The Sportsman's 2018/19 Premier League Predictions

The Premier League season is one game in so we have given our Premier League season predictions! We did write these before the season began but I forgot to upload them last week, whoops. Let's get stuck in.

Champions

Simon Lillicrap - Manchester City

Easy one this. Guardiola’s side were so far clear of the rest of the pack last season and although I believe the other teams will close the gap, City will still win it.

Jack Kitson - Manchester City

Man City swatted aside all before them last season in scintillating fashion, but while Pep Guardiola’s men won’t have it all their own way this term, I still expect the Citizens to double up and hoist the title come May.

Sean Raymond - Manchester City

City were in another league last season and although they have been relatively quiet in the transfer market at the time of writing, it is impossible to see the Citizens dropping away significantly to allow another team to challenge.

Steve Chambers - Manchester City

Manchester City were miles clear of the chasing pack last season, and while Liverpool have strengthened in the summer there's no reason to suggest that Pep Guardiola will rest on last year's successes, and City can cruise to another Premier League title.

Russell Palmer - Manchester City

You have to go all the way back to 2009 to find a team that successfully retained the title, it's not easy. In fact, the last four winning managers before Pep Guardiola were out on the ear by the end of the following season. Don't expect that to happen this year though, City are odds on for a reason and will see off a resurgent Liverpool to win Premier League title number four.

Jack Porter - Chelsea

Immediately going to throw a curveball here, the general- and sensible- consensus- is that Manchester City are going to storm the season yet again.  Entirely understandable and honestly, City look almost certain to becomes the first club to win back-to-back titles in a decade.

However, convention is boring and reading past form, Chelsea have succeeded in claiming the title with three of their last five permanent managerial appointments, two of them- Italians Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte- in their very first season at Stamford Bridge.

It’s a freakish habit Chelsea have, and no one should be at all surprised if the aforementioned coaches compatriot Maurizio Sarri completes a type of hat-trick in his own inaugural season, even if Chelsea have a slow start that does little to convince.

If the rumours about Lyon’s talisman Nabil Fekir moving to West London actually come into fruition, the argument may be more persuasive. It’s tempting to put a cheeky tenner for Chelsea to lift their sixth Premier League title on at the currently market of 20/1.

Dave Irwin - Manchester City

No prizes for originality here, but Manchester City will be hard to dethrone. Liverpool to chase them home but fall just short.

Harris Simpson (Representing The Sportsman’s Social Team) - Manchester United

Much has been made of Liverpool’s summer spending, however, I fully believe that it will once more be the Manchester clubs vying for the title this campaign.

Guardiola’s side is certainly the more settled, but I can’t shake the feeling that an angry Mourinho will be able to harvest an effective siege mentality and drag a dogged United over the finishing line.

Top Goalscorer

Simon - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

The Arsenal hotshot should be their go to man this season and he showed enough last season for me to give him the nod. Good shot to goals ratio and Arsenal should be more dangerous this season.

Jack - Sergio Aguero

The Man City legend has scored 20+ Premier League goals in each of the last four seasons, and providing he stays fit he’ll make that five on the spin this time around, and will subsequently be in the mix to win the Golden Boot for the second time.

Sean - Alexandre Lacazette

Lacazette endured an up and down first season at the Emirates but a record of 14 goals in 32 matches is not too shabby given his injury troubles. The former Lyon man has looked sharp in pre season and can easily make the 20 goal mark this term.

Steve - Jamie Vardy

Harry Kane is entitled to be favourite, as he looks to get the golden boot back he won in 2016 and 2017, and the Tottenham Hotspur striker should be able to outscore Mo Salah, who topped the charts last season.  There's only a handful of players that can feasibly win the accolade, but Jamie Vardy could run that aforementioned duo close, and is arguably the value play in the betting.

Russell - Harry Kane

The bookies are running scared of Harry Kane. He's short enough in the betting right now having bagged the Golden Boot at the World Cup, he doesn't score in August and only returned to training on Monday. Give it a few weeks until he's a backable price as barring injury he's as close as nailed on to score 25+ in the league this term. Not bad for a one-season wonder!

JP - Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang in his first full season at Arsenal. That man is deadly. 

Dave - Sadio Mane

An outside squeak here - Sadio Mane to get back to his goalscoring best after an injury-interrupted campaign last year and run the usual suspects close.

Harris -  Harry Kane

All the usual suspects will once more be in contention, but on the back of winning the World Cup golden boot, I fancy Harry Kane to fire himself to the top of the pile.

