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The Premier League 2018-19 season is well underway and the excitement has only just begun. Featuring the best players and coaches in the world, the league is now more competitive than ever- at both ends of the points table. No team can afford to slip as the margin for error is as tiny as it has ever been. Even the promoted teams have invested in elite European talent and they will surely be hoping to make an impression.
Gone are the days when teams expected to get a point while sitting back and defending stoutly. Football, especially in England, is undergoing a revolution. There is a pretty good chance that teams like West Brom, considering the last season, is potentially a dying breed as they need to alter their style of play if they want to be back in the Premier League. The biggest testament to it is the fact that a coach like Marcelo Bielsa is managing an EFL championship team in the form of Leeds United. The football landscape in the whole country is changing fast. No team can afford to be profligate offensively even though defensive solidity is a must. In order to survive in England's top tier, every team needs a reliable goalscorer or two.
The upcoming season will see teams, who are equally effective in the attacking third of the pitch as they are in defensive third, fighting for every single point. Every team needs goals more than ever this season and reliable goalscorers will be coming at a premium. The list features top five contenders (in no particular order) for the golden boot in the 2018-19 season.
Harry Kane
For the past three seasons, no golden boot contender list would be complete without Harry Kane. If you want goals, you want Harry Kane in your team. He is one of the most complete strikers in world football and one can see him scoring all sorts goals from all sorts of places. 21,25,29 and 30- these are the Englishman's numbers from his past four seasons in the Premier League. In addition, he captained England in the world cup this year and won the golden boot scoring six goals.
The 25-year old's consistent goalscoring form is turning heads of big European clubs for quite some time now. He represents Tottenham's rise to the summit of English football, consistently qualifying for UEFA Champions League- a stage where this mercurial talent deserves to play. A day might come when a club like Real Madrid may come calling but that day is still a fair bit of distance away and meanwhile, English Premier League gets to enjoy his talents.
He is surrounded by an able supporting cast in the form of fellow English hotshot Dele Alli and the Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen who are themselves being monitored by plenty of clubs across Europe. In addition, Lucas Moura seems to be finding his feet and Heung Min Son is already an established star in England's top flight. Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to build upon an already impressive young Tottenham side and making them title contenders. Without Harry Kane however, the said task looks next to impossible.
Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero arrived in England in the year 2011 and the Argentinian since then, has been scoring goals for fun. The former Atletico Madrid striker immediately established himself in Manchester City folklore by scoring a last-gasp goal and handing the 2011-12 premier league title to his club. It is probably safe to say that while being the greatest striker Manchester City has ever had, the diminutive forward has been one of the greatest strikers to ever grace the premier league. At the time of writing this piece, the striker has scored 146 goals in 208 premier league appearances; such strikers do not come very often. He has not failed to cross twenty goals in a Premier League season in his past four campaigns which speaks volumes about his consistency.
A lethal finisher with a low center of gravity, he can do it all. He can hold up the ball, run behind the defense and scores all types of goals- headers, tap-ins, long-range strikes and so on. He is a key of the well-drilled juggernaut that Pep Guardiola has created at Manchester City who have dominated the premier league in a fashion never seen before. The striker spearheads this team's attack along with more than capable colleagues in the form of Gabriel Jesus, Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane.
Opposition defenses will again have a hard time dealing with such an intimidating lineup and also expect Kun Aguero to show up whenever an intricate passing move or a lightning counterattack needs a finishing touch. At the age of 30, he is well in his prime as a player and the way Manchester City have started to dominate the premier league, there shouldn't be any surprise if he clinches the golden boot.
Mohamed Salah
Few players other than Mohamed Salah have enjoyed such a rapid rise in a matter of one league season. The former Chelsea player signed for Liverpool at the start of 2017-18 season and has surpassed all expectations. The winger has been one of the key reasons behind Liverpool's rise as title contenders. Salah may not have had the best of world cups this year in Russia largely due to the heartbreaking shoulder injury he endured in 2017-18's UEFA Champion's League final. However, now fully fit, he will be raring to go and cause some serious damage for Liverpool once again in 2018-19 season.
