In comparison to many of the other top leagues in Europe, the English Premier League has often been more competitive. Although in recent seasons, the battle for the title has come down to a fight between two teams, led by managerial greats: Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, who between them have won the last four Premier League titles.
This time around, however, we could be in for one of the most exciting Premier League title races in the history of the competition, with an unprecedented four-way battle for the crown as the dominance of City and Liverpool comes under threat from two old rivals.
The rise of Chelsea
Two years ago, few would have bet on Chelsea becoming Premier League challengers in the short term. Yet, Ioana Romanasu, expert on betting at WSN.com, believes that the blues are the favourites to win the Premier League this year. After less than a full season in charge, Thomas Tuchel has taken the top four regulars to the peak of European football glory, winning the Champions League. He has turned Chelsea into a serious contender for domestic success.
When Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard in January, Chelsea were languishing in ninth in the Premier League. By the end of the season, he had lifted them to fourth, and guided them to a second Champions League title. The addition of Romelu Lukaku has addressed their biggest weakness from last season and they now pose a serious goal scoring threat to go with their solid defense. The only uncertainty is how well they will cope with the unique pressure of a Premier League run-in.
Is Manchester United back?
It has been eight seasons since Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. In that time, although they have won three trophies, they haven’t come close to recapturing the Premier League crown. However, this season looks like their best opportunity since 2013.
They finished second last season, albeit a long way off the pace set by City. In an effort to close that gap, they have splashed out enormous amounts of money to bring in one of the world’s greatest ever players, Cristiano Ronaldo, along with high-class defender Raphael Varane and the rising young star Jadon Sancho. United are now strong in all departments, and all of the pieces are in place. The question remains though: Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer deliver on their Premier League promise?
Can City stand firm?
The 2020-21 season ended in disappointment for City as they were unable to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy, but their wide-margin Premier League win, achieved despite the disruption of a slow start, was a remarkable achievement.
The signing of Jack Grealish for £100,000,000 grabbed headlines throughout the football world, though it was later overshadowed by Ronaldo’s arrival at Old Trafford. The question for City and for Guardiola is whether they can maintain their high standards in the face of a three-way challenge. An opening day defeat to Tottenham and a disappointing home draw with Southampton have made for an uncertain start. However, unlike last season, they may not have the leeway to give their rivals a start.
The failure to sign Harry Kane to replace legendary striker Sergio Aguero may yet come to haunt City as the season draws on, as will their inevitable focus on claiming that elusive first Champions League, but they remain an awe-inspiring team who will not give up their title without a fight.
Watch out for Liverpool!
With all the excitement over Ronaldo’s arrival and the saga of Harry Kane’s potential move, Liverpool had been largely overlooked during the summer, but Klopp’s champions of 2019/20 have not gone anywhere, and indeed look considerably stronger this season.
The 2020/21 campaign was not a happy one for the red half of Merseyside, as injuries to all of their main central defenders effectively knocked the heart out of their challenge. Despite this, they came through that challenge to end the season with a 10-game unbeaten streak that saw them rise from a lowly eighth in the Premier League to a comfortable third place.
That should have served as a warning to anyone who was tempted to write them off ahead of the 2021/22 season. A record of four wins and a draw from their first five games has further underlined their potential. With Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all fit again and high-class defensive player Ibrahima Konaté added to the mix, Liverpool is in a strong position to remind the football world of the team’s greatness as they join the battle for what promises to be a thrilling Premier League race.