As the 2024/2025 Premier League season approaches, we can’t help but get excited about what could happen in the coming months.
Looking forward to this weekend, fans wonder what’s behind this first game week. Will Manchester City keep on dominating? Can Arsenal finally break the streak? Will Manchester United get back on track?
All of these questions will remain unanswered until the very end of the season, but a brief analysis could help visualize this coming year.
The Usual Suspects
When looking at these coming few months, it is impossible to look past Man City. Last season, they achieved an unprecedented feat by winning the Premier League four times in a row.
However, their last success was threatened by Arsenal’s rise in the second half of the season, to the point where the cup was still up for grabs in the last game week.
City prevailed, but Arsenal’s time will eventually come. Under Mikel Arteta, this young “Gunners” team will definitely be considered contenders for this 24/25 season. While these two teams will share the podium, we can’t write off the unexpected.
Surprises
From Leicester City to Brighton to Newcastle, it is safe to say that the Premier League is no stranger to surprises. As last year’s surprise was Aston Villa’s top-4 finish and qualification for the Champions League, fans should definitely expect some underdogs to challenge the big clubs.
This time around, three clubs could perform higher than their usual level. The most obvious one is West Ham United, who have been signing some decent players during this summer transfer window, such as Fullkrug and Wan Bissaka.
Fans should also look out for Crystal Palace, who have upped their performance towards the end of last season. Despite losing their best player in Michael Olise, the team is still armed with exciting players and a decent manager.
Finally, Chelsea, one of the traditional top 6 teams, is also a team that will look to earn its respect back. Despite signing countless players, the Blues have what it takes to get into the Champions League spots, led by their remarkable player, Cole Palmer.
Weakened Giants
Manchester United and Liverpool are in somewhat of a grey zone this season. The two biggest clubs in England are now undergoing big changes within their ranks, which makes it hard to predict their final positions.
While Ten Hag has signed suitable players for Man Utd, he is almost forced to get imperative positive results in the Premier League, as he was almost sacked 3 months ago.
As for Liverpool, a new era commences with the departure of Jurgen Klopp and the arrival of Dutch manager Arne Slot. The ex-Feyenoord manager has in fact some big shoes to fill but is equipped with a very strong team that impressed under him in the pre-season friendlies.
Nevertheless, the other teams in the league are either disappointments in the mid-table or in the relegation zone. Looking at the teams this season, Wolves, Nottingham Forest, and Southampton could be the ones going down, while Ipswich may make a surreal effort under Kieran McKenna to stay in the Premier League.
While it is very hard to predict the final positions of the teams, we expect the top four to look like this order: Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Manchester United.
There is no doubt that the Premier League will offer suspense, craze, and controversy as it always does. However, this year could see a title race closer than previous years, hoping that there will be no shortage of entertainment.
