Bold predictions for Chelsea and the Premier League in 2022/23

14. What are some of your boldest predictions for the upcoming Premier League season?

Abhishek: Pep Guardiola realizes that Erling Haaland does not fit into his footballing philosophy after playing him for just three games. Haaland is benched for the rest of the season and he is sold to Fulham for £20 million next summer, where he rediscovers his form and Chelsea buys him for £100 million one year later.

Anthony: Mohamed Salah will struggle this season compared to previous seasons. He still will get double digit goals, but Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez will score more than him. Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho will be the best front three in the Premier League this season in terms of goals. Finally, Newcastle will finish seventh.

Barrett: The team that worries me the most is Tottenham. I already feel bad for saying that Spurs will get third, but I think they’ll win something this season. Man City is going to be distracted by Europe because it is the itch it has not scratched. Liverpool made the right signing with Darwin Nunez, but it doesn’t have the depth yet again should someone get injured, and being Liverpool, someone will. That then leaves an Antonio Conte’s side, who will likely have stumbled out of cup competitions that Conte will likely have purposefully gotten out of so he can focus all efforts on the league—we’re the most recent English beneficiaries of that—I hate that.

Bryan: I have two “hot takes” for the upcoming season. The first is that Nottingham Forest will be serious contenders. Forest will not only avoid relegation, but it will finish mid-table this season and be even better the following year. The second is that the Jack Grealish will struggle to fit into Manchester City’s system and he will be relegated to a bench player by season’s end—ultimately leading to a move to Brighton.

Caden: Keep an eye out for Aston Villa in a European spot, I would not be surprised if the Villains land in the Conference League. Everton will have to shave off relegation again, but this time, the Toffees will go down. Man City will win the league by 15 points.

Gabe: I think Nottingham Forest stays up comfortably. Liverpool’s front three will be the best attacking trio in the league behind Golden Boot winner Darwin Nunez. Julian Alvarez is better for Manchester City than Erling Haaland. Kai Havertz benefits from the Raheem Sterling signing and comes good up top. Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t hit 15 goals. Southampton finally goes down.

Leighton: Timo Werner will score a hat-trick. Bukayo Saka will not score a hat-trick in the Premier League this season. Raheem Sterling will score more Premier League goals than Heung-min Son this season.

Mike: Given the result of the Community Shield, this prediction will be even more shocking. I think this Manchester City team will be the greatest in the history of the Premier League. I’m expecting a new points record, a new team goal-scoring record, a new individual goal-scoring record for Erling Haaland and regular 4-0 or 5-0 victories. Anything less than a treble should be considered a failure for Pep Guardiola’s side considering how much money has been spent on his incredibly talented squad. If Man City can’t achieve its ultimate goal of winning the Champions League this season, it just never will.

Nate: Leeds United concedes eight goals multiple times. Its defense was awful last season and there’s no reason to think it will get much better. Jesse Marsch isn’t the prototypical “shut up shop to avoid relegation” kind of guy, and this iteration of Leeds seems to be so inundated with Marcelo Bielsa’s idealism that defense is considered immaterial as long as some pretty goals are scored.  All of the best teams have improved in ways that suggests they’ll score more goals, and Leeds will be the ultimate victim of the improved firepower at the top of the table.

Olaoluwa: West Ham will stay in the top four until the last day of the season. Erling Haaland will score 35 league goals. Darwin Nunez will score 30 league goals. Tottenham will be closer to second place then it will be fourth place. Everton will finally get relegated for the first time in its history under the tutelage of Frank Lampard.

Tom: As a writer of Leicester City-related material too, I am increasingly worried for the Foxes. The captain leaving a few days before EPL kickoff, Wesley Fofana and James Maddison interest and no signings are all concerning aspects of a nightmarish preseason.

Travis: Just like Ralf Rangnick discovered, Erik ten Hag will have fits when he realizes a team that hates pressing won’t really press. He will not return for the 2023/2024 season. Spurs will start extremely well before the post-World Cup fatigue completely derails their season on the back end. West Ham will be the greatest threat to the top four for all of the traditional top six clubs on the bubble, but the Hammers will ultimately fall just short.

Varun: Mason Mount will have 30+ goal contributions in the league. West Ham will pip Spurs and Arsenal for fourth. Darwin Nunez will win the Golden Boot. Reece James will stay fit for more than two matches consecutively.

Yi Hao: Newcastle United will finish above Manchester United next season. Man United has not been great with its recruitment this summer. As things stand, the Red Devils could be in for a difficult season as they try to adopt a new style of play under Erik ten Hag.

What are some of your predictions for the upcoming campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!