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August is coming. Brace yourselves, for the new season of the Premier League is about to begin. 11th August- mark the date. Manchester United take on Leicester City at Old Trafford.
The Premier League is the most exciting league in the world. Year-after-year, the quality, the drama & the passion of the Premier League never fails to disappoint. There's a reason why it's claimed to be 'the best league in the world'. A claim that's very hard to contest.
What makes the Premier League so beautiful is its 'balance'. Every team is amazing. No team is unbeatable (except 'The Invincibles'). The word 'upsets' is over-used and that's what makes the league so exciting. Every matchday has an 'upset' looming around the corner.
With just weeks to go and the pre-season friendlies well underway now, the excitement is building up.
Historically, four-teams have been fighting for the title year-after-year. However, in recent times, the 'top-four' has become more like a 'top-six'. Expect to see the same names there, at the top of the table this season: Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Just how there's ambiguity surrounding the positions of the best teams in the league, the same ambiguity clouds the bottom half of the league. No team wants to get relegated and hence, the fight to avoid the drop is just as exciting as the fight to win the title.
Come the month of March and April next year, the pandemonium of the Premier League will be at its peak.
The end of the season is a mixed-affair. While glory awaits some players, despair & heartbreak awaits others. For a professional footballer, nothing can be worse than being part of a team that's relegated. Injury & relegation- the two lowest points in the careers of professional footballers.
Just how the season begins with a list of contenders for the title, there's also the dreaded list of clubs who will be battling it out to avoid the drop that season.
Here are five clubs who are part of the latter list this season.
#1 Huddersfield Town
Last season, Huddersfield Town finished 16th with 37 points, avoiding the drop by a relatively comfortable margin of four points by the end of the season.
The fact that they managed to avoid the drop last season is great and much of the credit has to go their manager, David Wagner.
With that being, Huddersfield go into this season in pretty much the same position that they saw themselves enter the League in last year, as relegation fighters. Apart from the teams that got relegated, Huddersfield had the worst goal difference in the league, -30. The problem was with their attack. They ended the season scoring the lowest number of goals amongst all the teams in the league, only 28 goals in the entire season.
However, the Terrier fans have some reason to be optimistic about their club's future. The owners of the club have shown ambition by giving the manager some funds to work with this summer. When compared to their fellow relegation compatriots, the Terriers have enjoyed a very successful transfer season.
Next season is going to be as competitive, if not more, as last season. For Huddersfield to avoid the drop this season, the club desperately needs its new signings to click immediately.
Predicted Finish- 19th
#2 Brighton & Hove Albion
Along with Huddersfield Town, most bookmakers had put great odds on Brighton Hove & Albion being relegated last season. However, much to everyone's surprise, the small club played out the story of David vs Goliath better than anyone else, in the recent past.
Chris Houghton made Brighton a tough team to beat, that could play good football when they needed to.
However, last season, Glenn Murray- the 34 year old scored more than his fair share of crucial goals for the club. It would be naive to rely on Murray's goal-scoring prowess to save Brighton from the drop again this season.
Although Brighton finished the season with 40 points, the only non-relegated team to scorer fewer goals than them was Huddersfield- a scary statistic.
Again, some clever business done in this transfer window could prove to be the club's saving grace. Alireza Jahanbakhsh & Florian Andone have been brought in to stop the goal-drought of last season.
Brighton just need to add goals to their game. The club already have a good manager, a well put together squad & discipline on the field- all vital components for a club that's looking to avoid the drop again.
Predicted Finish- 17th
#3 Watford
Honestly, if you have to put money on one club being relegated this season then sadly, Watford is that club.
No disrespect to their new manager Javi Garcia but by letting Marco Silva go, the club has significantly increased its chances of being relegated this season.
After an incredible first half of the season, Watford finished the season in 14th place. A sign that tough times were looming ahead. Not considering the relegated teams, Watford had the second-worst defensive record last season, letting in 64 goals in 38 games.
The lack of an experienced manager at the helm of the club and a relatively inexperienced squad could be the cause of downfall for Watford this season. Sadly, so far, their transfer business too has been ordinary, to say the least.
All the other clubs that will be battling it out to avoid relegation next season have an experienced campaigner leading them, and have used the transfer window to add quality to their ranks. Watford lack in both these areas and therefore, a tough-time awaits the club.
Predicted Finish- 20th
#4 Cardiff City
Out of the three newly promoted clubs, Cardiff City have the biggest battle on their hands. Cardiff secured automatic promotion by finishing 2nd in the Championship last year.
However, as Neil Warnock already knows, the Championship and the Premier League are two very different competitions.
Last season, Cardiff relied on gritty performances to get them over the line and secure promotion. The same strategy will not work in the Premier League. There's too much quality in the Premier League to rely solely on gritty, hard-fought performances.
To survive in the Premier League, you need quality and sadly, Cardiff lack this quality. The Premier League is a huge step-up from Championship football which is why most newly promoted teams try to add quality to their squad in the summer transfer window.
While Wolves and Fulham have confidently gone about their transfer business, Cardiff have quietly fallen behind. Cardiff's biggest asset lies in their manager- Neil Warnock. If Cardiff do avoid the drop, it will be nothing short of a miracle.
Predicted Finish- 18th
#5 AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries' have come a long way from they were a decade ago. Thanks to Eddie Howe's managerial tact, AFC Bournemouth are getting ready for their third consecutive season in the Premier League.
Howe incorporates an attacking and exciting brand of football, a brand that people have come to associate with Bournemouth. In the last three years, both Howe & Bournemouth have won a lot of fans on the back of some truly awe inspiring performances.
Next season will prove to be the biggest challenge that Howe's team has faced so far. Bournemouth finished 12th last season, comfortably occupying a mid-table spot. However, the problem lies in Bournemouth's defense. Apart from the relegated teams, they had the third-worst defensive record last season, letting in 61 goals in 38 games.
That's a worrying statistic. No Bournemouth fan wants this fairy-tale run of theirs to end. And, in order to ensure that it doesn't, Howe has to address the team's defensive fragilities.
Bournemouth have had a quiet transfer window so far but that shouldn't be ringing any alarm bells. They've never been a club that relies on spending big. Hopefully, that philosophy doesn't come back to bite them where it hurts.
Predicted Finish- 16th
