Welcome to Yahoo Soccer’s Premier League Starting XI. This lineup of stories will get you ready for the upcoming season as we count down to kickoff Friday at noon ET.
We come to it at last, the final installment of our Premier League preview series: the predictions.
We asked our friends over at Yahoo Sport UK to join the party this year, and the collated table produced some interesting results. All but one writer picked Manchester City to win the title again, while all but that same writer picked Liverpool to finish second.
Tottenham was mostly picked third, while Manchester United edged Arsenal for fourth. Though Chelsea ended up sixth, Wolves and Everton both pipped them in different writers’ picks.
Bad news for fans of Norwich City, Sheffield United and Brighton & Hove Albion: You’re getting relegated, if we’re right. Then again, Newcastle United, Burnley and even Crystal Palace received at least one ranking in the drop zone, so who knows?
Here’s the predicted table, combining everyone’s rankings and averaging them out:
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham Hotspur
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Wolverhampton Wanderers
9. Leicester City
10. West Ham United
11. Watford
12. Crystal Palace
13. Bournemouth
14. Southampton
15. Aston Villa
16. Burnley
17. Newcastle United
18. Norwich City
19. Sheffield United
20. Brighton & Hove Albion
Meanwhile, here are the writers’ explanations, along with each individual table. Enjoy!
Ryan Bailey (@RyanJayBailey)
Given the mini-league that Manchester City and Liverpool created last season, it is difficult to see any other teams finishing in the top two spots. With Rodri coming in to provide depth at the most crucial position in Pep Guardiola’s side, defensive midfield, City shouldn’t make the title race so close in this campaign.
The most intriguing contest in 2019-20 will likely be the three-way battle for fourth place between Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. As I detailed here, the fourth Champions League berth is United’s to lose. They have fortified their defense and should succeed if Ole can keep his hands on the wheel.
I expect Aston Villa to survive the drop, given their summer business. But I don’t foresee the same fortune for Sheffield United and Norwich. Brighton, meanwhile, have a manager untested in the league in Graham Potter, and have done most of their summer transfer business with lower leagues. It might be time to say goodbye to the Seagulls.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham Hotspur
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Everton
7. Chelsea
8. Wolves
9. Leicester
10. Watford
11. Crystal Palace
12. West Ham
13. Southampton
14. Bournemouth
15. Burnley
16. Newcastle
17. Aston Villa
18. Sheffield United
19. Brighton
20. Norwich
Henry Bushnell (@HenryBushnell)
We’ll continue to talk about a “Big Six” because of their financial might. But the fourth of the six, whoever that is, remains closer to No. 8 than to No. 2. The third might be closer to No. 8 than to No. 1. The second might even be closer to 3 than 1.
This is A̶b̶u̶ ̶D̶h̶a̶b̶i̶’̶s̶ City’s league. The more intriguing battle is for spots four, five and six. Chelsea is in transition, Manchester United addressed weaknesses but still looks incoherent, and Arsenal is still frail. Either Leicester or Wolves, with some good fortune, could supplant any of the three.
The bottom, meanwhile, remains as unpredictable as ever – aside from Sheffield United, who’ll go down, and whose roster of one player from outside the British Isles is straight out of the early ‘90s.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea
5. Manchester United
6. Arsenal
7. Leicester City
8. Wolves
9. Everton
10. Bournemouth
11. West Ham
12. Watford
13. Brighton
14. Southampton
15. Crystal Palace
16. Norwich
17. Aston Villa
18. Newcastle
19. Burnley
20. Sheffield United
Tom Homewood (@tommyhomewood)
City to win the league in a far more comfortable fashion this season, despite Liverpool being the only threat in the race for the title. Firming up in midfield with the addition of Rodri and having a fully fit Kevin de Bruyne for the season will give them everything they need to be crowned champions once more. United will be far more solid at the back and look for counter-attacking victories, while Spurs will remain inside the top four, however I do see a dip in form/concentration this season. Arsenal and Chelsea both lack real star quality.
The bottom of the table could go to the wire again this season. Brighton and Newcastle both have the wrong men in charge to keep them up. I hope Sheffield United surprise me, but I think they’ll be the club to go straight back down.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Man United
4. Tottenham
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Wolves
9. Leicester
10. West Ham
11. Watford
12. Crystal Palace
13. Bournemouth
14. Aston Villa
15. Burnley
16. Southampton
17. Norwich
18. Brighton
19. Newcastle
20. Sheffield United
Lee Jarvis (@LeeJarvis01)
Manchester City’s Community Shield triumph on penalties at Wembley showed just how addicted Pep Guardiola’s men are to winning. After the game the Spaniard said the gap between his side and Liverpool is just “an inch” and I think that will be the difference between the two in the Premier League this season.
