For a long time last term, the answer to the question was, of course, Arsenal, before Manchester City took control at the business end to defend their crown. And now many are asking if it will be a repeat from Pep Guardiola’s side.
Transfers
What can often prove crucial to a team’s chances of success is their work in the transfer market. And, at one stage, things didn’t look ideal for City as they saw Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan, and Riyad Mahrez depart for pastures new. But City responded as expected, with the arrivals of Josko Gvardiol, Mateo Kovacic and Jeremy Doku. So, Guardiola doesn’t have a weaker squad at his disposal as some feared.
If you’re looking at Premier League betting odds, they’re certainly going to suggest in no certain terms that Man City are the heavy favourites to win the Premier League once again, and there are many reasons for this to be the case. They’re the defending champions, they’re the current European champions, and they have a star-studded squad. You couldn’t really ask for more, right?
Rivals
As mentioned above, Arsenal led the way at the top of the league for a significant amount of time last season, and many expect them to go well again. They, like City, have been active in the transfer market, and they’ve recruited well, bringing in the likes of Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, but whether they’ve closed the gap on the defending champions remains to be seen and feels unlikely at this stage.
Other teams expected to be in and around the race for honours include Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United to an extent. And while all three, as you will expect, have been working hard to add quality to their respective squads, they could still be behind Arsenal in terms of where they’re at and their chances of mounting a realistic title challenge for this season at least.
Will they bottle it?
At the time of writing, you would say that the title is City’s to lose. They’re the defending champions and the most successful Premier League outfit of the current era, and it would more than likely be them faltering that lets others capitalise. But when they’ve faltered in the past, they’ve always managed to recover, as seen last season. They also have a not-so-secret weapon up their sleeve that can make the all-important difference when required.
Haaland Globe Trotters
That not-so-secret weapon is Erling Haaland, who enjoyed a fantastic first campaign in the Premier League, where he managed to bag an impressive thirty-six goals. The other teams who will battle it out at the top end of the division lack a goalscorer like Haaland, who, at just twenty-three years old, will only to get better and better and become more prolific. And that’s why you’d say that Manchester City will be successful as they aim to secure another title.
