Due to the World Cup taking place in November, The Premier League will be returning earlier than usual this season, with the first fixtures due to take place on August 6. And with plenty of movement in the transfer window (and the dugouts), it’s shaping up to be a season of surprises. Just how surprising might things get? Spurs aren’t usually fighting for the title, but their development under Conte will have punters looking for free bet deals on sites like oddschecker to back them for glory. And the North London club won’t be the only side with high ambitions going into the 2022/23 campaign. Newcastle and Aston Villa will look to kick on, too. We’ll run through some of the more outlandish predictions for next year below.
Spurs to Challenge For the title
It’s been a while since Spurs have challenged for the title. They haven’t really done it since the year Leicester won the league, and even in that year, they ended up finishing third after a poor final few games. But there’s a chance that the North London outfit do make a run at the title next year. It will take a lot to overcome Manchester City, of course, but Spurs are gathering momentum under Conte. If City struggle for whatever reason, it’s possible that it’ll be Tottenham, and not Liverpool, that sweep in for the glory. Son and Kane are playing very well at the moment, and if Conte can add one or two players, then they might just reach their full potential.
Liverpool To Drop Off
Aside from the year following their Premier League victory, it has been an awesome few seasons for Liverpool. In fact, virtually every year under Klopp has been a fun and exciting ride. While the Merseyside team still remain a highly potent threat, it’s possible that they will struggle to reach their usual heights next year. For one thing, they’re losing Mane, and even if they can replace him, it’s unlikely to happen immediately. It’ll take some time. It’s also possible that they experience a bit of a hangover from last year, when they were so close to immortality, only to end up with trophies that fans don’t generally sing songs about. A third-place finish wouldn’t be a complete shock.
Haaland To Win The Golden Boot
Haaland signing for Manchester City was a big boost for the Premier League, which always wants to have the world’s best (or high profile) players and managers in the division. Of course, Haaland’s success is not guaranteed. He has been a phenomenon so far, but the Bundesliga, in its current shape, does not compete with the Premier League.
So it’s normal that there are some doubts surrounding Haaland’s ability to succeed in England. However, while he might not score a goal every 86 minutes as he did in Germany, he’s still a goalscoring machine. And he’ll likely have more chances at goal in a City shirt than he did in a Dortmund shirt. Also, his confidence, arrogance even, is through the roof. Don’t be surprised if he wins the Golden Boot this year — as well as every other year he plays for Manchester City.
Newcastle To Finish Top Six
It’s been a long time since anyone could say “it’s good to be a Newcastle United fan,” but that does seem to finally be the case. The injection of cash that the new owners provided means the club can look to the future with confidence, something that was impossible during the dysfunctional Mike Ashley years. There’s already a happy air around St. James’ Park, and it wouldn’t be unthinkable that Newcastle challenge for the European places. This has partly to do with their on-field improvements and partly to do with the lack of other quality teams challenging for those positions.
And Aston Villa Too
Aston Villa may also climb up the table next year. They may not have the riches of Newcastle, but they’ve been playing well, they have a young and ambitious manager, and they’re getting plenty of good players signed onto long-term contracts. If they add a couple more, then they’ll win more games than they lose. There’s even some talk that Gareth Bale might join Steven Gerrard’s team, which would add another sprinkling of star power.
Southampton To Go Down
How bad are Southampton? We’re about to find out. They were truly awful towards the end of last season. If they hadn’t racked up enough points early on in the campaign, and if other sides weren’t even worse, then they would have gone down. The question now is whether they can pick themselves up and find some form. If they can’t do that early in the season, then there’ll be plenty of worried faces around St. Mary’s. They’ve been shipping goals like they’re going out of fashion, and they’re not much better at scoring them, either.
Everton To Be Safe
It was getting pretty nervy there at Goodison Park last season. For the first time in forever, Everton might have been playing in the second division. Thankfully, the players and fans got them over the line. You have to imagine that they won’t get themselves into the same position next year. Lampard will have had a whole summer to figure things out, while the club will also be hopeful that they can keep on to their best players. They won’t expect to do amazing things or even finish in the top half of the table, but relegation probably won’t be a massive concern.
Chelsea To Do Better Than Expected
Everyone thought Chelsea were dead and buried a while ago. But now the club has been sold, and they’re able to sign players. And we have to remember that they’ve already got a boatload of top-class players and a world-class manager, too. If they can bring in a few new faces and the players can fully commit to Tuchel’s methods, Chelsea should find themselves in the Champions League places and may even push for the title, too.
