Who can knock Liverpool off their perch?
It begins here
I’d snap your hand off for top 4 (or is it now 5?)
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No one watches premier league in August and September mate.
Some very attractive opening round fixtures to look forward to.
The following rules will be introduced next Premier League season:
• Halftime interviews with players/managers
• Interviews with players who get subbed off
• Dressing room broadcasts
We’re going to do it Marty! We’re going to do it.
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Dublin are hyped up by the media, we’re a better football team, i cant see us losing from here.
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Prediction for the upcoming season:
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Liverpool: First time in my life that I’d actually fancy Liverpool to win the league in pre-season. They haven’t done back to back since the 3 in a row from 1982-1984 but Wirtz and Kerkez genuinely look a level about Cherki and Ait Nouri that City have recruited and the desire to honour Diego Jota with silverware could act as a serious motivating factor. Signing Guehi from Palace would eradicate concerns about the lack of centre-back cover. Getting their celebrations out of the way in April/early May should’ve helped focus minds.
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Man City: Rodri is back albeit he’s out with a short-term injury again. He’ll instantly improve the team as will the new signing Reijnders who scored 10 goals from midfield in Serie A last season. Pep will have to reinvent the wheel once again and the possibility of a points deduction or worse sanctions hang over them like a bad smell. Such a scenario would obviously take them out of the title race. But they’ve won 6 of the last 8 titles and it would be ludicrous to write them off.
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Arsenal: On paper Arsenal have rectified their main issue from last season with the addition of a prolific goalscorer in Gyokeres. Although you’d be slightly wary of the fact that he was only at Coventry as recently as 2023. Still he scores goals and plenty of them. Zubamendi is an upgrade on the unnamed premier league footballer in his 30’s too. The only obvious weakness is at left-wing. Martinelli hasn’t kicked on and Madueke is a random enough signing. They should go close and I’d have them 2nd but they’ll hardly finish there for a 4th season in a row.
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Chelsea: An improving team with a fine midfield and a potential gem in Palmer if he can rediscover his form from October 23’-December 24’. I’m not entirely sold on Maresca though and don’t see them winning the league as long as he’s in charge. They should be much closer to the other three this season but are still leaky at the back with a bomb scare of a keeper which will hold them back.
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Manchester United: I’d have had them 8th until recently but the addition of a decent young striker (Sesko) and the potential recruitment of Baleba could lift them higher. We’ve seen the likes of 2016/17 Chelsea and 2013/14 Liverpool surpass expectation without the distraction of European football and United should benefit from extra-time on the training pitch with Amorim. In the post-Fergie era we’ve often seen Man Utd improve quite rapidly in a managers first full-season before regressing again so a leap of 10 places isn’t completely out of the question. I’m on record as saying that Mbeumo would have gotten a big move a couple of years earlier if he didn’t look so much older than his age.
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Spurs: I like Thomas Frank and his style reminds me of Jurgen Klopp’s. The extra toll of 8 (eight) Champions League group phase games might impact on their domestic season but hopefully Spurs fans can enjoy the decent football and refrain from labelling him as a hipster by Christmas.
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Villa: Very little recruitment in the summer but I reckon they’ll win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League through that. Unai Emery loves the Europa and Villa so far have managed to retain the services of Ollie Watkins. The flashy loan signings like Asensio (who was very good) and Rashford haven’t been retained unfortunately.
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Newcastle: Comfortably 5th at the outset of the window, things have taken a turn for the worst since and the whole project has been called into question for reasons other than the obvious ethical issues around it. Isak has claimed he’ll never play for the club again and they’ve missed out on a raft of targets from Mbeumo to Pedro to Ekitike to Sesko. The Champions League caused a drop off in their league form in 2023-24 and a repeat looks very likely now.
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Brighton: A model club who should continue in a similar vein to last season. They’ll miss Joao Pedro and may drop lower if Baleba leaves but their planning and recruitment is exemplary.
