JULES BREACH: The battle at the top of the Premier League promises to be the most competitive ever with SEVEN teams in the hunt

5 min readJul 20, 2023

In the blink of an eye, the Premier League is back — and this season could well be the most competitive one yet, esp…

In the blink of an eye, the Premier League is back — and this season could well be the most competitive one yet, especially when you look at the battle for Champions League spots.

While last year’s top four all listen to the Champions League anthem on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea will be watching with envy as they missed out on places in the league this year. Add them to the qualifying mix next time, and we could have the most exciting storyline of the season.

Rewind to last August, and almost any football fan would have predicted that Liverpool would either become Premier League champions or runners-up to Manchester City. However, the Merseyside club stuttered through much of the campaign, unable to gain consistency until their final 10 games, which saw them finish fifth — their highest position all season.

Erling Haaland’s Manchester City will once again be the team to beat in their fight for their fourth title in a row (Image credit: Getty Images)

It was the first time they failed to qualify for the Champions League in Jürgen Klopp’s seven full seasons. Now, in a bid for a much better campaign, they have quickly addressed one of their problem areas in the transfer window, signing World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister along with fellow midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

Much of the blame for their troubles last season has been directed at their midfield, and it is likely that more business will be done before the September 1 deadline. Add to that the club’s enviable roster of fit-again attackers — Liverpool’s front line includes Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Mo Salah — and there is hope.

Spurs and Chelsea are coming into this season after their worst campaigns in over a decade. Both under new managers, there is a touch of the unknown for the two London clubs, and similarly they mirrored each other by failing to qualify for European football all along.

But in a season to reset, that could be a good thing. Without the added weekday matches, there is a belief that it can keep the squad fresher and fully focused on domestic chores, making them fiercer contenders for the top positions. Whisper this quietly, but the last time Chelsea played a season without European football in 2016/17, they won the Premier League, under Antonio Conte.

Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has returned to the Premier League with Chelsea (Image credit: Getty Images)

Blues supporters will be optimistic that it certainly can’t get any worse than last year. The start under Todd Boehly’s ownership was chaotic to say the least. A large number of players signed up, some for outrageous sums, and three different managers who were all unable — or not given the chance — to figure out how to fit them all together.

So why will this season be different? First, they’ve had a cleanup of players. There is also no doubt about the talent in the squad. We’ve yet to see anywhere near the best of their historic signings, such as Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk, with even more new signings coming this summer. Chelsea now hope that an organised, respected Mauricio Pochettino can mold them back into a winning team.

For Argentine ex-club Spurs, it is a first season in the Premier League for new boss Ange Postecoglou, after winning the title twice in two years with Celtic.

Tottenham hit the market quickly, securing the savvy £40 million signing of James Maddison who could be the creative spark they’ve been missing. When fit and at his best, the Spurs offense can be a nightmare for defenders, especially in a progressive system under Australia’s Postecoglou.

There’s so much that can affect a team’s chances of success — who might be a bit lucky with injuries and who else might arrive in this transfer window. Just look at Manchester United last season.

They started with two embarrassing defeats at home to Brighton and away to Brentford, but after adjusting under new manager Erik ten Hag and signing Casemiro and Antony later in the summer term, they eventually lifted a trophy and sealed a top four finish.

Along with the Red Devils, Newcastle are making their long-awaited return to the Champions League this season, Arsenal hope to use last season’s pain and a new look in midfield — including Declan Rice — to take them a step further, while Treble winners Manchester City are always aiming to set even higher standards each campaign.

With at least seven teams vying for Champions League places this time around, the battle will be as intense as ever.

JULES BREACH: The battle at the top of the Premier League promises to be the most competitive ever with SEVEN teams in the hunt

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Written by Sports Highlights

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