Believe it or not, the new EPL season is less than four weeks away from kicking off. I am deadly serious, that was not a typo!. On the 6th of August at 8 pm UK time, Crystal Palace will host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side to start the 2022/23 EPL campaign. I love the start of a new season.
Everyone starts on equal footing. In theory, everyone has the same chance to lift the Premier League trophy.
In reality, however, that is not the case. Except for Leicester City’s miracle title win in the 2015/16 season, it is usually the same five or six teams that are legitimate contenders for the title. That’s where this series comes in. Over the next week, I will look at the title chances of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool, Manchester United and Manchester City.
Then I will make a case for each of them winning the league and give you three reasons it will happen.
I am easing my way into this. The first cab off the rank is the side that has won four of the last five Premier League titles; Manchester City.
Before we get into why they will win the league, let’s take a quick look at their major transfer business this off-season.
PLAYERS IN
- Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
- Kalvin Philips (Leeds)
- Julian Alvarez (River Plate)
- Stefan Ortega (Arminia Bielefeld)
PLAYERS OUT
- Raheem Sterling (Chelsea)
- Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal)
- Fernandinho (Free Transfer)
WHY MANCHESTER CITY WILL WIN THE TITLE
1. ERLING HAALAND
Last season, one of the few criticisms of Pep Guardiola’s side was the fact they didn’t have an out-and-out striker in their squad. City’s failure to sign Harry Kane last summer was as a stick to beat them with whenever they weren’t head of the EPL table.
In the end, it made no difference. City won the league with 93 points. They also scored 99 goals and only suffered three defeats. Things may have gotten a little hairy on the last day, but they were always in the driving seat. Despite the no striker thing not being an issue, City’s staff and recruitment team rectified the issue.
And boy, did they get one.
Not only did they sign a world class striker, they signed one of the preeminent talents in the game.
Of course, I am talking about Erling Haaland. The lethal Norwegian striker is a veritable goal machine. In 183 first team appearances for Molde FK, RB Salzburg and Borussia Dortmund, Haaland has had an incredible 171 score involvements.
That includes 136 goals. This man is going to terrorize Premier League defenses next season, adding yet another string to Manchester City’s terrifyingly good bow.
2. PEP GUARDIOLA
My second reason Manchester City will win the title is the man in the dugout. Yes, I am talking about the inimitable Mr. Pep Guardiola.
Not only is he a serial winner, the Spanish gaffer always seems to be one step ahead of his competition. Last season, Pep was slaughtered for signing Jack Grealish for £100 million and not buying Harry Kane.
“You need at least one striker to win the league,” they said.
Perhaps mere mortals do, but as we all know by now, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager is no mere mortal.
Having Guardiola controlling the x’s and o’s and calling the shots from the dugout is an enormous advantage for City. Pep remains one of the wiliest tacticians in the game, and he is yet to find a problem he can’t solve.
3. PEDIGREE
I mentioned in the intro to this article that City has won four of the last five Premier League titles. Even though it hasn’t all been plain sailing, they still have those runs on the board. That is a priceless psychological advantage to take with you on the pitch all season.
City has won the title in so many different ways under Pep Guardiola. One year they had it wrapped up by February. The next year they went toe to toe with their biggest rivals in one of the most intense EPL title run-ins in recent history. Last season, they completed the set by securing the title on the very last day after appearing to throw it away initially.
It won’t matter what situation City finds themselves in at the business end of the 22/23 Premier League season. The Sky Blues will have an unwavering belief they can win the title. Crucially, every other team in the league will know that they can too. That’s a fear factor Manchester City has earned via sustained success and they are the only side able to wield it this season.
So there you have it, three reasons Manchester City will yet again win the title this season.
Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments section.
Stuart Kavanagh is a sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.