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Everton: I’m backing David Moyes to have a strong season there. He made them a difficult side to beat in the second-half of last season and the addition of some further flair players like Theirno Barry and Jack Grealish provides optimism. The Ev just suit Moyes down to the ground.
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Fulham: They’ve stood still over the summer but Marco Silva and Fulham to appear to be a great fit and they’re a handful for most at Craven Cottage. A slight regression from last season but they won’t be in any danger.
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Crystal Palace: A fine team on paper and outstanding in the cups. They rarely seem to fulfil their potential over a 38 game league season though. I’d love to see them win the Conference League and get their rightful place in the Europa League as a consequence. Albeit 12 months later. A handful for anyone.
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Bournemouth: Losing most of their defence could result in a drop off but they still have a fine attacking unit with guys like Kluivert, Semenyo and Evanilson and a progressive coach in Iraola. They’ll be fine.
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Forest: They’ve only scored once in 7 pre-season games apparently and will be distracted with the Europa League this season. A drop-off is inevitable. Igor Jesus is their big summer recruit as a long-term successor to the ageless Chris Wood.
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Wolves: Losing Cunha isn’t ideal but they did win 5 in a row near the end of last season. The caveat being that it wasn’t mostly against the relegated teams, Man Utd and Spurs. Strand Larsen’s goals should keep them afloat.
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West Ham: Graham Potter hasn’t had the desired effect at all since his arrival in January of this year. The win at the Emirates did offer a glimmer of hope but the excitement around last summers recruitment evaporated fairly quickly and they’ll live to regret parting ways with David Moyes.
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Leeds: They haven’t had the best summer on the recruitment front and are still reliant on Piroe up front. Daniel Farke has consistently been a good championship manager but a poor Premier League one and it may take a mid-season change of management and some signings in January but the Elland Road factor could keep them up. Just. Dan James and Willy Gnonto are a pacy pair of wingers, ideal for sitting back and countering teams.
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Brentford: Losing Thomas Frank, Norgaard and Mbeumo was bad. Worse still appointing Keith Andrews. Anyone who watched Virgin Media coverage or endured his stint as Stephen Kenny’s ass man would’ve advised them to steer well clear. Obviously from an Irish perspective it would be nice to see him succeed but I can’t help but feel that he’s a spoofer with his word of the week. This probably won’t end well.
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Sunderland: Lost about 5 games in a row last season once automatic promotion was out of reach. They’ve gone big on signings this summer, with Xhaka and Adingra offering some hope. AFCON could prove a killer for them though given the number of Africans signed.
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Burnley: Scott Parker is their manager. Enough said.
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Any year the World Cup has been held in Mexico a Merseyside team wins the league and Cork and Kerry win the All-Irelands.
Bwahahahahaahahaha
Predictions:
1 Arsenal 96 points
2 Chelsea 86
3 Abu Dhabu 85
4 Manchester United 79
5 Aston Villa 74
6 Fulham 68
7 Saudi Arabia 67
8 Liverpool 64
9 Crystal Palace 59
10 Notts Forest 56
11 Brighton 56
12 Tottenham 55
13 Leeds 51
14 Bournemouth 48
15 Everton 46
16 Wolves 43
17 West Ham 43
18 Sunderland 36
19 Burnley 29
20 Brentford 14
Arsenal are nailed on this year. A settled side with a pwoppa number 9 now and probably more luck on the injury front. Chelsea and City will battle for 2nd while Yanited and Liverpool will have a proper ding dong for fourth place with Yanited shading it due to no European football. Brentford need to get rid of Keith Andrews bedore Christmas to survive
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I was half looking for a price on Arteta to be first manager sacked.
Lose at Old Trafford on Sunday and the pressure will start to come on…
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Gooners have one win in 18 years at the Theatre of Dreams
Keith Andrews will surely be sacked first.
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The Chelsea lad or Potter or whoever Leeds have
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Untrue. Arsenal have three wins at Old Trafford since 2015. They won 2-1 in FA Cup in March 2015, 1-0 in the Premier League in November 2020 and 1-0 in the Premier League in May 2024.