Are we going to see a surprise Premier League champion?

[sugar_kane]

We’re still only 4 games in but this season is shaping up to be somewhat unpredictable.

There are a lot of factors at play which could be impacting teams

• lack of fans in the stadiums
• lack of a proper pre season
• Residual fatigue from the fixture pile up at the end of last season
• The psychological trauma of the pandemic as a whole, continuing to do your job in public gaze while your colleagues intermittently contract a deadly virus

It might be nothing, and maybe we’ll settle back to the expected top six and Liverpool stomping teams every week - but if not who might we see win the league?

I’d personally like to see Everton do it, as I like Ancellotti and it would upset the red half of the scousers, but think Pickford is too much of a liability.

Wouldn’t surprise me if Spurs did it - it’d be horrendous to see Jose do it but they do have a strong squad and with Bale, a fairly fearsome front three.

Don’t think we can read too much into Villa putting seven past Liverpool but it would be nice to see a team with a solid history like them surprise everyone.

 

[Judge Red]

No. Well, maybe Spurs if that would be considered a surprise. Liverpool gave Mourinho the scent of blood straight after his moral victory annihilation and he’ll have come to life this weekend. He wouldn’t have stood a chance of closing the gap if Liverpool and City had carried on at their best but...

Everton have a manager who can easily stand in the company of Klopp and Guardiola, a team that he can have success with and no European matches to fit in the schedule. It would make a nice story but if they lose to Liverpool next week, that story is already over.

 

[Raw]

I think after this initial period, things will go back to normality once the top teams are fighting fit again. I can't see these crazy results consistently happening all season. It'll be another Liverpool and City title race, with Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester and United fighting for the remaining top 4 positions.

Though the gap between 2nd and 3rd will probably be a lot closer this time.

 

[Judas]

Probably not, Liverpool will still win it, but if there was ever a season where there is a good chance of another random winner, its this one. The schedule is a disgrace, and there's a chance a big player could be missing at any random time due to covid.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

No, but I think you'll get a lot more goals and these freak results (due to games feeling more like training games)... and definitely more hammerings (as players won't have fans getting on their backs to improve their performance levels when things are going badly and can just go into their shell)

 

[RoyH1]

Not sure, we're only 4 games so its hard to say.

If we do, it'd be fantastic for the PL brand. While La Liga and Bundesliga keep on delivering the same old story, we have a league where more than two teams are in the discussion

 

[Siorac]

I still think Liverpool will win it. They're a bit like our 1999/2000 side: that team lost only 3 games in the league that season but in those three games we shipped 11 goals, including that nice 5-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

Liverpool will be battered every once in a while because of their insanely high line that Villa punished yesterday but their overall quality and cohesion will be enough in the vast majority of the games.

 

[Ventura]

Anything but City or Liverpool would be a surprise, so yes it's definitely possible.

 

[spiriticon]

I'd love it if Everton won it.

 

[Mb194dc]

Quite possibly. Though I think the insane fixture pile up suits teams with biggest squads.

How many injuries by January to teams key players?

 

[OleBoiii]

It looks like it's going to be a weird season. On paper no other team than Liverpool or City should be able to win it, but Covid-19 has made the so-called "paper" borderline irrelevant.

It's going to be amazing for neutrals, that's for sure.

 

[Rozay]

Think Everton or Spurs could win it. They’ve both had amazing summers, and I thought to myself looking at Spurs’ lineup before kickoff yesterday and thinking ‘this team is much better than ours’. From back to front they have quality, Reguilon is a great signing for them, Hjoberg, Winks and Ndombele is a balanced midfield with quality, and Son and Kane is a fantastic partnership. Most of all, they have Mourinho on the bench. They should have no inferiority complex to most teams.

Everton are maybe a bit green, but they have also got quality. That said, Pickford is a liability so there is that. Spurs a decent outside bet.

 

[Morty_]

Not sure, we're only 4 games so its hard to say.

If we do, it'd be fantastic for the PL brand. While La Liga and Bundesliga keep on delivering the same old story, we have a league where more than two teams are in the discussion

That may be true, but, la liga race was more exciting than whatever you called the title-race in PL last season.

 

[Paul_Scholes18]

So many games for the clubs in Europe. Could be a big factor. Only having one game per week really helps the smaller teams extra much a season like this.
Everton could really do it.

 

[RoyH1]

That may be true, but, la liga race was more exciting than whatever you called the title-race in PL last season.

I think the Premiership last season was an aberration.

 

[FootballHQ]

I think after this initial period, things will go back to normality once the top teams are fighting fit again. I can't see these crazy results consistently happening all season. It'll be another Liverpool and City title race, with Chelsea, Everton, Arsenal, Spurs, Leicester and United fighting for the remaining top 4 positions.

Though the gap between 2nd and 3rd will probably be a lot closer this time.

Yeah think the top teams will really hit stride going into December and with all the fixtures in the month there's a chance of 5-6 straight wins and pulling away at the top.

I agree with the conditions in place it does feel like there could be a Leicester type title challenge from an outsider but hard to see anyone beating Pep and Klopp over 38 games. Was completely different in 15/16 with Pellegrini serving out his time from January and Klopp only taking over from November and having to build Liverpool up from 7th-8th.

 

[tentan]

Hopefully but I think they'll drop off come Christmas time.