2019/20 Premier League predictions: Through the eyes of the gods (Part 2)
Welcome to second and the final part of the 2019/2020 predictions and this time we’re looking at the relegation favorites, the golden boot winner(s) and of course the players to watch out for in the English premier league.
The Surprise Package
They have done it before and they will do it again, Burnley will be the surprise package this season and this is why; they struggled last season and were actively involved in the relegation scraps right till the end of April, largely due to a false start from their involvement in the Europa League, they didn’t get things right early, poor priorities affected them as well and when they were beginning to work things out, injuries struck.This season, expect Burnley to ruffle some pretty feathers, they started with a bang, three goals past Southampton on day one and they followed it up with a very strong showing at the Emirates where they have a very poor record anyway, the next few games will tell but Burnley will most definitely be the odd team to face outside the top six of last season.
Disappointment of the season
This will come in many forms, from team to individual players. Aston Villa spent lots of money in the summer, they recruited from right left and center and does that remind you of a certain Fulham from the last campaign?Norwich have already started with aplomb, an injury to Teemu Pukki will leave them exposed upfront but they sure will enjoy the current rave the Finnish striker brings.
Elsewhere, expect nothing extraordinary from Watford, their false start explains the fact that the narrow 4-2-2-2 formation has been found out and teams now spread them to the flanks where they’re short; one really can’t tell what to expect from Westham, they aren’t inspiring at the moment but a lot will happen with them as soon as their top striker, Seb Haller returns from injury.
Finally, Newcastle will disappoint heavily this season until they fire Steve Bruce, in fact, they’ll be hot on the relegation top picks except they show him the way out before the end of the year, this means record signing, Joelington will be among the poor signings of the season.
Hits of the season
Aaron Wan Bissaka is top on the list of the players that will make their heavy price tags look like a bargain, the right-back has been the best thing to happen to Manchester United this season, alongside Harry Maguire, he has brought huge stability to a defense that shipped goals for fun last season, the last time United had a trustworthy back four as they do right now was in the days of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. |
| Norwich forward Teemu Pukki is a player to watch after scoring four goals in his first two Premier League matches this season with a Hattrick against Newcastle last weekend. |
Arsenal made great moves in the transfer window and it has shown in their first two games, they won back to back opening games of the season for the first time in a decade, Dani Ceballos caught the eyes of the entire audience with two assists and very strong command of the midfield in the very physical game against Burnley, Nicolas Pepe came on at halftime and showed glimpses of why he was copped for a whopping 72m, these two alongside Kieran Tierney from Arsenal will be players to watch out for.
Mohammed Salah seems to only shoot on sight this season, the technique we saw in his rampaging first season at Liverpool has disappeared into frustrating straight shots at goalkeepers and into the side netting, he won’t be the star we used to know, but put your money on Sadio Mane, the Senegalese won’t let you down. Seb Haller is worth the hype at Westham, Teemu Pukki at Norwich as well and a certain Moise Kean at Everton.
Relegation battle
Aston Villa will fight the relegation battle, they won’t do this alone, they will be down there with Newcastle, Crystal Palace, and Southampton.The Saints put up a very respectable performance against Liverpool on Saturday but they only fight and then lose, that will land them in hot waters this season.
There will be mentions for Sheffield and Norwich especially if there’s a long layoff for the mesmerizing forward, Pukki. Crystal Palace will be drawn into the drop zone as always, the earlier they let Wilfred Zaha go the best for them, and the fact they didn’t replace Christian Benteke despite his horrendous drought record shows they lack ambition.
New boys Sheffield will experience the reality of the premier league in four of their next six where they play Leicester, Chelsea, Everton and Liverpool, at the end of that they will be closer to 20th position than 10th.
Relegation picks
- Aston Villa
- Crystal Palace
- Sheffield United
Golden boot winner(s)
We had three winners of the golden boot last season, the three of them have gotten off the mark already, Raheem Sterling will be in the mix this term and Harry Kane is also lurking. One thing is certain, rule out Sergio Aguero from your list, read lots of meanings to that touchline fracas against Spurs with Pep Guardiola and be sure that he might be shipped off in January.
Manchester United goals will be evenly shared among six to seven players so don’t expect a golden boot winner from Old Trafford and Chelsea will not score too many to even produce one. The unlikeliest of names to be drawn into this will be Moise Kean from Everton, cup competitions will hurt Jimenez and Wolves altogether, and Alexander Lacazette isn’t always trusted by Emery to finish games, that will hamper his rates.
Golden boot picks:
- Raheem Sterling
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
- Saido Mane
The first manager to be sacked
This feels a lot like a no brainer, step forward Steve Bruce.Right after him, there will be a lot of noise around Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, his team aren’t the stuff you want your champions to look like, the presence of the likes of Jesse Lingard and Scott McTominay in the starting eleven shows there’s something missing and right after an injury to Aaron Wan Bissaka, you ask yourself who comes on, Ashley Young? Darmian? Dalot? De javu?
Frank Lampard is already under the spotlight but Chelsea will do very well to let him be, he should be allowed to groom the kids to become world beaters but if results remain poor, then his head might roll.
Jarvi Gracia of Watford is hot on the list with the very false start to life this season, of his next six fixtures, he only gets to play Arsenal and City from the top six of last season, if he doesn’t get 10 of the other 12, he would be questioned as that would leave him in the red zone by then.
First manager to be fired:
- Steve Bruce
