As the Premier League reaches the mid-season break, World In Sport predicts what might happen in the second half of the season.
Arsenal And Liverpool to End City’s Dominance?
Embed from Getty Images2022-23, was a year of dominance for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. A year which cemented their status as not only the best team in Europe with a first Champions League Title but the best team in the world, by capturing the FIFA Club World Cup.
While Liverpool had pipped the Treble winners once out of their three Title races, Arsenal’s surge for the first Title in 19 years, collapsed at the final hurdle.
The Reds currently sit on top of the league with 45 points, Aston Villa are second with 42 points, while City are third with 40 points, followed by the Gunners in fourth also with 40 points.
But everybody knows that Guardiola’s side can win Titles from different situations, particularly when they are five points behind Klopp’s Reds. Even Arsenal was top for a record of 248 years, and had an eight point lead over City, heading into the final few weeks of the season.
But three successive draws against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton enabled City burst the door open, and snatch the Title from the Gunners
With a game in hand, they are the masters of taking advantage of those situations, and with Kevin De Bruyne back, they look even more formidable.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis is why it’s baffling to see that Arsenal aren’t eager to bolster their squad in terms of singing another goal-scoring forward, to boost their Title aspirations.
Embed from Getty ImagesMeanwhile, the Reds look in terrific form, particularly after dismantling an out-of-form Newcastle United 4-2.
But with Mo Salah expected to leave for the Africa Cup Of Nations, there will be a greater emphasis on Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Cody Gakpo to carry on the goalscoring for the Reds.
Besides Salah, Jota is the club’s second-highest goal scorer with nine goals, followed by Nunez and Gakpo with eight, and Diaz, who has five.
If these five forwards come to the party in Salah’s absence, then Liverpool may well be on course for a second Premier League Title, however, you just feel that they may need one more player to bolster their midfield, but not doing much business in January is fair given the amount of talent at Klopp’s disposal.
Villa, Spurs, And West Ham Push For Champions League?
While City Arsenal and Liverpool battle it out for the Title, Villa, despite being three points behind Liverpool, may not have enough in them to win it. With City and Arsenal not too far behind, the onus will be on them to not only push for the title but also to secure their place in next season’s Champions League.
After Steven Gerrard’s exit, Unai Emery did an incredible job dragging the West Midlands club out of the relegation zone and into the Europa Conference League. However, this season they are exceeding expectations sitting in second place.
Despite that, you do feel due to the lack of depth in their squad, you feel that it’s not quite enough for a title challenge, however a top-four finish, would still be a tremendous achievement for Emery’s men.
Embed from Getty ImagesWatkins’s career has transformed under the Spaniard’s reign, and he is now second in the list of this season’s top scorers with 14 goals.
He is certainly in contention along with Callum Wilson, and potentially Ivan Toney to accommodate Harry Kane as the second striker in the Euros.
Do they need anyone in the Transfer Window? Well considering that Emery had done so well at a smaller club like Villarreal, who won the Europa League in 202-21, you would think probably not, but given that the team is in such a good place, it is unlikely that they will be looking to add t
2022-23, was a year of dominance for Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. A year which cemented their status as not only the best team in Europe with a first Champions League Title but the best team in the world, by capturing the FIFA Club World Cup.
While Liverpool had pipped the Treble winners once out of their three Title races, Arsenal’s surge for the first Title in 19 years, collapsed at the final hurdle.
The Reds currently sit on top of the league with 45 points, Aston Villa are second with 42 points, while City are third with 40 points, followed by the Gunners in fourth also with 40 points.
But everybody knows that Guardiola’s side can win Titles from different situations, particularly when they are five points behind Klopp’s Reds. Even Arsenal was top for a record of 248 years, and had an eight point lead over City, heading into the final few weeks of the season.
But three successive draws against Liverpool, West Ham, and Southampton enabled City burst the door open, and snatch the Title from the Gunners
With a game in hand, they are the masters of taking advantage of those situations, and with Kevin De Bruyne back, they look even more formidable.
This is why it’s baffling to see that Arsenal aren’t eager to bolster their squad in terms of singing another goal-scoring forward, to boost their Title aspirations.
Meanwhile, the Reds look in terrific form, particularly after dismantling an out-of-form Newcastle United 4-2.
But with Mo Salah expected to leave for the Africa Cup Of Nations, there will be a greater emphasis on Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, Roberto Firmino and Cody Gakpo to carry on the goalscoring for the Reds.
