Season Predictions Part 1 Featuring Man City, Tottenham & Southampton

With the perennial curtain raiser coming up this weekend, the season draws nearer, teams apply the finishing touches, and fans purchase the newest kits for outrageous prices, it’s regrettable prediction season.

Far, far short of predicting the final standings, or the team of the year, here’s a few off the wall estimates for the coming campaign…

Best Team to Watch… Manchester City

Aguero, Jesus, Sane, Sterling, De Bruyne, Silva, Gundogan, Toure. That’s 8 players that City can field in the front 6 on any given match day; leaving at least two on the bench to come on and wreak havoc when the opposition are starting to get tired. Add to that, Pep Guardiola is a tactical genius, and their somewhat leaky defence means that there’ll be the odd 5-2 scoreline, and you have the makings of a very watchable team. Ode to their healthy financial backing, the citizens aren’t universally loved, and neutral fans might revel at the odd upset, a rainy midweek loss away at Watford or Huddersfield, but Super Sunday displays of scintillating football will have the experts foaming at the mouth.

First Manager to go… Marco Silva, Watford.

Silva had a sup-par squad at Hull, and still managed to win a fair amount of games at home. But as evidenced by Hull’s demise last year, turning up for only half of your fixtures isn’t enough. Watford are also not blessed with a great deal of quality. Their squad is a mish-mash of average foreign imports and young English talent; not a promising mix. Watford play host to Liverpool and Manchester City in their opening 5 games, as well as travelling to Southampton; not easy games. Unless Troy Deeney finds his scoring touch again early on, the Hornets will be in trouble early, and Silva will pay with his job.

Top Goalscorer… Harry Kane, Tottenham

Although I’m still not entirely convinced of Harry Kane’s prowess on the International stage, his record domestically is pretty unparalleled in recent years. With Aguero and Jesus battling it out at City, Lukaku yet to prove himself over a full season, and Morata an expensive gamble, Kane hasn’t got too much competition for this award. Dele Alli will continue to grow as a scorer/provider, and Tottenham should be able to maintain a top four position under Pochettino’s ever impressive management. Another 20 goal season for Kane should be a formality.

Surprise Strugglers… Southampton

There’s just only so many times that you can rebuild and improve. Losing Jay Rodriguez is a blow, despite his absence for all of last season. Van Dijk looks unlikely to start the season at St Mary’s, which is yet another blow. Mauricio Pellegrino has previously worked in the backroom staff at Liverpool, but is a relative rookie in the world of Premier League management, and a recent 4-0 loss at home to Augsburg didn’t fill the locals with confidence. A year in the bottom half might be what awaits the Saints.