2020 - 21 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON PREVIEW

The Premier League's 2020 - 21 season kicks-off at Craven Cottage as Fulham host Arsenal in the season opener, a season which is starting late and is supposed to end on 23 May 2021. I'll take a look at what to expect from this season as a whole and predict likely outcomes..

1. RELEGATION PLACES

According to me, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham have relegation written all over them. They do not have the quality required to compete in England's top tier and will be sent back to the Championship next season. With no major signings from both clubs, they will need to rely on their existing squads which are Championship standard at best.

The third team , I predict to go down will seem strange for most people but I seriously don't think Aston Villa can remain in the Premier League this season. They are over-reliant on their captain Jack Grealish and Dean Smith is not a proven manager in the Premier League and luck was the only reason they managed to stay up last season. Their luck will run out eventually and they will probably be relegated if not being thereabouts..

I am also marking out Crystal Palace and West Ham as teams that will be flirting with relegation through most of the season. Wilfred Zaha may leave and that will leave the Eagles with no where to go, as the rest of the team isn't good enough for the Premier League. They have not addressed any of their issues in the transfer market and will struggle a lot this season. As for the Hammers, they have a starting fixture list from hell. According to me they will be bottom of the league by the 9th game week and David Moyes will be on the chopping block again. 

2. MID TABLE - 2nd HALF

In 15th place I have Brighton and Hove Albion. Chris Hughton has created a very well oiled machine, that presses high and plays entertaining attacking football. The seagulls will be looking to stay in the Premier League for the 5th season in a row and they have the quality to accomplish that. Their midfield will be key as Pascal Gross and Aaron Mooy can create a lot for striker Neil Maupay to feed off.

I predict Newcastle in 14th place. Steve Bruce's style of play although doesn't excite football fans much, he gets the job done. After many had predicted Newcastle to go down last summer after the departure of seasoned winner Rafa Benitez, Bruce steadied the ship with some emphasis on the youth academy - notably the Longstaff brothers, and with Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser joining the Magpies, they are supposed to be well clear of the relegation scrap.

In 13th place I have Leeds United. The Championship winners have a strong squad and after a long exile are back to where they belong - in the top tier of England. They have added Rodrigo to their squad and he could be the answer to their striker problems. Also Kalvin Philips will be key again for The Whites as they will look to stay up in the premier league.

Burnley are the team I predict to finish 12th. Yeah I know that Sean Dyche's men finished 10th in the League last season but they haven't consolidated that much in the transfer market ( although I don't think they need to ), I just think that the other teams above them are better placed to finish above them. Nick Pope, if isn't stolen by any other club will be key to their fortunes again as they had the second best defensive record in the League.

In 11th place, I predict Southampton. That 9 - 0 defeat at home against Leicester City should have been the final nail in the coffin for them as they had struggled a lot before. However they rose from the ashes and helped with ex-Liverpool striker Danny Ings' 21 goal campaign finishing comfortably in the mid-table after having been written off. Ings will be crucial again although they may suffer a bit if they don't replace Pierre Emile Hojberg. They need to improve on their home form as they surely would have been relegated if they had to play all their games at The Saint Mary's. 

Chris Wilde's Sheffield United are the team I predict to finish yet again in the top-half of the league as his managerial genius helped the Blades to an extraordinary campaign through which most of the time they were flirting with European places. Although they lack a seasoned key player, they more than make up for it in teamwork. However with Dean Henderson returning to Old Trafford to challenge De Gea for the number 1 jersey, their defensive record may degrade a bit. Still, Aaron Ramsdale is a really good goalkeeper and they might not even notice the difference between the sticks.

I predict Leicester City to finish 9th. Don't get me wrong, the foxes are exceptionally brilliant and perhaps the most well balanced squad in the Premier league. Still they have a long season and European football is bound to take a toll on them. They may still end up in the Champions League next season as I mark them to be strong favorites to win the Europa League.

In 8th place I have Everton. The blues have a seasoned winner in Carlo Ancelotti as their manager and he should be able to guide The Toffees back to the top half of the premier league. Their problem however is mindless spending as they have wasted a lot of money in signing Alex Iwobi, Theo Walcott, Moise Kean, Cenk Tosun and other players. However James Rodrigues is a very good signing and I wouldn't be surprised if Everton were fighting for European places and manage to finish above what I am predicting them to. 

3. EUROPEAN PLACES AND TITLE RACE

In 7th place I have Wolves for a third consecutive season. Nuno Esperito Santo's men are a class above anybody apart from the top six ( maybe above some of them too ) and they should be knocking on the door to get into Europe. A well rounded squad, Adama Traore and Raul Jimenez are going to be key again for them this season.

