The Premier League is an open league, where, in any given match, any team can beat anyone else.
However, when it comes to the entire season, things are a lot more closed. Before the season starts, there’s often only a handful of teams — at most — that can have any pretensions of picking up the Premier League trophy when May rolls around. While outliers do sometimes happen (think of Leicester all those years ago), we can be pretty confident that the title will go to one of five or so teams.
So, let’s take a look at who those teams are. While not a certainty, it’ll be a major upset if the league goes to anyone other than one of the teams mentioned below.
Manchester City
Can anyone stop the Manchester City show? Guardiola’s team have been unstoppable in recent years, winning five of the last six campaigns. Having matched Manchester United’s record of claiming three titles in a row last year, the team will be extra motivated to make it four in a row and write themselves into the record books. The majority of people think they’ll do it. Indeed, sports betting websites have made Manchester City clear favourites to come out on top. The fact that it may well be Guardiola’s last season at the Etihad will only serve as additional motivation. Still, other teams will have their own ambitions to win the league, so it’d be wrong to say that City will have everything their own way in their quest to make history.
Arsenal
It’s odd to think that, just a couple of years ago, Mikel Arteta’s capacity to lead Arsenal back to glory was in question. No one’s asking that now. Having had a tremendous campaign last year, during which they just missed out on the league title, the Gunners will be hoping that they can take the final step this time around. While it’ll certainly be difficult to come out on top when Guardiola’s team is looking like an unstoppable force, Arteta does have an array of exceptional young talent to call upon. If they can make a few mild improvements and develop a winning mentality, it would be no surprise if Arsenal ended Manchester City’s Premier League dominance.
Liverpool
With Klopp gone, it’s up to new manager Arne Slot to get Liverpool in contention for the league. Happily, Slot’s task is not as daunting as Klopp’s was when he first arrived. Liverpool’s squad is packed with talent, many of them young and exciting prospects, and there’s no doubt that they’re going to win plenty of games once the season gets underway. Whether they have enough in the locker to go all the way is debatable, however, and you have to imagine that Liverpool will need a less-than-perfect season from City and Arsenal to get their hands on their twentieth league title. Still, if that happens, then you can be sure that Liverpool will be waiting in the wings.
Everyone Else
Can anyone else win the Premier League title in 2024/25? Manchester United have looked in a pretty shambolic state for the past couple of years, but they did get a taste of victory — over Manchester City, no less — in the FA Cup final. Plus, with new owners in place, there’s a sense that the team might be on the road to glory.
There’s also a chance (albeit a small one), that Chelsea might finally figure out how to use their expensively assembled squad. But realistically, that’ll be several steps too far and the winner will most likely come from City, Arsenal, or Liverpool. Still — stranger things have happened in English football!
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