The English Premier League 2021/22 season began with sheer class, but nobody expected such a thrilling opener. Every matchday, one fixture finished with a winning team, without a single drawn matchup to be seen. With that said, now that the league is underway, we can gaze into the future of the EPL standings through the utilization of the performances we’ve witnessed thus far. Please continue reading for predictions on which teams will finish in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Premier League positions.
1st Place [Chelsea]
Manager Thomas Tuchel drove his Chelsea squad into 4th position of the English Premier league table last season, and he accomplished the unthinkable by winning the UEFA Champions League final. These accomplishments don’t become as impressive until you mention his late arrival to the club. Tuchel joined halfway through the season to replace former manager Frank Lampard. He completely flipped Chelsea into a dominant squad. We believe that with an entire season under his belt and the arrival of Romelu Lukaku, these factors could position The Blues as this year’s Premier League title winners.
Tuchel has already proven last season’s squad is on another playing field by defeating Arsenal 0-2 away from home. Last season, Chelsea gave up six points to Arsenal, but the battle of London has already been settled this term, and the master tactician Thomas Tuchel has the confidence to defeat all comers in the EPL. This was also exemplified when Chelsea beat last season’s title winners Manchester City in the Champions League final.
2nd Place [Manchester United]
Finishing in second place last season wasn’t the worth outcome for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men, but they failed to make a severe run for title contention with their rivals Manchester City. Salt in the wounds was added when Villareal sent The Red Devils crashing out of the Europa League final, showing the Solskjaer struggled to succeed in the fixtures that indeed count.
With that said, we expect this season’s starting eleven at Old Trafford to make the title run much closer. Solskjaer has a renewed contract and will be assisted with big-money additions – Raphael Varane from Real Madrid and Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund. The talent at his disposal is undeniable, and if United don’t finish in 2nd place again, I wouldn’t be surprised to witness their first Premier League trophy win under Solskjaer.
3rd Place [Manchester City]
The highly talented and expensive squad of Manchester City have naturally taken the top position at online betting sites. Despite their ever-growing power in numbers, the teams around them are adapting to Pep Guardiola’s style of play.
We can’t ignore the arrival of £100 million signing Jack Grealish. Of course, The Citizens have taken three of the past four EPL titles; however, holes in their game are starting to appear – including an opening matchday 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hostpur.
4th Place [Liverpool]
When hundreds of millions are spent during the summer transfer window, you’d expect Jurgen Klopp to have himself some of the action, but Liverpool is relying on their title-winning squad of 2019-20 to repeat past success.
In case you were wondering why Arsene Wenger was at the Reds’ training session today… 🏆👇
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 24, 2021
Chelsea and Manchester United’s spending is undoubtedly an intimidating situation for rival EPL title contenders. Liverpool has a reinvigorated squad following last season’s plethora of injuries but keeping up with the power three could prove challenging.
The best news at Anfield is the return of Virgil van Dijk, whose serious knee injury left him side-lined from October 2020. We expect Van Dijk to play a massive role if The Reds defy our 4th place prediction and wipe out the competition.
5th Place [Tottenham]
The rumours circulating Tottenham that Harry Kane is heading for Manchester City may have been put to bed when Spurs handed them a 1-0 defeat to kick-off the season.
However, Kane isn’t the only superstar that can bring Tottenham into a higher placed finish than last terms disappointing 7th. Son Heung-min paired up with new arrivals Bryan Gil and former Atalanta defender Cristian Romero add a unique flair to Tottenham’s squad.
With Jose Mourinho a thing of the past, Nuno Espirito Santo will attempt to take a new course for a club that lost its spark in 2020.
