Preview of the 2020/2021 Premier League Season (Part I)

The 2020/2021 Premier League season is just a couple of days away. This upcoming season will be quite different as the world is still facing the coronavirus pandemic which has affected the scheduling of last season as well as this season, with the season starting on September 12th when Arsenal travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham. Fans are still not allowed into the stadiums and for all the teams, preparations have been difficult with little pre-season games on their belts. The transfer window will still be open until October, as teams are still trying to sort out their transfer targets. A very unique season indeed. Nevertheless, the new season is upon us so here is a preview of the new league season and where each team could potentially finish at the end.


WEST BROMWICH ALBION. POTENTIAL FINISH: 20TH

 

West Brom is back in the Premier League for the first time in two years. They reached the playoffs in the first season back in the Championship but failed in their promotion hunt. They finally sealed automatic promotion last season, finishing 2nd with 89 points, five points fewer than champions Leeds United. However, they would feel quite fortunate they managed to seal promotion as they won only three of their last ten games in the Championship which made it nerve-wracking as Brentford and Fulham were on their tails. Manager Slaven Billic has a lot of work on his hands to keep West Brom up. They have signed Matheus Pereira on a permanent deal but have Charlie Austin and Hal Robson-Kanu as their main strikers. Both are 30 with little success in the Premier League and came off from scoring just 10 goals each in the Championship last season. They do have players with experience in the Premier League from Kieran Gibbs, Jack Livermore, Matt Phillips, and Ahmed Hegazi. With little quality and with their competition either having a distinct way of playing or having at least two quality players, West Brom will struggle this season and could go back down to the Championship.


CRYSTAL PALACE. POTENTIAL FINISH: 19TH



Crystal Palace managed to finish comfortably above the relegation zone but their form at the end of last season does not give good reading going into the new season. The Eagles only won two of their final ten league games from last season, losing seven in a row and scoring only six goals in those ten games. Goals continue to be an issue for Palace. They only scored 29 goals from last season with only Norwich scoring fewer. Their underlying numbers do not make things any better. They ranked second bottom in terms of expected goals, bottom in shot-creating actions, and fourth-bottom in terms of expected points. The club has signed Eberechi Eze from Queens Park Rangers to help with the chance creation but they will be demanding more from their star player Wilfried Zaha. The Ivorian had a poor year with only 7 goal involvements in 37 starts and has openly stated his desire to leave Selhurst Park. With the oldest squad in the league plus a star player that does not want to be there, things could unravel for Palace with Roy Hodgson potentially losing his job.


ASTON VILLA. POTENTIAL FINISH: 18TH



Aston Villa was able to stay in the Premier League for another season but just at the skin of their teeth. The Villans spent a lot in preparations for their return last year but they would have wished for a better showing. Villa lost 21 games last season, which is the third-most in the league, conceding 67 goals, with only Norwich City conceding more. Dean Smith was able to make Villa more defensively resolute following the restart which kept Villa up as well as keeping his job. Villa would have to make heavy improvements across the board. They will be hoping to ease the pressure on Jack Grealish to make this happen for Villa. He was their top scorer with only 8 goals and their top provider with 6 assists. Conor Hourihane and Anwar El Ghazi were next with only 8 goal involvements. Dean Smith will have to keep Villa up for another season but they are more likely to struggle again next season and could go back to the Championship after just two seasons.


FULHAM. POTENTIAL FINISH: 17TH

 

Fulham is back in the Premier League at the first time asking. Scott Parker's side managed to stay in the hunt for promotion over the season, finishing in the playoffs. They beat Cardiff in the semifinals and beating favourites Brentford in the playoff final to quickly return into the Premier League. Things won't be that different for Fulham this season. Their squad is relatively closer to the squad they had in the 2018/2019 season which performed badly in the top flight appointing three managers and were relegated with five games to spare. Scott Parker will be hoping for a more different scenario this time around as the Cottagers would have learned their season in their last Premier League season, splashing the cash on too many players which affected the team chemistry. A player to highlight for Fulham will be Serbian striker Aleksander Mitrovic. The Serb was the top scorer in the Championship with 26 goals and did relatively well when he last played in the Premier League, scoring 11 goals. A big issue will be goals from elsewhere. No Fulham player scored 10 goals in the Championship aside from Mitrovic and they need different goal scorers to stay up. The competition to stay up this season will be tight but the Cottagers might do just enough to stay up.


BURNLEY. POTENTIAL FINISH: 16TH



Burnley's 2019/2020 season went under the radar. The Clarets finished an impressive tenth with 15 wins. More than the likes of Everton, Arsenal, and West Ham. The likes of Chris Wood and Nick Pope performed great last year, particularly Pope who has attracted transfer speculation over his future with Chelsea linked with the English shot-stopper. Burnley have done very little in the transfer window with no incoming signings while losing the likes of Jeff Hendrick, Aaron Lennon, and Joe Hart from their squad. This gives a bad reading for Burnley as their squad is a small one and given the tight schedule of the upcoming season, it could affect them this season. Following the end of last season, there was speculation over the future of manager Sean Dyche. The manager has been at Turf Moor for eight years now and discussions over his future would not go away which could hurt Burnley's exploits. With a committed squad and Dyche's experience in the top flight, it should be enough for Burnley to remain a Premier League club.


