The fact is you very rarely get a poor season in English soccer’s top tier. This season, however, is shaping up to be one of the best for a long time, and not just at the top, but throughout the 20-strong division. It is never easy betting on the Premier League, with every game being competitive, every week throwing up shocks and parlay wreckers. This season has already made fools of most pundits, from what they were predicting just a few short weeks ago. So what are the key battles that will make the 2022/2023 season so special?
The race for the title
In the summer most were predicting a two-horse race between Manchester City and Liverpool, with the vast majority siding with Guardiola’s City to win their third successive title. While Liverpool have had a very poor start, City have been strong, if not quite as imperial as in previous seasons. The performances – and results – of North London rivals Tottenham, and in particular, Arsenal, has been nothing short of a revelation. Time will tell whether either or both can maintain that form late into the season, but all the signs at the momentare that there is a very good chance they will. Conte has been there before, and knows what it takes to be successful in the EPL. Moreover, now he has a side that plays in the way he, and they, are comfortable with. Arteta meanwhile, has been slowly building a team in the mould of Manchester City, where of course he learnt the ropes under Pep.
The demolishing of the “big four”
Arsenal and Spurs’ renaissance is good news for the neutral, and even better news for their respective fans, but it is a huge blow to those clubs who considered themselves to be a top four club. Suddenly Chelsea, Todd Boehly’s Chelsea, under new manager Graham Potter, and Liverpool have their work cut out to book that vital Champions League spot. West Ham have not kicked on from where they were last season, but should improve and will be confident of storming up the table. Brighton have been a revelation, but it will be fascinating to see if they can carry on in the same vein without Potter. Even Brentford may have a say in the top seven, six, or even higher. We will get to Manchester United shortly, but they are not out of the running for a European place either. Realistically there are eight sides all with a genuine chance of getting fourth spot. It isn’t that long ago when the top four were nailed on before a ball was kicked.
Manchester United and Liverpool
When Erik ten Hag took over at Old Trafford, he must have known the enormity of the task that faced him. A month into the job, it looked like it was an even bigger mission than he thought. The former Ajax man has turned it around,however, and suddenly, though they are far from the finished article, United are looking a threat for the top four.
Jurgen Klopp would have known that any dropped point is a hammer blow to regaining the title. His Liverpool dropped seven points in the first three matches, and already the title looks beyond them. It will be fascinating if they can recover enough to show they are not a spent force or if the period when they were capable of going head-to-head with City really is over.
The battle for survival
Always a fight every bit as intriguing as that at the other end of the table, the relegation battle looks like it will again go to the wire, and again involve sides whose ambitions would have been far more ambitious in August. Leicester, Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton will all be worried about the drop, while new boys Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Fulham have had mixed success, Fulham being another one of the surprise success stories of the season so far.