Premier League Season Predictions 2022/23

Hi everyone, the blog is back for the 2022/23 season. In this post I’ll be giving my predictions for what the final table of the Premier League will look like at the end of this season.

1^st – Liverpool

I believe with the signings Liverpool have made, they’re now the team to beat. My concern for them has always been about their lack of depth to go through a full 38 game season but with the signings they’ve made this summer and that the squad manages to consistently stay fit, they can keep things up for a full 38 game season. The signings of Nunez and Carvalho will be useful when coming up against teams that will sit deeper against them and Liverpool have had a good record against sides towards the upper end of the table. The other major thing in their favour is that Mo Salah will get a big rest in December which is a big contrast to last season where his exertions in the African Cup of Nations seemed to take a toll in the second half of last season. The only worries for me about them are if Alisson or Alexander Arnold picked up major injuries, the backups for them are a big drop off in quality.

2^nd – Man City

Man City have been the best team over the last 5 seasons in the Premier League due to their squad depth and that won’t change here. They will be excellent again and it does feel like them and Liverpool are still clearly the best sides. If Haaland and Alvarez have big seasons then predicting them to come 2^nd may look foolish. I just worry for them because Haaland doesn’t have the best injury record and losing players like Sterling and Jesus may hurt them in the league given they looked to be reliable sources of goals. They have a bit less depth in the wide positions now and also their defence are still prone to mistakes which may be their undoing against a team of the quality of Liverpool but I still expect them to have an excellent season.

3^rd – Tottenham

A lot of people will say that Spurs have won the transfer window this summer and I do believe they are primed to make a big step up. Conte has managed to unlock the best out of Son and Kane and more importantly has brought in a system that has solidified Spurs in midfield and at the back. Bissouma will give them a large improvement in midfield, Perisic is an incredibly versatile player and Richarlison will offer them a physical presence up top though I do have question marks over paying 60 million for him. The main thing that keeps me from saying they’ll compete with Liverpool or City is the lack of depth outside of their best 11 and that they had a tendency to drop no shows against a couple of weaker teams towards the end of last season which you can’t afford to do if challenging for the title.

4^th – Arsenal

For me Arsenal have had the best transfer window out of any team in the Premier League. The signing of Jesus looks like it could be inspired given his form at the end of last season and during preseason this year. They’ve also added depth in nearly every key position and there isn’t a position other than goalkeeper where there’s a major drop off in quality if there is an injury. But I don’t think they have the quality just yet to challenge for the title as they still have a young squad and they will have European football this season unlike last season which may stretch the squad a bit. I do expect them though to be one of the most exciting teams in the league and to continue the Arteta project in a positive light

5^th – Chelsea

Chelsea are slightly hard to read this year. I was extremely concerned about their huge drop off in form at the end of last season and for most of the transfer window they didn’t get up to much, but the signing of Sterling is a savvy one in my opinion as he has an excellent record against weaker sides and one of the holes Chelsea had was their inability to score against weaker sides at times, Koulibaly could be either excellent or a flop but I expect him to do well for Chelsea. My worry for them is they may struggle against the top teams and the lack of harmony upstairs may distract them at times, I could definitely see Tuchel leaving before the end of the season and I worry they may miss out on top 4

6^th – Man United

For United, this season should be about making the fans enjoy watching their team again, they were an absolute mess last season and they’ve had a quiet transfer window. I believe they have to commit to Ten Haag now and though I expect this season to be up and down for them given their lack of transfer activity, the overwhelming vibes coming from this season will be positive even if they do miss out on top 4. I believe all of the teams above them except maybe Chelsea have improved more than they have this summer so a top 4 attempt may be the best they can do but I can’t see them pushing for it all season due to the lack of quality in the deeper squad.

7^th – West Ham

I feel people are forgetting about West Ham a bit this season. This is a team that competed for Europe for the entirety of last season and they’ve kept their best players while making an excellent signing in the shape of Aguerd. They do have European football with the Conference League to contend with but I imagine they’ll send out their second stringers for it. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they finished 5^th or 6^th this season but they lack the squad depth of the sides I’ve placed above them and I’m not 100% sure Bowen will be as good this season as he was last season but I would be excited this season if I was a West Ham fan.

8^th – Newcastle

Newcastle may not have splashed the cash some expected this summer but in Pope and Targett, they’ve made a couple of proven Premier League signings to go alongside the signings they made in January. Bruno Guimares is a player I expect to have a breakout season and Callum Wilson is a proven Premier League talent if he manages to stay fit. They definitely feel like a best of the rest sort of side and they will make progress this year under Howe and their new ownership.

