This season in the English Premier League has been filled with headlines. Teams are playing during a global pandemic, players are suffering from lowered fitness due to tight scheduling, and many teams are surprising the league and fans alike. In this article, I’ll take a look at some of the teams who have surprised this season, both positively and negatively, and my predictions for the top and bottom of the league.
Off to a fast start
Nobody expected them to be there, but Tottenham currently are league leaders at the top of the table. With 21 points, they are tied with title holder Liverpool and two points above Chelsea. Jose Mourinho has done a wonderful job turning Spurs around, reflected in their tactically-sound play rather than headline signings. Son Heung-min is one goal off the leader, Calvert-Lewin, for the Golden Boot Title, and Harry Kane is well above the rest of the league with nine assists in 10 games.
Just Can’t Seem to get it Going
There are plenty of candidates for teams that are struggling in the EPL this season. For starters, although they are playing quite well in the Champions League, Manchester City sit 11th on the table. After finishing in second last year, this is sure to be a huge disappointment for Pep Guardiola’s side. Moreover, Arsenal, who sit 14th on the table, haven’t been able to live up to heightened expectations set this year under Mikel Arteta with a revamped starting XI. Finally, Sheffield United made huge strides in last season’s campaign, finishing mid-table at ninth. Currently, they sit dead last in the league, and will be surely facing relegation come season’s end.
Top Four Prediction (in order)
- Tottenham – it only makes sense that they would win the league the only year people could use the “this season doesn’t count because of COVID-19” ploy
- Chelsea – after starting the season slow, Chelsea look to be in high spirits with good production all over the team and a well rounded lineup
- Liverpool – although they don’t look like the team that won the league less than a year ago, Liverpool should be able to claim a top 3 place even with the loss of Virgil Van Dijk
- Manchester City – yes, they aren’t playing their best football. But, they are realistically only three points out of a top four spot in the table with a game at hand
Bottom Three Prediction (in oder)
18. Burnley – while they haven’t looked great this season, they may be in the running to claim the last spot above relegation come season’s end
19. West Brom – newly promoted West Brom haven’t been able to make much noise in this season’s campaign, and I don’t see them doing so the rest of the way out.
20. Sheffield United – the biggest head scratcher of them all, Sheffield United is destined to finish within the bottom three, it’s just a matter of where
Photo: AA