Besides Salah, Jota is the club’s second-highest goal scorer with nine goals, followed by Nunez and Gakpo with eight, and Diaz, who has five.
If these five forwards come to the party in Salah’s absence, then Liverpool may well be on course for a second Premier League Title, however, you just feel that they may need one more player to bolster their midfield, but not doing much business in January is fair given the amount of talent at Klopp’s disposal.
Villa, Spurs, And West Ham Push For Champions League?
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile City Arsenal and Liverpool battle it out for the Title, Aston Villa, despite being three points behind Liverpool, may not have enough in them to win it. With City and Arsenal not too far behind, the onus will be on them to not only push for the title but also to secure their place in next season’s Champions League.
After Steven Gerrard’s exit, Unai Emery did an incredible job dragging the West Midlands club out of the relegation zone and into the Europa Conference League. However, this season they are exceeding expectations sitting in second place.
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Despite that, you do feel due to the lack of depth in their squad, you feel that it’s not quite enough for a title challenge, however a top-four finish, would still be a tremendous achievement for Emery’s men.
Watkins’s career has transformed under the Spaniard’s reign, and he is now second in the list of this season’s top scorers with 14 goals.
He is certainly in contention along with Callum Wilson, and potentially Ivan Toney to accommodate Harry Kane as the second striker in the Euros.
Do they need anyone in the Transfer Window? Well considering that Emery had done so well at a smaller club like Villarreal, who won the Europa League in 202-21, you would think probably not, but given that the team is in such a good place, it is unlikely that they will be looking to add to their squad in this Window.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile the red half of North London is trying to stay in the Title race, the white half is enjoying a new lease of life with ‘Angeball’ under Ange Postecoglou.
‘Angeball’ is an attacking style of play, that relates to a team keeping possession of the ball, but specifically making full use of the inverted full-backs, to stretch the opposition’s defence.
And so far, Angeball seems to be reaping its rewards, with Spurs just a point outside the top four.
But you just feel that they lack another striker to accommodate Richarlison, and Hueng-Min Son, especially now that Harry Kane is no longer at the club.
Embed from Getty ImagesSon unsurprisingly is the club’s top scorer with 12 goals, followed by Richarlison, who has seven.
And given that James Maddison and Alejo Veliz are still out with injuries, perhaps now is the time for Postecoglou to think about adding some more goal-scoring prowess to the team.
When asked about the possibility of splashing the cash in the Transfer Window, Postecoglou kept his answer quite plain.
“It’s hard to say because I don’t get involved in that. We have some objectives and aims and we’re working towards them.”
Postecoglou: BBC Sport
But you do feel that another striker would make Spurs definite top-four contenders.
However, there have been some papers talk about the small possibility of signing Radu Drăgușin from the Italian club Genoa. The Romanian defender who has made 18 appearances this season could be a good backup option for Postecoglou, especially with the likes of Cristian Romero and Micky Van der Ven who are both out with injuries.
Even though it looks a tough ask, can ‘Angeball’ get Spurs back into the Champions League?
Embed from Getty ImagesIt seems as if the memorable Europa Conference League triumph has given David Moyes’s Hammers the confidence to really make a statement of being a potential Champions League Club.
West Ham are currently in sixth place, with a six-point gap from the top four.
They might be far from that, but when you have beaten the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Spurs, you deserve to be up there with all of those teams, especially when you have just qualified for the Last 16 of the Europa League.
With the Champions League now being extended from 32 to 36, there is even the possibility that the team which finishes fifth in the Premier League, is likely to feature in the competition. So it’s like having three bites of the cherry, with the third option being to win the Europa League.
There is talk that the Hammers are being linked with Montpellier striker Akor Adams, although the French club are keen on keeping the 23-year old, to help them get out of a sticky situation in Ligue 1.
The East London side may want to consider looking at another defender, as Thilo Kehrer is about to sign for AS Monaco on loan.
This could be a blow for the Hammers, as the 27-year-old was a regular member of David Moyes’ side last season and featured in the Europa Conference League final victory over Fiorentina in June.
There has also been talk of the club wanting Eddie Nketiah on a loan move from Arsenal, but the Gunners are not interested in letting go of the England international.
But you do feel that if the East London side is serious about getting Champions League football next season, then a centre-forward is an absolute must in the Transfer Window, particularly when the likes of Maxwell Cornet and Saed Benrahma look to be on their way out of the club.
So these are World In Sport’s md-season predictions for the 23/24 Premier League, what are yours?
Image Credit: Deposit Photos
