Introduction
Liverpool were crowned the champions of the Premier League for the 2019/20 season, clinching their first league title in 30 years. The Reds sealed their first crown with seven games still to play after rivals Manchester City dropped points following their loss to Chelsea.
Jurgen Klopp’s men enjoyed a stunning season but their unbeaten run came to an end after suffering a shock 3-0 loss to struggling Watford in February. They lifted the title with 99 points, 18 above the second-placed Manchester City.
They failed to break City’s record of 100 points in a single season as they suffered a 2-0 loss to Arsenal that was followed by a 4-0 humiliation to Pep Guardiola’s men. The Reds earned a direct qualification to the Champions League and were joined by City who finished second.
Manchester United, who had a good run towards the end of the campaign, managed to squeeze to third and returned to Champions League football. The Red Devils beat Chelsea to third spot after accumulating 66 points, same as the Blues but were superior on goal difference.
Europa League
Leicester City finished fifth and had a direct qualification to the Europa League group stage alone with FA Cup winners (Arsenal). City won the Carabao Cup and didn’t need the Europa League place hence it was transferred to the Premier League that meant Tottenham (6th on log) entered the competition in the second qualifying round.
Arsenal finished 8th on the log and they could have missed the European football, but after beating Chelsea in the FA Cup finals it meant they earned a direct qualification.
Relegation
Bournemouth, Watford and Norwich City were relegated from the topflight after finishing 18th, 19th and 20th respectively.
Promotion
Leeds United was the first club to be promoted to the Premier League for the first time in 16 years after finishing first in the Championship. West Brom was the second club to seal promotion with Fulham returning to the Premier League after seeing off Brentford in the Championship playoff final at Wembley.
2020/21 season
The upcoming season, that is set to start September 12th is expected to be a tough one, with a number of clubs having already strengthened. Manchester City and Liverpool are the teams to watch next season but not forgetting Chelsea.
Who will win the League?
This is one of the toughest calls to make for the team who will be crowned the champion next year. Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp will be keen to retain the title while on the other end Guardiola will be aiming to do away with last season’s disappointment.
We are rooting for City to lift the trophy come next season while Liverpool will finish second on the log. But do not forget Chelsea and Man United will be challenging for the title. The Blues have been very active in the transfer market, bringing in so far six new faces. The west London club has signed Thiago Silva (Paris St Germain) Free, Timo Werner – RB Leipzig, Hakim Ziyech – Ajax, Xavier Mbuyamba (Barcelona) Undisclosed, Ben Chilwell (Leicester) £50m, Malang Sarr (Nice) Free and the latest arrival Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Top four
The Premier League 2020/21 season is set to start with teams aiming to get back into the coveted Champions League spots. Manchester United and Chelsea are the favourites to join Liverpool and Manchester City in the top four race but how could the top four look like come next year?
Well, a number of bookies are backing Manchester City and the defending Champions Liverpool to fight for the top spot in the League. Chelsea and Manchester United are tipped to fight for the remaining two spots.
- Manchester City
Following last season’s disappointment, Guardiola will push his players to bring the title at the Etihad. In the concluded season, the Cityzens struggled at the back as dependable defender Aymeric Laporte missed out majority of the season with an injury. But now the arrival of Nathan Ake from Bournemouth will see City receive a major boost at the back. Ferran Torres also came in from Valencia and will replace Leroy Sane who signed for Bundesliga machines Bayern Munich.
- Liverpool
Many say winning the title isn’t a hard thing compared to defending it. Well, Liverpool were a dominant force last season but can they still defend their title after struggling towards the end of the campaign.
The Reds have already released the likes of Dejan Lovren (Zenit St Petersburg), Adam Lallana( Brighton), Adam Lewis (Amiens) Loan, Daniel Atherton (Released), Pedro Chirivella (Nantes) Free, Nathaniel Clyne (Released), Shamal George (Released), Jack Walls (Released) and Morgan Boyes (Fleetwood) Loan.
They’ve only signed Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiakos for a reported fee of £11.7m and continue to be linked with Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara.
- Chelsea
All eyes will be on Frank Lampard, who allowed youngsters some time to find the feet in top flight management. The period is now over, and the Blues will be expected to challenge for the title especially now they’ve spent lots of money with the arrival of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, and the arrival of Thiago Silva on a free transfer. The reinforcement is expected to cause threat to the opposition but the Blues will fall short and finish third on the log.
