The English Premier League is already underway, and it seems that Manchester City and Arsenal are two leading contenders to win the EPL this season. Both teams have been fairing very well, with Manchester City’s new signing Erling Haaland firing in goals whilst the Gunners are playing fast and attractive football getting the London team positive results. Much to the pleasure of punters visiting casinos not on Gamstop, Arsenal has won seven of their eight games, losing only to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The Gunners have strengthened their front line by recruiting Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City. Since he arrived at Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus has been banging goals at leisure. His technique and skill have given the Gunner the necessary punch upfront, which had been missing for several seasons. Taking advantage of the transfer market, the Gunners targeted specific players suited for the manager’s football philosophy, such as Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City, Fabio Viera from Porto and Marquinhos from the Brazilian side Sao Paulo. So far, the intake of new players has blended well with Arsenal playing some of the best football in the Premier League.
Guardiola’s City is on another level of greatness
Pep Guardiola’s team is matching Gunner’s pace and is looking at achieving a third-successive title, having edged Liverpool to last season’s championship race with only one point. If the Citizens manage to win this season’s Premier League, the club will become the sixth side to win three consecutive titles in English top-flight history and their sporting cousins Manchester United to achieve this feat in the Premier League. Manchester City reached this possibility three seasons ago in 2017/18 and 2018/19. They failed to reach the hat-trick because Liverpool took the title in 2019/20.
Based on the current performances, it would be reasonable to bet on either Arsenal or Manchester City to win the Premier League title. However, this depends heavily on the FIFA World Cup Finals in Qatar. Both teams will have several players playing and representing their country in the World Cup, meaning they have to play a substantial number of matches in a short period. The pressure and stress on the players will be tremendous, and the climatic environment in Qatar will also affect the players. The outcome can procure stressed and tired players with the possibility of injuries that will directly impact their teams. Given that both Arsenal and Manchester City have almost half of their squad in Qatar will probably affect their performance when the Premier League returns in January 2023.
Will Chelsea and Spurs make it to the top spots?
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs battled it out last season to finish at the top four spots and qualify to participate in the UEFA Champions League. Both teams have strengthened their teams during the summer transfer market. Chelsea lost Lukaku and Werner but managed to sign top-notch players like Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fonfana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marc Cucurella. Unfortunately, the Blues from London had to let go of their German coach Thomas Tuchel and replaced him with the former Brighton’s former manager Graham Potter. Currently sitting in fifth place in the Premier League, Chelsea has enough talent and skills in their squad to challenge for the title. It will be interesting to see how the football mentality of their new manager will blend with the players and how effective his tactics will be to spearhead Chelsea to the top tier of the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspurs were very active in the transfer market. They pride themselves on having one of the best managers in football. Antonio Conte is a difficult person to work with, and he had his bad days coaching other teams like Juventus and Inter in Italy. However, he can motivate his players and get the best out of the teams he coaches. He is no newcomer to the Premier League as he had previously managed Chelsea. Tottenham brought in new players aimed at strengthening the squad. From Juventus, they recruited Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski; Ivan Perisic arrived from InterMilan; Clement Lenglet from Barcelona and Steven Bergwijn from Ajax Amsterdam. The new players, together with other established players like Harry Kane, Hugo Lloris and Cristian Romero, have enough talent to push for the Premier League title if they manage to perform as their manager expects. Betting on Tottenham Hotspurs to finish among the top four places in the Premier League could be perceived as a safe bet. The London club is sitting pretty in third place at the league’s table.
Can Manchester United be great again?
With the arrival of the Dutch manager Erik ten Hag, Manchester United were expected to perform much better than they did last season. The team’s recent performance, especially the match against their rivals Manchester City in which they suffered no less than six goals, can be described as dismal and very disappointing. To add insult to injury, one of their most known footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo has made it clear that he wants to leave the club and play football somewhere else. With the arrival of Ten Hag, Ronaldo has spent most of United’s games sitting on the reserves bench. Betting on Manchester United to win the title or finishing in one of the top four places in the Premier League would be a risky bet. One needs to understand that Ten Hag’s ambition is not to win the title during his first season at Old Trafford but rather to build a team over several years to make The Red Devils powerful again.
Other Premier League football teams to keep an eye on
Other teams are willing and hoping to challenge one of the top spots in the Premier League, such as Newcastle United and Brighton. The Toon from the north of England is currently in seventh place, and the team’s performances have been the best compared to other seasons. Under new ownership, Newcastle United have made a good investment in the transfer market. Even though they are not top contenders to win the title, the club may well be one of the most exciting clubs in England very soon.
Probably the surprise of the Premier League so far; Brighton is fairing quite well and is placing fourth in the Premier League’s table. Unfortunately, they have lost their manager to Chelsea. The new manager, the Italian Roberto De Zerbi, might need some time to adjust to the mechanics of the Premier League. Betting on Brighton could be a moderate risk with lucrative returns!!