I can see Sheffield United having a better season than most would believe, and I don’t think that Norwich, Burnley or Crystal Palace will have enough to stay in the top flight. I’ve also tipped Aston Villa to stay in the Premier League on their return to the division.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Arsenal
4. Tottenham
5. Chelsea
6. Manchester United
7. Wolves
8. Leicester City
9. Everton
10. Sheffield United
11. Southampton
12. West Ham
13. Watford
14. Newcastle
15. Bournemouth
16. Aston Villa
17. Brighton
18. Crystal Palace
19. Burnley
20. Norwich
Dimitri Kondonis (@dkondonis)
It’s nigh-on impossible to look past Man City. Rodri should help them once more blow the league away. I could see Wolves breaking into the top six with a flair-filled squad, while Arsenal and Chelsea will both struggle due to the former’s financial situation and failure to address a defense in totality, while Chelsea have a transfer ban. I would expect Aston Villa to be comfortable enough, while Newcastle losing Rafa Benitez could be a game-changer, despite signing Joelinton.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Man United
5. Arsenal
6. Wolves
7. Chelsea
8. Everton
9. Leicester
10. West Ham
11. Watford
12. Crystal Palace
13. Aston Villa
14. Bournemouth
15. Southampton
16. Burnley
17. Norwich
18. Brighton
19. Newcastle
20. Sheffield United
Doug McIntyre (@ByDougMcIntyre)
I hope I’m wrong about a lot of this. As a neutral, I’d love to see Liverpool break Man City’s stranglehold on the Premier League trophy on the 30th anniversary of the Reds’ last English title. I’d be happy if Man United pushed its way back into the Champions League places in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first full season in charge. And I wouldn’t mind at all if Newcastle remained in the top flight, where a club that size and with that sort of support belongs.
Alas, I think City pulls off the three-peat by more than the point that separated them from Liverpool last season. That United needs to do more than spend almost $100 million for Harry Maguire to claw back into the Prem’s elite. And that the Magpies will pay the price for letting their classy and successful manager, Rafa Benitez, walk out the door for no good reason this summer. I hope I’m wrong.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea
5. Arsenal
6. Man United
7. Wolves
8. Everton
9. West Ham
10. Leicester
11. Watford
12. Crystal Palace
13. Southampton
14. Bournemouth
15. Aston Villa
16. Burnley
17. Norwich
18. Newcastle
19. Brighton
20. Sheffield United
Ibrahim Mustapha (@IbrahimMustapha)
Liverpool will be poised and ready to take advantage of any Manchester City slip-up, particularly if Pep Guardiola has an eye on that elusive Champions League trophy. Without the stadium distraction, Spurs will be better than last season and put pressure on the top two without being quite good enough. United will sneak fourth by default ahead of Arsenal. Chelsea will struggle with a new manager, no additions and the loss of Hazard, meaning they will miss out on top six completely.
At the bottom, Sheffield United will surprise people but won’t be good enough to survive. Newcastle losing Benitez is going to prove fatal while keeping Brighton up might be too much of a challenge for Graham Potter.
1. Liverpool
2. Manchester City
3. Tottenham
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Everton
7. Chelsea
8. Wolves
9. Leicester
10. West Ham
11. Watford
12. Southampton
13. Bournemouth
14. Burnley
15. Aston Villa
16. Crystal Palace
17. Norwich
18. Sheffield United
19. Newcastle
20. Brighton
Leander Schaerlaeckens (@LeanderAlphabet)
I think it’s a third straight for City. They’re just so far ahead, even of Liverpool, which seemed to have been flattered by a fair few results last season just to keep up with City. Spurs will push the Reds with their improved depth, but I don’t see them breaking into the thick of the title race come the spring. That leaves Arsenal, Chelsea and United to fight for the Champions League scraps. And everybody else, well, who even knows? Below the top six, the Premier League is practically a roll of the dice. There are like 20 English clubs outside of the Big Six that can beat each other on any given day. Which means relegation, too, is hard to forecast. I’m way too bad at predicting to try, so I basically did the bottom-14 at random.
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Arsenal
5. Chelsea
6. Manchester United
7. Everton
8. Leicester
9. Wolves
10. Crystal Palace
11. Watford
12. West Ham
13. Southampton
14. Bournemouth
15. Burnley
16. Aston Villa
17. Sheffield United
18. Newcastle
19. Norwich
20. Brighton
Yahoo Soccer’s Premier League Starting XI
