon and we can only use the same words we did last season- prolific, electric, magnificent. Need I go on?
City look good now, but as new signings like Gvardiol and Kovacic and other players like Foden and Grealish continue to build up form, and the return of Kevin De Bruyne next year, City will only get better and better which will surely see them left another Premier League trophy.
Individual awards
I’d like to briefly touch on who I believe will take home the individual awards in the Premier League this season.
Firstly, top scorer. Of course, I think you will be pushed a little harder this season, Erling Haaland will take home the Golden Boot yet again this year. Though I do think Salah, Watkins, and Heung-Min Son will all end up finishing with some great goal tallies, the robot himself will probably end up scoring another 35 goals.
However, I don’t think the answer is as obvious for top playmaker, or top assister. Though City will always have plenty of players of their especially now that they have Haaland to feed, I think this year it would be closer given De Bruyne’s injury record. For this award, I’m going to go with Trent Alexander-Arnold. I believe he will only come back stronger from his current injury and will continue to support Salah as he continues to climb the top scorers list. While I can see Maddison, De Bruyne and Saka finding themselves high up on this list, I think Trent will take this award home and cement himself as part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad in Germany next summer.
For the golden glove, I don’t think this award is as obvious as who has the best defense in the league or who is the best goalkeeper in the league. I think despite the questions asked around them so far this season, Onana will be a dark horse for this one, but I’m going to remain sensible and go for Alisson Becker to take home the Golden glove this season.
For player of the season, I do think this one is fairly straightforward, as I believe City will win the league and once again earling Harland will win player of the season two couple nicely with his Golden Boot.
Young player of the season will not be going to the robot this season though. For this award, I believe it’s between two Arsenal players, and I think this season it will go to Arsenal’s defensive rock William Saliba rather than their starboy Bukayo Saka. I believe both will end up having stellar seasons but I think so far Saliba’s level has been slightly higher than Saka’s.
Manager of the season is always a basic one, and of course if they win the league then it will go to Pep Guardiola. This season though, could definitely be deserved to go to someone like Unai Emery, Ange Postecoglu, Jurgen Klopp or Gary O’Neil.
Finally, though this would normally be hard to predict, I think it’s going to be very difficult for any player to top the wonder goal witnessed at Goodison Park on November 26 with that incredible overhead kick from Alejandro Garnacho. Though he is not the most likeable of players, I believe everyone can tip their hat to the brilliance of that strike.
So there we have it: My crystal ball has shown me how the rest of the Premier League season is to go next May. I’ll check back on these predictions and see if I was anywhere near with absolutely any of them, which to be honest I’m can’t say 100% that any of them will come true. But isn’t that just the magic of the Premier League?