9^th – Brighton

Brighton are a very well coached side and this position relies on them finally solving their issues with finding the net. They tend to play well against the bigger sides and as long as Cucurella stays, they won’t have lost any key players. Lamptey being fit for a full season would make them a more exciting side to watch and Trossard finally breaking out towards the end of last season was a positive heading into this year. I expect another solid showing from this side this season.

10^th – Aston Villa

Villa have added Coutinho permanently and brought in Diego Carlos from Sevilla who looks like a solid partner for Mings. This feels like a season where they can finally get things together after a rough ride last season and Gerrard can finally make his stamp on this team. They felt shaky at the back last season and maybe didn’t score as many goals as their chances created warranted last season. If Watkins stays fit I expect a big year from him and a top half finish from Villa.

11^th – Leicester

This position very much relies on Vardy, Barnes and Maddison staying fit as I can see Leicester as a side that will score a lot and concede a lot as well. They will be helped by a lack of European football but the loss of Schmeichel is a huge blow for them and that will make an already shaky defence even worse. I do believe Brendan Rodgers is a solid manager though and that they will score enough goals to get a midtable finish with a possible European push with defensive signings in January.

12^th – Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace are a very well drilled side with a lot of promising youngsters so I expect them to be safe this season though a lack of signings means that midtable may be their ceiling. The loss of Gallagher will be big though and I worry that they may not score enough goals to achieve much more than a lower midtable finish, they’ll look to win their games 1-0 I’d imagine but they look like they’ll be strong at the back again this season so they can beat the weaker sides in the league.

13^th – Wolves

I don’t like what the higher ups are doing with this team, they haven’t done much to address their major issue which is a lack of goals and with other teams around them improving and with some of their key players getting older, I can see them having a rough season this season. I believe they do have some very good players who could break out like Podence and Ait Nouri and the experience they have will save them from a relegation scrap but they won’t score enough goals to be a top half side.

14^th – Brentford

This is the beginning of the teams I can see getting relegated. They’ve made a couple of ok signings like Ben Mee who will help give some depth and solidity at the back but the loss of Eriksen was a big void to fill and they haven’t really done that. They don’t have a natural creator now in this side and this feels like a team that will rely on crosses for goals. But the things they have in their favour are a well drilled side who do have a bit of depth and an excellent coach. I expect them to stay up and only a couple of injuries to strikers would put them in trouble.

15^th – Leeds

I think Leeds have the potential to improve this season but that will rely on Bamford staying fit and the new signings having an impact. The board have definitely backed Marsch in the market and he has decided to stack the midfield, I would’ve liked to see a defensive signing or 2 but improving the midfield also makes sense and I think they can overcome the loss of Raphinha to survive this season.

16^th – Everton

Everton are definitely a side nearer the bottom than the top but I can see them surviving this season. Tarkowski is a good signing who offers a threat at set pieces and Dwight McNeil is an excellent crosser of the ball who can create goals for Calvert-Lewin. Aaron Gordon also looked like a potential breakout player last season so there are some positives there for them. The concern is whether Lampard will get over his issues with coaching against weaker sides and if the midfield is strong enough for the Premier League. But they have a passionate fanbase to fall back on if they do end up down the bottom again and they can stay up.

17^th – Fulham

Fulham will likely have a tough ride this season but Leno may be a good signing to help keep them up and Harry Wilson is a player I expect to do well this season. The big question for Fulham will be if Mitrovic can finally score some goals in the Premier League and I believe he can do enough to keep them up if Fulham are more solid in midfield and at the back. This will likely be a relegation scrap but Fulham are the best of the promoted sides in my opinion and can stay up.

18^th – Southampton

Southampton fell off a cliff at the back end of last season and I don’t think they’ve done enough in the transfer window to fix things. Their attackers aren’t good enough for the Premier League and though I expect Ward-Prowse to put the team on his back, it feels like the players have given up a bit on their manager and I can see him getting sacked early on this season. Their chances of survival may depend on who they can get in to replace Hasenhuttl should he be sacked. I see them having a tough start given their early fixtures and that may set them on a run of bad momentum that puts them down.

19^th – Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest have made a huge amount of signings but promoted teams that have done that in recent years have struggled to gel and I’m concerned about them going to the Bundesliga for a lot of their players, that is a league that has been getting weaker over recent years and Norwich signed a few Bundesliga players last year that flopped. The fact they have a lot of their “6 pointers” very early on concerns me as well and though Lingard and Henderson look to be good signings, I don’t think Forest will stay up.

20^th – Bournemouth

No surprises here on this one for most people. This team isn’t good enough for the Premier League as it stands, the midfield isn’t great and I struggle to see where they get goals outside of Solanke. Saying that, he is a bit of a wildcard this season as I wouldn’t be surprised if he did score a few goals and if he does get going, then a shock survival isn’t out of the realms of possibility but on current evidence, they look the weakest side in the league.