SOC: Can Manchester City Repeat?
The 2018-19 Premier League begins today, and Manchester City will be on a quest to defend their impressive championship from a year ago. They were the best team in the league for much of the season and their 100 points is proof. At one point, they had 18 consecutive victories and a 22-game unbeaten steak. There were many other storylines, though, like Manchester United only allowing 28 goals en route to second place and of course, Mo Salah finishing with 32 goals. And now it seems that Manchester City might have more competition atop the standings, coming from their rivals, and possibly Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham. We'll predict who we think wins the league and who captures best player, top scorer, and more.
Projected Standings:
1. Manchester City
2. Liverpool
3. Tottenham
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal
6. Chelsea
7. Everton
8. Newcastle United
9. Burnley
10. Leicester City
Manchester City: Manchester City finished with a 32-4-2 record, scoring 106 goals and giving up only 27 as they ran away from the rest of the field. It was a great season for Man City and they could have a shot at repeating. In fact, we're picking them to do so, mainly because they have a lot of their talent coming back. Headlined by Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne. But others like Gabriel Jesus, Vincent Kompany, Leroy Sané, and Raheem Sterling are very impactful as well. Pep Guardiola might not be able to get his team to have as good of a year as last time around, but I'm sure they'd all settle for another title. It certainly could change, but for now, Man City should be considered the favorite. They begin their season against Arsenal on August 12th.
Liverpool: Liverpool finished in fourth place last season, trailing only Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham. A lot of people, including SportsNet, are picking Liverpool to improve on that status. Obviously Mo Salah is a huge reason for that. He had 32 goals, 10 assists, and 144 shots on 47 percent shooting accuracy last season. He will have more people looking out for him, so he's not going to be able to surprise everyone like he did a season ago. However, he still has the capability to have a huge year. After adding Xherdan Shaqiri, it seems like this team might be able to seriously compete for the title. Liverpool will face West Ham on August 12th before going up against Crystal Palace on August 20th and Brighton five days later.
Tottenham: Tottenham is led by Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane, and Son Heung-Min. They found a way to finish third last season, just four points behind Manchester United for runner-up. Kane had 30 goals on 76 shots on target, to go along with two assists, in 37 appearances. He should be able to build on that strong campaign, and if he does, Tottenham will challenge Man City, Liverpool, and others. Alli finished last year with 10 assists and 34.75 passes per match. He and Kane work very well together and it was apparent in their semifinals run with England in the World Cup. Tottenham gets Newcastle tomorrow morning in their opening match, and then will take on Fulham on August 18th, Man United on August 27th, and Watford on September 2nd.
Projected Awards:
Best Goalkeeper: David De Gea
Best Player: Kevin De Bruyne
Top Goalscorer: Harry Kane
Photo Credit: Football365.
