CHRIS Graham (@ChrisGraham79) is back with a look at who he thinks will win this season’s Premier League.
WLB Season Preview 2017/18 | Premier League: Winner
I’ve searched high and low. I’ve scanned odd after odd. I’ve thought long and hard. Finally I give up and come to the incredibly dull conclusion that this is Manchester City’s season.
It’s not something I particularly want to happen. In fact it leaves me cold. But surely at the second time of asking Pep Guardiola can deliver the goods.
The fact that over £200m has been splashed this summer by the club pushes them further and further away from the lovable loser of a team that we all had a soft spot for growing up.
Guardiola righting the wrongs
But that’s by the by, Guardiola has devoted a large chunk of his transfer spend to right the wrongs of last season.
Ederson Moraes has come in to spare any 2017/18 blushes from a broken Claudio Bravo while the full-backs have been upgraded in the shape of Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Walker and Danilo.
On top of this Bernardo Silva has joined from last season’s highly exciting Monaco side while Ilkay Gundogan and Gabriel Jesus should play much more vital roles this season with injuries out their system.
Man City’s squad looks far stronger this season and surely after a Premier League year under his belt Guardiola will be more adept this time round.
After bossing the autumn, it’s hard to fathom how City fell apart so poorly in the winter. Their form in the spring though was encouraging with just one league defeat in their last 18 matches. That’s set them up nicely for the new season.
Rivals thwarted by negatives
Another reason to fancy Manchester City are the negatives surrounding their title rivals. Chelsea look to do something that no one has done since 2009 and defend the title and they also have European football to contend with too.
I’m still not convinced by Manchester United and modern-day Jose Mourinho. They lacked killer instinct last season and also have the Champions League to contend with this season unlike last term.
I can’t have Tottenham at Wembley, sorry. Their non-White Hart Lane league form was P19 W9 D6 L4 and it wasn’t good enough to get them in the Away Top 4 table. It’s perfectly reasonable to have doubts after their performances at the national stadium since it’s rebuild last decade.
Now that Arsenal have finally succumbed to non-Champions League qualification it may become an annual thing while Arsene Wenger stays in charge. And what if they lose Alexis Sanchez?
Liverpool are going to find the constraints of European football hard but with Jurgen Klopp in charge you’d give them a chance to confound expectations again.
So while there are negatives surrounding a number of title candidates I can only see Man City improving in 2017/18 and their four year wait for the title should come to an end in May.
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Premier League – Man City (19/10 10BET)