Top Four Predictions

Simon

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Chelsea

4. Arsenal

Liverpool with their additions should go close to City whilst I think Chelsea under Sarri will improve as the season progresses. Arsenal and top scorer Aubameyang to get fourth. Mourinho will leave United during the season and Spurs will just fall short.

Jack

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Man Utd

4. Tottenham

Man City to finish top-of-the-pile, ahead of a rip-roaring Liverpool outfit who will just fall short, but entertain along the way. Man Utd will edge 3rd spot, while Tottenham will fend off competition from their London rivals to register 4th.

Sean

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Man Utd

4. Chelsea

City will be far too strong but Liverpool look the best equipped to chase them home in the wake of what looks like a fantastic transfer window. Man United will find a way to win plenty of games ugly, whilst Chelsea will sneak into the top four if they can adapt quick enough to the Sarri tactics.

Steve

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Man Utd

4. Arsenal

Busy in the transfer window, but Liverpool will still struggle to keep up with Manchester City, and will have to settle for second spot. Meanwhile, much has been made of Manchester United's lack of signings, but they still have a decent spine to their team, and if Romelu Lukaku can fire on all cylinders then they can bag third spot. There could be a change of fortunes at the Emirates Stadium this season with Arsene Wenger departing and Unai Emery coming in, and the new boss can help Arsenal get back into the top-four at the expense of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Russell

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Tottenham Hotspur

4. Chelsea

You can't ignore Liverpool's signings and adding some strength in the centre of midfield and in goal should see them finish in second place. Providing there aren't any high profile departures the continuity at Spurs remain and once again they are undervalued in the betting, 20/1 a very attractive each-way price and it wouldn't be a surprise for them to have a slow start and drift in the betting before a fast finish. Chelsea and Arsenal a coin flip for fourth place with United set for a torrid season.  

JP

1. Chelsea

2. Man City

3. Man Utd

4. Liverpool

Again, to continue the line of thought, Manchester City and Chelsea will ignite the most exciting title race in years, particularly if Sarri successfully implements his scintillating style of football that had his opposite number Pep Guardiola salivating when they came up against the Italian’s former club Napoli in the Champions League last year.

Manchester United- with an unremarkable campaign- and Liverpool- sporadically suggesting a promising one yet ultimately failing to deliver- complete the top four, but may pick up silverware elsewhere.

Dave

1. Man City

2. Liverpool

3. Chelsea

4. Arsenal

City are the pace setters and are expected to get a win, followed by a bright Liverpool side. Sarri is fancied to do a job with a talented squad and his Chelsea can rank third. Unai Emery may be able to get the best out of the attacking pairing of Lacazette and Aubameyang and take fourth at the expense of their old rivals.

Harris

1. Man Utd

2. Man City

3. Liverpool

4. Chelsea

Ultimately Liverpool will just fall short of mounting a serious title challenge,but will have no issues in securing Champions League football. Klopp’s side will score fun, but whether they have the machine like mentality to grind out wins mid season remains to be seen.

A revitalised Chelsea should also have just enough to fight off a new look Arsenal and a stagnated Spurs.

Relegation

Simon - Cardiff, Watford & Southampton

Cardiff won’t be strong enough to survive whilst Watford and Southampton have both gone backwards this summer. Both will struggle and could be in danger of relegation this season under unsteady managers.

Jack - Cardiff, Huddersfield & Watford

Cardiff will head straight back down, and I think both Huddersfield and Watford will join the Welsh outfit in the second-tier.

Sean - Cardiff, Huddersfield & Watford

Cardiff look way short of the quality needed for the Premier League and you get the feeling that Huddersfield may have used up their nine lives last term given the look of their thin squad. Watford have been flirting with danger on and off for some time now and with Wolves and Fulham expected to stay up, the Hornets could be sucked into the Championship.

Steve - Cardiff, Huddersfield & Bournemouth

Cardiff did sensationally last season to earn promotion last season, but the Bluebirds will struggle from the off, and can take the unenviable bottom spot. Huddersfield Town escaped the drop last season, but David Wagner's Terriers will have no such luck this year and will return to the Championship. Bournemouth are a side easy on the eye, but they may just lack that cutting edge to maintain their Premier League status.

Russell - Cardiff, Huddersfield & Bournemouth

Cardiff will go straight down and Huddersfield will join them. It's any from the next eight or so in the betting and I wouldn't be surprised to see either Bournemouth or Burnley to get sucked in. The Cherries really regressed last season and were dropping like a stone at the end of the year. Burnley also over-achieved and the extra distraction of the Europa League could take its toll on Sean Dyche's wafer thin squad.