Dubbed as 'Egyptian Messi', Salah lined up on the right-hand side last season alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané, forming one of the most lethal front three across Europe. Lightning quick and with a great ability of close control, he is a nightmare for opposition full-backs. Although, pace and close control can be found in plenty of wingers across Europe but it is his end product that sets him apart and makes him a special player. The 2018 PFA player of the year scored 32 premier league goals with only Harry Kane challenging him close behind with 30 goals. He is also an asset for the team defensively with his pressing that causes problems for opposite teams to play out from the back.
A big factor behind Mo Salah's rise as a player can also be attributed to his fellow attackers in Mané and Firmino. The Senegalese and the Brazilian respectively are as much crucial for Liverpool's attack as Salah. The front three will look to wreak havoc yet again this season and they now have possibly one of the best midfielders in world football in the form of Naby Keïta behind them. Also, summer signing Shaqiri and a rejuvenated Daniel Sturridge provides the Merseyside club with good depth. It will be interesting to see whether Salah matches his heroics from last season, he certainly has a much better squad to support him this time around.
Romelu Lukaku
Romelu Lukaku, aged twenty-five is just entering into a period which is seen as prime years for any footballer. Yet, it feels like he has been around forever. It should come as little surprise that Manchester United shelled out as much as a reported £75 million for the Belgian frontman during the summer of 2017. There are very few strikers around with such credible scoring pedigree as Lukaku and who are as young as him. He has more than 170 professional goals to his name and he still has a long way to go.
The Belgian scored sixteen Premier League goals in his debut season with Manchester United. He has had better goal scoring seasons with his previous teams and will be hungry to get back to his old scoring days. A deadly finisher and a physicality matched by few, he is a player that center backs want to avoid tussling with. Perhaps an underrated aspect of his game is his poaching ability which has served him well throughout his career. Certainly, he has the skill set to excel at a top club like United.
Jose Mourinho is under increasing pressure in his third season at Manchester United and is counting on his big players to deliver. Key players like Lukaku along with Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez have failed to lead the team to accolades worthy of a club like United. Below par performances have led to an undercurrent of negativity surrounding the club. All that could change with a small act of inspiration by any one of those players and people could then witness the marauding United team of old. Romelu Lukaku is the man who can lead the line for the special team that all the fans have been craving for years since Sir Alex Ferguson departed.
Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is the best player in the premier league. The previous statement might feel like a hot take for plenty but many of them could change their opinion when the current 2018-19 season draws to a close. The reported £32 million that Chelsea paid for him looks like a bargain now. The Belgian is now easily worth five times the amount that took him to West London from Lille OSC. Eden Hazard has led Chelsea to two league titles and three major honors during his time for The Blues till now. This season, he is surely hungry for more.
If there are any other players that are double or triple marked by opposition other than Lionel Messi in world football today, Eden Hazard is sure to be a significant part of that discussion. He is one of the few players who can run a match on their own pace and there is little opposition defenders can do about it. He is consistently among the most fouled players in Europe for that is the only way he can be stopped. An exquisite first touch, close control that is replicated by few in Europe, excellent vision and technical ability moreover, his dribbling gives nightmares to the defenders facing him the next day on the pitch. The Belgian National team captain can currently walk into the starting eleven of any team in the world.
The only criticism the Belgian has received is his lack of ruthlessness in front of the goal. This might be a thing of the past. Anyone who has seen Eden's performances in the world cup at Russia has seen a player who has never looked more determined and hungry in his whole career. He led by example and was a close contender for the best player at the World Cup. The new Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has special plans for the Belgian wizard this season. The Italian's relentless attacking form of play suits Eden Hazard's game much more than any manager he has worked under as a Chelsea player. He will be supplied by a midfield of Jorginho, Kanté, and Kovačić and can count on Morata, Pedro and Willian in the attacking third. With a complementing manager and his new found ruthlessness, the Premier League might see a much more dangerous Eden Hazard. That is not the best news for all the top flight clubs in England. He can surely rack up some serious numbers on his goal scoring statistics this season.