In 6th place , I have Arsenal. The gunners have been playing exceptionally well under Mikel Arteta having won the FA Cup and the Community Shield but European football will take a toll on them. Gabriel Maghalles may be the answer to their defensive frailties but still you never know, he may end up being the next David Luiz. The French League and the EPL are world apart and he will have to adapt quickly. Aubameyang will be key again and will again be sniffing for the golden boot. 

Mourinho's Totenham Hotspur's may finish 5th. Jose Mourinho is a world class manager and I predict them to finally end their trophy drought either in the Carabao Cup or the Europa League. On paper they have one of the best squads in the league, but their downfall has always been injuries to key players - notably Harry Kane who has extremely brittle knees. Troy parrot may be able to fill in for him for some time but Mourinho has a proven record of not trusting the youth..

In 4th I have Manchester United. The addition of Bruno Fernandes has changed the dynamic at Old Trafford as they are back to playing fast-paced attacking football as they boast of the best midfield in the league ( possibly Europe ) and one of the fastest forward line in Europe. The defense always has been an issue and they need to sort out their individual errors. The top 4 is extremely hard to predict this season as it could go anywhere with these four teams.

In 3rd, contrary to popular opinion I have Manchester City. They haven't really addressed their key issue i.e. their defense as Nathan Ake is a mid-table player at best. Any injury to any key player will hurt them a lot. Also with Aguero injured, Jesus will be leading the line and honestly it could be their downfall this season. Another unpopular opinion which I am putting out there - Pep Guardiola will be sacked this season.. (Please don't hate me, but it's a gut feeling).

Now for the title challenge. Most pundits are predicting that Liverpool will retain their title but I'm not so sure (hell I hope not as a United fan) as retaining it is one of the hardest things in the world. And with Chelsea signing players like they are playing Career mode on FIFA, they may have the slightest edge on them as to me they look too strong on paper and Timo Werner is going to be a key player as he is an absolute monster in front of goal. And if Pulisic plays they way he played at the end of the season, then god help any defense that has to deal with them. Liverpool may challenge for the Champions League title but according to me they'll end up short..

4. SEASON AWARDS AND OTHER PREDICTIONS

This season, the golden boot according to me will go to Timo Werner. The prolific German forward was extremely close to winning it in the Bundesliga last season but what can you do if Robert Lewandowski plays in the same league. This season would be different as he will now play in a much stronger side with players who can create a lot for him. Aubameyang may just end up short again this season although I wouldn't be surprised if it is shared between them.

As for Player Of The Year, I'm going to go with Christian Pulisic. This is a highly unpopular opinion but if he plays like the way he played in Dortmund, there is no stopping him. Kevin de Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes are also contenders for this award according to me.

The first manager to be sacked according to me will be David Moyes. West Ham will be bottom of the league in 9 game weeks after having faced the top 7 teams last season and will be sacked again although he wouldn't have been the first one to go had Watford still been in the Premier league..

Carabao Cup final prediction - Liverpool v Spurs. Liverpool to win.

FA Cup final prediction - Man United v Man City. Man United to win.

In England's second tier, things will be very interesting. The three teams I am predicting to make it to the Premier League next season are Norwich, Swansea and Watford.

5. ELSEWHERE IN EUROPE...

Real Madrid may lift their second La Liga in a row and are seriously helped by the fact that Barcelona as a club are in disarray. Athletico according to me can be serious title contenders this season as they have the quality in their squad and with the tactical expertise of Diego Simeone.

Ligue 1 is easy. There can only be one winner - Paris Saint Germain.

Bayern Munich are the best team in Europe right now, have been for some time and if they had the right manager before, they could have dominated Europe for the last 3 seasons. They addressed that void last season as Hanse Flick is an excellent manager who helped the Bavarians to a treble last season. They are too strong for any team in the world right now and will be winning the Bundesliga again.

Serie A is a tough one to predict this season. But according to me Juventus will again prove to be superior to anybody but I expect it to go right down to the wire between them and Inter Milan.

6. EUROPEAN PREDICTIONS

For, the Europa League I'm predicting it to go to an all English final - Spurs v Leicester and I think Leicester will win it. The fast paced attacking system may prove to be too much for Jose Mourinho's side to deal with..

I expect Bayern Munich to win the Champions League again this season as they are simply too strong for anybody. My final prediction is Bayern Munich v Liverpool.

As for the golden shoe, Robert Lewandowski is my predicted winner after having missed out this season unfairly as there are 4 less games in the Bundesliga than other competitions in the top 6 leagues. Hell if we was given one more game instead of four he would have won the Golden Shoe as he only needed two more and that is something he can now do with his eyes closed.

Those are my predictions for next season. What do you think will happen next season?? Comment below. However there is one thing we all will agree on, it's going to be a really good season..