10 things that will most likely happen in the Premier League this year
By Dillon Friday, Carden Hedelt, Josh Naso and Eddie Maisonet
As hard as it is to believe, the 2015-15 Barclays Premier League starts this weekend after an offseason that lasted about as long as a Ronda Rousey Fight or DeAndre Jordan’s stint as a Dallas Maverick.
Chelsea seeks to defend its title with a lineup that remains virtually unchanged. Meanwhile, Manchester United loaded up as did crosstown rival Manchester City. And then there’s Arsenal, which has fans dreaming of the club’s first championship since the Invincibles thanks to a dominant close to 2015. The title chase should be as good as its been in years. Of course, the league itself never disappoints.
TSFJ’s Footyheads Josh Naso, Carden Hedelt, Dillon Friday, and the Editor-in-Chief, Eduardo Edson Arantes do Nascimento Maisonet III share their thoughts on the upcoming campaign.
Mostly Like To Finish In The Top Four Arsenal
The time is now for the Gunners to make their run at a title. They finished third in the league last season, while also taking home the Community Shield and the FA Cup. Last weekend, Arsenal captured this season’s Community Shield as well, defeating the reigning league champion Chelsea 1-0. Last season’s strong performance, especially at the end of the season, combined with the addition of a quality goalkeeper, a rare commodity in North London, has Arsenal fans dreaming of a title, and rightfully so.
Chelsea
The Blues ran away with the title last season, and will be formidable again this year. Health will be the biggest concern for Chelsea, as they lack depth, particularly up front where they will rely on Radamel Falcao and Loic Remy behind Diego Costa. This is particularly concerning with Costa already battling hamstring issues. Although Costa was incredibly effective for Chelsea last season, he missed significant time with injury and is starting the 2015-16 campaign at less than 100%. The presence of Eden Hazard, arguably the best player in the Premier League, will ease concerns for now, but Chelsea must stay healthy in order to make a run at back-to-back titles.
Manchester City
City were the runner’s up to Chelsea last season after winning the Premier League in 2013-14. They will look to their prize signing, 2014 Golden Boy winner Raheem Sterling, to help them try to reclaim the title from Chelsea. Sterling looks to bolster an already threatening offense, one that lead the Premier League in goals scored last season. If Raheem can show some consistency, City’s offense becomes downright frightening.
Manchester United
After a disastrous 2013-14 run that saw United fail to qualify for a European competition for the first time in 23 years with a 7th place finish in the Premier League, Louis van Gaal was hired to right the ship. He was able to return the Red Devils to relevancy with a 4th place finish and Champions League berth last year. Van Gaal looks to build on that success and continue the upward trend this season, and has brought in a slew of new players to help him do so. Bastian Schweinsteiger, Memphis Depay, and Morgan Schneiderlin headline the group hoping to help United improve on last season’s revival.
Most likely surprise team to crash the Top 4: Southampton
So which team has a chance to surprise us and break into the Champions League stranglehold held by our expected top 4? Tottenham has finished in the top six for six straight seasons, but their best chance to break through is behind them with players like Luka Modric and Gareth Bale long gone. Liverpool, always lurking, has regressed since their superb season and dramatic title chase in 2013-14. Everton took advantage of Liverpool’s run and Man. United’s stumble in 2013-14 to finish 5th, but fell back to 11th in last season’s campaign. So we’ll go with Southampton, who hung with the big boys for much of the season before finishing in 7th, 10 points off the pace for a Champions League spot. They ended up with a plus-21 goal differential, by far the best of any of teams outside of the top four. If they catch a couple breaks, they could flirt with a top four finish.
Most likely striker to score all the goals: Sergio Kun Agüero
You have no idea how much the EIC wanted to put Alexis Sanchez here, but the smart money (bookmakers in particular) point towards Manchester City’s Sergio Aguerro winning the golden boot for most goals in the Premier League. Aguerro, now wearing the legendary #10 kit that just screams that “NOW I WILL SCORE ALL THE GOALZ” unlike the #16 kit where he won the Golden Boot in 2013-14 and has the highest goals per minute ratios in the history of the Premier League.
What did we miss in our 2015-16 Premier League Primer? Let us know your thoughts and predictions in the comments section, as we prepare to dive into another season of football in England.
The post 10 Most Likely Things That Will Happen In The 2015-16 Premier League This Season appeared first on The Sports Fan Journal.
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