The 25th season of the Premier League gets underway on 13 August 2016 and it is set to be one of the most exciting seasons ever. With a host of world class managers now plying their trade in England, the wait for matchday 1 is finally over and it is now time to see if the EPL can live up to the hype.
From old stalwarts with experience in England such as Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho to the newcomers in the form of Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte, every weekend promises to be one that simply cannot be missed.
We asked the Sportskeeda football team members for their predictions for the top four and the Golden Boot and here is what they had to say.
Ashwin Hanagudu
Predicting the Premier League has never been easy and in a season following the one in which Leicester City triumphed, it is always going to be a thankless task. The Manchester clubs look the strongest on paper, however, both Mourinho and Guardiola will take some time to get adjusted to their new surroundings.
Liverpool and Chelsea are without any European football this time and it could make a huge difference in the latter parts of the season. Arsenal have a settled squad, but injuries and no proper alternative to the much maligned Olivier Giroud might prove to be Wenger’s downfall. All said and done, I expect Conte to have a great first season in charge and guide Chelsea to the Premier League title.
Prediction: 1) Chelsea 2) Manchester United 3) Manchester City 4) Arsenal. Liverpool and West Ham will run Arsenal close for the 4th spot.
Golden Boot: Eden Hazard. The Belgian winger looks back at his best and Conte’s system might just unlock the goalscoring potential of the 2014/15 PFA player of the year.
Khushwant Ramesh
We've never judged a league by the kind of managers it employed. Yet when you have Guardiola, Mourinho, Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Claudio Ranieri and Slaven Bilic competing for one trophy, you can't help but leave the players out of this.
Forget the superstars. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Eden Hazard, Mesut Ozil et al can take a back seat for this isn't the season about who the better player is. At the end of it, while we may applaud the performers, the older gentleman lifting the trophy beside them is the real MVP.
There hasn't been a better collective of managerial minds and it is such a tasty prospect.
Prediction: 1) Chelsea 2) Arsenal 3) Manchester United 4) Manchester City
Golden Boot: Diego Costa
Rohith Nair
Wenger said the EPL is now like a world championship of managers and he's right. Unfortunately, his own side Arsenal still don't look strong enough to win the league based on transfers completed (so far). Ranieri's Leicester City look weaker than last season while Conte will take at least one season to enforce his philosophy.
Jurgen Klopp starts his first full season in charge but the league title may still be out of his reach as he goes about ironing out the flaws. But Liverpool and Chelsea are not playing European football and that will help their cause in the league.
This leaves the two Manchester sides who have spent heavily to ensure their new managers have a strong squad capable of not just fighting for the title but winning it. By the looks of it, Guardiola’s side seems more capable of finishing on top with a rich mix of experience and quality backups on the bench. It would also depend on how seriously Mourinho takes the Europa League but Guardiola certainly has the upper hand.
Prediction: 1) Manchester City 2) Manchester United 3) Arsenal 4) Chelsea
Golden Boot: Sergio Aguero
Amartojit Basu
This season will belong to the team that manages to stay consistent more often than not. The Greatest Managers of Our Time™ will regularly take points off each other and 75 points may be enough to win the league. West Ham, Everton and Southampton have bought well so far and will be in the mix for European spots in this now hyper-competitive league till the end of the season.
I think Manchester City are are going to win the league. The Law of Averages states that Sergio Aguero should have a relatively injury free year. David Silva can and will get up to his old tricks and combine like a boss with my early pick for Player of the Year – Kevin De Bruyne.
John Stones and Nolito are both excellent additions. Add a dash of a resurgent Yaya Toure playing alongside Ilkay Gundogan, a pinch of a confident Raheem Sterling and a drop of the youthful exuberance of Leroy Sane and you have the recipe for a title winning squad.
Also, in the words of the great Jay Sean, Bournemouth, Burnley and West Brom are Going down down down down down...
Prediction: 1) Manchester City 2) Manchester United 3) Chelsea 4) Liverpool
Golden Boot: Sergio Aguero (King of Fantasy Premier League)
Sunaadh Sagar
For all the excitement surrounding Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City, the squad he has at is disposal is rather poor at the back, as was evidenced in their pre-season games where they struggled to even contain a second-string Arsenal attack. Thus, I’m predicting he will start off very poorly, with a late resurgence to finish in the last Champions League spot.
Conte’s tactics should have similar teething issues at Chelsea, although he has a better squad than City. Similarly, Mourinho has expressed reservations about weeding out Louis van Gaal’s tactics from his squad, and Manchester United looked rather pedestrian in the FA Community Shield, although the star power of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba should carry them to a title challenge.
My pick for the eventual winner of the Premier League is a surprising one. Arsenal have a very deep squad and, with Arsene Wenger highly motivated for a supposed ‘final’ title at the title, the Gunners might see big-money reinforcements up front in January that could carry them to the title.
Prediction: 1) Arsenal 2) Manchester United 3) Chelsea 4) Manchester City
Golden Boot: Zlatan Ibrahimovic knows how to plunder goals against weak sides. But if Aguero remains fit, he could run him close.
Rohit Vishwanathan
The Manchester clubs have spent heavily in this window and look to have the strongest squads on paper. But Guardiola is going to find it a lot tougher to win the league on his very first try because his team is yet to settle and play his way.
Mourinho's acquisition of Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan makes them one of my title favourites. But if Chelsea can sign a world class defender before the window closes then the team combined with Conte's tactical genius could take the Blues to the title.
Arsenal have a good squad but are still not strong enough to win the league. A third placed finish seems very likely. City will also pip Liverpool and Tottenham to a top four finish but will not win the league.
Prediction: 1) Chelsea 2) Manchester United 3) Manchester City 4) Arsenal
Golden Boot: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (if and only if Aguero’s season is hampered by injury)
Soumalya Moitra
It's going to be humdinger of a season, isn't it? I am already salivating at the prospect of legendary managers and David Moyes locking horns. Liverpool have looked good under Klopp, but they always seem to be a 'long ball into the box' away from a catastrophe. Mourinho and United have made statements after statements, but nothing in their general play in pre-season led me to believe that their manager isn't Louis van Gaal.
Tottenham have looked good and have spent wisely. If they finish above Arsenal, surely Wenger has got to take up the English job. And Arsenal have been Arsenal in the transfer window. Hopefully, Jack Wilshere will be back my mid-March. I hope Bilic takes West Ham to a 12th place finish just to see Big Sam to take credit for setting up Hammers’ seventh-placed finish last season. Honestly, I would have given the benefit of the doubt to Guardiola, but after Aguero inevitably gets injured, and Jesus Navas gets back in the team, best of luck playing tiki-taka against Burnley and Sunderland.
Chelsea are the real dark horses of the season, imagine if they win the league with the average age of their back-line being 60. How I wish Leicester wins the Premier League again, so that N’Golo Kante (and probably Mahrez) hand in a transfer request at their respective clubs to go back to the Foxes.
Prediction: 1) Chelsea 2) Tottenham 3) Manchester United 4) Arsenal
Golden Boot: Harry Kane – who will leave for Manchester United for £97m next summer
