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#3 Norwich City
Norwich City suffered relegation after a disastrous season in the Premier League, but made a quick recovery and were the first team to secure automatic promotion last season.
But if their latest stint in the Premier League is anything to go by, this looks like yet another back-and-forth season for the Canaries. Norwich amassed just 21 points during the 2019-20 campaign and were the first team to be relegated.
Defense was a huge problem for manager Daniel Farke back then, but he seems to have worked on it a bit in the Championship.
As they look to sort out their defense for a tough Premier League season, their attack could also prove an issue this time. Norwich have already lost their chief creator Emi Buendia and are now heavily reliant on the aging Teemu Pukki as a goal threat.
Their young stars Todd Cantwell and Max Aarons will have to shoulder the responsibility to carry this team away from relegation. But despite having Premier League experience, it remains to be seen if they can do it on their own.
Farke would surely have learned from his past mistakes in the Premier League but Norwich may still have to grind hard if they are to avoid a relegation scrap.
#2 Brentford
Newly promoted Brentford will be featuring for the first time in the Premier League after what has been a long and hard road for them.
After so many close calls and losing in the Championship play-offs final two seasons ago, Brentford have finally made it to the top-flight.
But the task at hand only gets tougher from here on in the 38-game season. The Bees are completely inexperienced when it comes to the Premier League and will have to pull a rabbit out of their hat to avoid relegation.
The most likely to provide that spark for them is their hitman Ivan Toney. The Englishman is coming off a big season in the Championship after directly contributing 43 goals for the Bees last term.
The Brentford faithful will be hoping he carries this momentum into the new Premier League season and helps them survive the threat of relegation.
Activities in the transfer market have been rather low-profile as well, and with their inexperience, you would think they could use Premier League proven talent.
Brentford have worked extremely hard to come this far and they will certainly not go down without a fight.
#1 Watford
Watford were one of three Premier League teams to face relegation at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. But they bagged automatic promotion to the top-tier by finishing second in the Championship last season.
It's not an easy feat to achieve promotion just one year after your relegation, but the underlying statistics are concerning for the Hornets. Their attack could fail to live up to Premier League standards. And hence it remains a cause of concern for manager Xisco Muñoz, who steadied the Watford ship after a flurry of managerial sackings in 2020.
Ismalia Sarr finished as their top scorer with just 13 goals, just ahead of young striker Joao Pedro with nine goals last season.
Club captain Troy Deeney is aging and is a shadow of his former self. Meanwhile, the addition of Joshua King, Emmanuel Dennis and Cucho Hernandez adds to an already bloated but inconsistent attack, which also includes Andre Gray and Isaac Success.
The Hornets will need to strengthen in other key areas and must have a strong start that gives them momentum in the league. Otherwise, they could be involved in yet another season of battling relegation.