- Manchester United
United is expected to challenge for the title but the best the club can do is to secure a top four finish. The arrival of Donny will give the Red Devils more top level midfield quality to select from, while left back and a winger, ideally Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund remain high on the shopping list.
Bookies agree with our prediction as Bet9ja have backed City to win the League with 1.75 odds, while they’ve given defending champions Liverpool 3.05. Frank Lampard’s men Chelsea and Man United have 10.00 and 15.00 odds respectively.
Relegation
At the end of next season, three teams will be axed from the Premier League and pave way for another three from the Championship. The three teams that were promoted, we only see one avoiding relegation and that is Leeds United.
- Aston Villa
Aston Villa is one of the teams on our list to face the axe after a terrible season last year. One of their best players Jack Grealish is being linked with a move away from Villa, meaning should they lose the forward, they will easily go down next year.
- Fulham
Fulham did so well to win the play offs but we can’t see them staying in this competitive Premier League. The north London side, which will start the new campaign against Arsenal are not creative enough to outscore opponents and their defense is simply not good enough to hold other Premier League clubs.
- West Brom
Another team to be axed will be West Brom and if they remain it will simply be a miracle. The Baggies may have only just arrived back in the Premier League after two seasons in the Championship but the bookies are not confident they can stay there.
Nairabet has given Aston Villa 7.00 odds to finish at the bottom of the table while West Brom come second with 4.50 with newly-promoted side Fulham having 4.00.
Other bookies like Bet9ja also think Aston Villa will be facing the axe next year May, and have given them Aston Villa 2.65 odds with West Brom having 1.90.
Golden Boot
Last season, Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy won the Premier League golden boot award for the first time, becoming the oldest player to do so. The England international, who scored 23 goals last season, beat Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Southampton’s Danny Ings who came short by a single goal.
Well, this season we expect the same faces to fight for the Golden Boot apart from Ings who of course had a good season last campaign and he might fail to hit the form. Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is expected to be in the list of players chasing for the boot if he remains fit as well as being given playtime by Guardiola.
Harry Kane is another striker to watch this coming season, the England international had a good run but injuries slowed him down.
For the 2020/21 season, we are rooting for Aubameyang to win the Golden Boot after coming short of a goal from winning the award. The former Borussia Dortmund man has been in fine form since the Premier League restart, helping the Gunners to win the FA Cup as well as the Community Shield, where he scored twice in both matches.
The return of Dani Ceballos for another season on loan will help the club and now Mesut Ozil could be used for the upcoming matches it means more creativity up front.
Nairabet is backing Mohamed Salah and Aubameyang to secure the Golden Book with 6.00 and 6.50 odds respectively. Spurs forward Harry Kane has 6.50, Kun Aguero 8.50 but holder Jamie Vardy seems off with 16.00 odds.
Aubameyang to win the Golden Boot; 26 goals.
Player of the season – Kevin De Bruyne
Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne was voted the 2019/20 Player of the Season after a sensational campaign. The Belgian grabbed 20 assists, equalling Thiery Henry’s Premier League record in a single season.
United midfielder Bruno Fernandez was in fine form for the Red Devils having joined in January. The Portuguese could challenge De Bruyne but the award is most likely to head to the Etihad.
Manager Outrights
Manager of the season – Pep Guardiola
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was the 2019/20 Barclays Manager of the Season after he guided his club to the first top-flight title in 30-years. He became the first German to win the award after a record breaking campaign in which the Anfield side amassed 99 points, but can he retain the award?
Without a doubt, Pep Guardiola will be aiming for a successful campaign after a disappointing one last season. The 49-year-old is a master of tactics and is expected to fight to the last breath to secure the 2020/21 title.
Who will be sacked – Jose Mourinho
Mourinho steered Tottenham Hotspur to a sixth finish last season and this campaign will not be easy for the Portuguese. The Special One is yet to reinforce his squad fully, having signed Pierre-EMile Hojbjerg from Southampton for an undisclosed fee as well as Joe Hart on a free transfer.
The 57-year-old is likely to be sacked if he doesn’t deliver, especially reflecting on how Spurs parted ways with Mauricio Pochettinho despite leading them to a Champions League final.
Football analyst! Biggest fan of local and international football. Mostly, loves keeping an eye on the upcoming players, always trying to bring debate on youngsters’ potential of becoming the next big thing in the world of football and of, course writing some pieces about them.