NEWCASTLE UNITED. POTENTIAL FINISH: 15TH 

 

So Newcastle United managed to stay in the Premier League but the story over at Tyneside was the potential Saudi takeover which could end the reign of owner Mike Ashley, who has been unpopular over at Newcastle. However, the takeover failed to materialize to the disappointment of the Toon Army. Nevertheless, manager Steve Bruce has done well with the squad at his disposal and looks to be improving the squad. They have completed the signing of Jeff Hendrick on a free transfer, Callum Wilson from Bournemouth, and look to be in the race to sign Jamal Lewis. For the Magpies, they need to be a lot more expansive against the teams around them. Newcastle was bottom in terms of expected goals and expected points, meaning that they were quite lucky with the goals they scored and the points they got over last season. Jonjo Shelvey was their top goalscorer with only six goals while their record signing Joelinton scored an abysmal two goals. For Newcastle, it will be quite similar to last season but with some potential signings, they could be better this season. However, they are not making a big jump this season.


WEST HAM UNITED. POTENTIAL FINISH: 14TH



West Ham are coming off a disappointing season where they had some lofty expectations. They finished in a disappointing 16th with only 39 points. Five points above the relegation zone. David Moyes managed to do well to save the Hammers from a potentially messy situation, now he has the keys to manage West Ham for a full season. They have made the loan signing of Tomas Soucek a permanent one and have let go of the likes of Paolo Zabaleta, Carlos Sanchez, Jordan Hugill, Albian Ajeti, and Grady Diangana. West Ham will be hoping the likes of Sebastien Haller, Pablo Fornals, and Felipe Anderson can step up this coming season. Haller under-performed in his first season in the Premier League, scoring just 7 goals in 32 league games while Fornals made only 7 goal contributions. Given the improving competition in the league right now, it is unlikely that West Ham will make a big surprise this season. Not even a top-half finish. Moyes will just put the Hammers in mid-table purgatory. Better than a relegation battle but just okay.


BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION. POTENTIAL FINISH: 13TH

 

Brighton performed beyond expectations last season, staying up with a more expansive way of playing under Graham Potter, who had a good campaign n his first season in the Premier League. It was a controversial decision for the Seagulls to part company with Chris Hughton, who guided them to the Premier League and kept them for two seasons. However, Hughton's ultra-conservative style of play did not excite those at the Amex and it almost took them down to the Championship. Following Potter's first season, Brighton looks likely to make a big improvement this season. They have signed former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana on a free transfer and Joel Veltman from Ajax, two players that would fit perfectly which what Potter wants to play. There is also the emergence of defender Ben White, who had a great campaign with Leeds United in the Championship last season. They ranked seventh in terms of progressive passes, passes into the penalty area, and were in the top ten in terms of shot-creating actions. They look to do a lot better this season and would excite many this season.


LEEDS UNITED. POTENTIAL FINISH: 12TH



After sixteen years in the wilderness which also brought a short stint in League One (England's third division), Leeds United are finally back in the Premier League. They finally reached the promise land by winning the Championship last season, finishing ten points ahead of second-placed West Brom. They have the joint second-best attack with 77 goals and conceding the least amount of goals with 35 goals. Much of Leed's success has been down to their Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa. The Argentine has been cited as one of the most influential managers in the game with the likes of Pep Guardiola, Diego Simeone, and Mauricio Pochettino stating that Bielsa is their major influence in their managerial careers. His style of play will excite many as it will be a major introduction for him to the rest of the Premier League. The Whites have already started their preparations with the signings of Rodrigo from Valencia. Bielsa has a lot of faith in his squad and it remains how much they can repay the faith. They will do well this season but it would not be a Wolves or Sheffield United kind of season for the West Yorkshire club.


SHEFFIELD UNITED. POTENTIAL FINISH: 11TH



Sheffield United surprise pretty much everyone last season finishing in a very respectable 9th with an outside chance of qualifying for Europe. Their team spirit as well as their tactical nous under Chris Wilder, in using their centre-backs to overlap. Which caught many teams in the Premier League off guard. The question now is can they avoid the 'second season syndrome'? Sheffield United came into the top flight with little expectations, which they used to their advantage. Now, they are a known commodity. Everyone now knows how their play, which can give Chris Wilder something to think about on how to tactically evolve. They have lost goalkeeper Dean Henderson as he returned to Old Trafford, replacing him with Aaron Ramsdale. They have also completed the loan signing of Ethan Ampadu from Chelsea which gives them more competition in midfield. They are in danger of falling off this season but Chris Wilder would make sure that will not happen as Sheffield could finish comfortably in mid-table again.