JP - Leicester, Cardiff & Huddersfield

Leicester City manager Claude Puel is on his last legs, yet again not being able to endear himself to his club’s supporters. Once he goes- as he is favourite to do so at around 4/1- the Foxes will enter a downward spiral and go on to emulate Blackburn Rovers, by being relegated less than five years after lifting the title.

Cardiff look by far the least likely of the promoted teams to prove their worth to the English top tier. The Bluebirds should go straight back to the Championship, with Huddersfield also ending their short tenure.

Southampton, currently the epitome of mundanity, should keep them company throughout most of the season before producing an unsurprisingly last unrelenting seize out of the drop-zone.

Dave -  Cardiff, Brighton & Huddersfield

Cardiff do not have the quality to compete whilst Huddersfield might tire again with their thin squad at this level. Finally, Brighton did well to stay up first time but they will struggle in this second season.

Harris - Cardiff, Huddersfield & Brighton

The Premier League is so competitive now that no team big or small can afford to rest on their laurels, unfortunately for Brighton and Huddersfield they have seen many of their rivals surpass them this summer, and it looks unlikely that they will be able to keep their Premier League dreams afloat.

Cardiff simply do not have the required quality to survive, and I will be very shocked if they are not rock bottom come May.

LMA Manager of the year

Simon - Pep Guardiola

The best manager in the league should win this award for the second year running with back-to-back titles.

Jack - Pep Guardiola

An obvious pick but considering that the last three winners of the LMA Manager of the Year award have all won the league, I’m going to continue along that trend by backing Pep Guardiola to scoop the accolade. No club has won back-to-back Premier League titles in 10 years, so it would be an impressive achievement should City double up.

Sean - Pep Guardiola

Not an original choice but City are playing football from a different planet at the moment down to the tactics of their brilliant Spanish gaffer and there is no reason why that won't continue in 2018/19.

Steve  - Pep Guardiola

Will cruise to Premier League glory, and while he may not reach the 100-point mark again this year, he can retain his Manager of the Year crown.

Russell - Pep Guardiola

Another award for Pep.

JP - Maurizio Sarri

The new Chelsea boss will make waves this season.

Dave - Pep Guardiola

Nothing too surprising here, if Manchester City bag the title in the fashion that’s expected then Pep Guardiola is a shoe-in.

Harris - Marco Silva

It should be a case of no alarms and no surprises at the top of the table, but I fancy Marco Silva to have a promising season at Everton playing attractive football in the process. Should he mount an unlikely top 4 challenge or deliver rare cup success, he will be more than deserving.

Surprise Package

Simon - Wolves & James Maddison

Wolves will tear up this Premier League and are the strongest team to come out of the Championship in a long time. A top half finish for both them and Fulham is my prediction.

Elsewhere, James Maddison will be the standout young player in the league this season.

Jack - Fulham

I can’t wait to watch Fulham’s exciting brand of football in the Premier League. Boss Slavisa Jokanovic has made a series of shrewd, solid and sizzling signings meaning his squad now has strength in depth as he bids to prove himself in England’s top-flight. Top-half finish could well be in reach at a tasty 5/1.

Sean - Fulham & Ryan Sessegnon

The majority of football fans know all about this young Fulham player but I expect him to take that to another level in the top flight. Sessegnon has everything in the locker to make it all the way to the top and this is his chance to stake a claim at being a full England international. 20/1 to be the PFA Young Player of the Year looks massive.

Steve - Arsenal

Unai Emery could work wonders with a stale Arsenal outfit this season, and following Wenger's departure there could be a whole new lease of life fired back into the Gunners after a decade in the doldrums when it comes to the Premier League.

Russell - Crystal Palace

I put up Crystal Palace as the surprise package at the beginning of last season (that went well) and given the way Roy Hodgson got them playing after the Frank de Boer debacle would see them comfortably finish in the top half of the division this season. Lets just hope they can keep hold of Wilfried Zaha, otherwise they're buggered*.

JP - Fulham

Not much of a surprise for those who have watched the Championship over the past few seasons, Fulham under Slaviša Jokanović should produce some attractive football to more than hold their own in the top tier. The Cottagers should be comfortable over the next year at least.

Also, shout out to a player who has received no shortage of praise. Fully expect this to be Leroy Sane’s declarative year to stake his claim as one of the world’s best.

Dave - Leicester City

Claude Puel’s Leicester City. The additions of James Madison and Jonny Evans for relatively low sums can help the Foxes press on and achieve a high finish.

Harris - Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace could prove to be a tough team to beat this season, it was essential that they kept hold of Zaha over the summer, and with his trickery combined with the rest of the teams raw athleticism and searing pace, they could surprise a fair few this season.