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The Premier League is known for being one of the most competitive leagues in the world. Being a manager in the English top-flight means that one must constantly deal with the pressure of having to produce results week after week. Over the last few weeks, there’s been talk of certain managers supposedly being on the chopping block, for the right or wrong reasons. This week, the plan is to talk about some of these managers under pressure and whether they should or shouldn’t be at risk of getting the sack. Graham Potter (Chelsea) Graham Potter is a man who’s truly feeling the pressure. The board and owner have publicly backed him but that doesn’t mean his job is necessarily safe. We’re not even at the end of the January and they’ve spent just north of £300m on new players. With that outlay, Chelsea should be fighting on multiple fronts. That’s far from the case. They’re out of both domestic cups and sit 10th in the league. Based on the above, Potter should be out of a job. However, I don’t believe he should be sacked, for three reasons. One, he’s only been at the club for 4 months. I know time is a rare commodity when you’re managing a top club, but he needs time to imprint his philosophy and coaching at Chelsea. Two, he inherited a squad of players that weren’t really his. He should at least have the chance to bring in the players he wants. Three, Chelsea have been unfortunate with injuries/suspensions. At the time of writing this, I think 11 first team players are either injured or suspended. Any club would struggle with that many key players unavailable. I think Potter deserves the opportunity to right the ship at Chelsea, even if it means things get worse before they get better. Frank Lampard (Everton) I’ve always thought that Frank Lampard was never that good a coach. He did a good job with Derby but when he became the Chelsea gaffer, I think we all saw his shortcomings. The pattern seems to be repeating itself at Everton, where they are, yet again, in the middle of a relegation battle. It’s been proven that no club is too big to go down (take Newcastle in 2009 as a prime example), but a club with the history and tradition like Everton shouldn’t be fighting for survival year after year. I think the issue with Everton is less so the manager, and more so the ownership. It wouldn’t even matter if they sacked Lampard because of how diabolically bad Farhad Moshiri has been as an owner. Since he arrived in February 2016, Everton have been wretched in the transfer market, Moshiri has rarely been present at matches and the club have made some terrible decisions at board level. I’m not completely absolving Lampard as there are areas where he can improve as a coach and get more out of his players. But as the common saying goes, a fish rots from the head down. Therefore, the owner and board should be questioning their roles before relieving Lampard of his duties. Brendan Rodgers (Leicester) Out of all the managers mentioned, I believe Rodgers has the most equity in the bank. What he’s achieved at Leicester is remarkable. Two consecutive top-five finishes, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, and he’s never finished lower than ninth since he’s taken charge. However, this season, Leicester have struggled with any sort of consistency, languishing in 13th in the Premier League and destined for a season of mediocrity. The question remains, is Brendan Rodgers running on borrowed time. Simply put, no. The main reason why he should remain the Leicester boss: a lack of investment. If my memory serves me right, they only bought one first team player in the summer (centre back Wout Faes from Reims). This was coupled with them selling arguably their two best players, Kasper Schmeichel and Wesley Fofana to Nice and Chelsea respectively. Letting Kasper leave for dirt cheap made no sense at the time and still to this day makes no sense. You can’t expect a manager to do his job when he’s not given the resources to do that job properly. The alternative view is that Rodgers has taken Leicester as far as he can. He might feel that he should step away on his own accord, instead of waiting for the sack. David Moyes (West Ham) It seems remarkable that West Ham are where they are in the league this season considering how they’ve performed in the last two years. Right now, they’re sitting in 17th, only out of the relegation spots on goal difference. How is a possible that a team can go from competing for Champions League qualification in back-to-back years, finishing 5th and 6th, to genuinely being in a relegation fight? Honestly, I can’t think of an explanation. Their squad is largely unchanged, and they’ve bought several players which should have improved their squad depth. Admittedly I’ve not had the chance to watch a lot of West Ham this campaign but maybe there’s a lack of motivation from the players. Is that the manager’s fault? Partly. As a coach, it’s your job to be able to galvanise your players. But at the same time, external forces can cause players to lack the drive to perform. Take Declan Rice for example. He’s most likely leaving the club at the end of the season. Who knows if he’s fully committed to getting West Ham to a position where they should be. One thing that also needs to be mentioned is the passing of former joint chairman David Gold. Given that the club is still in a period of mourning, I don’t think they’ll be making any such decisions in the immediate future. This Week’s Hot Take Unless it’s obvious that a manager is underperforming, I believe that the performance of owners and board members should be evaluated first before a decision is made whether to dismiss a manager or not. Football clubs are just like any other business and when a business is failing, it’s normally the people at the very top that are partly or fully to blame. Football clubs are no different. Before managers get sacked left, right and centre, those higher up should be held more accountable for the failings at football clubs.

After taking a 44-day hiatus, the Premier League returned on Boxing Day. Although I enjoyed the World Cup, it’s good to have club football back. Not only has the English top-flight resumed, but we’re also only a day out from the January transfer window officially opening. Notoriously, it’s been hard for clubs to do business in January but as history has shown, there are some good deals to be done. For this post, I’m going to suggest one area where each of the traditional top six could look to strengthen this upcoming window. Arsenal: Winger Given the injury Gabriel Jesus suffered at the World Cup, one would think the obvious area that the Gunners should look to strengthen is upfront. However, in Eddie Nketiah, I think they have an able understudy that can do a job until the Brazilian returns. Therefore, the position I’ve gone for is a winger. One of the reasons why Arsenal are doing so well this year is due to the performances of Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. They’ve been instrumental in the way Arsenal play and they don’t really have good cover for either if they were to get injured. It makes sense why they’re looking at Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. He can play anywhere along the front three and even as a 10. If they get their man, they’ll have some good depth and will certainly help them as they push towards the title. Manchester City: Right-Back I’m nit-picking with this one I know as it could be argued that City don’t really have any weaknesses in their squad. But I’ve gone for right-back simply because of the recent injury issues that Kyle Walker has faced. I’m aware that City already have two world-class right-backs in Walker and João Cancelo, but the latter now primarily plays as a left-back. I’ve watched a bit of the kid Rico Lewis play and he looks like a decent prospect. But it would be a lot to ask for him to deputise for Walker for an extended period. City will probably feel that they’ve got enough cover and it is highly unlikely that they’ll look to address this area in the New Year. One for maybe them to address in the summer. Spurs: Centre-Back I was really scratching my head with this one. Not because Spurs don’t need to strengthen, but I was torn between a couple of areas. I decided on centre-back because having watched Spurs a few times this season, their defence can be a real mess at times. I look at their centre backs and I think the only decent one they have is Cristian Romero. I’ve never been an Eric Dier fan, Davinson Sánchez is shaky at best and Clement Lenglet is past his best. The fact that Spurs play three at the back does mean that they can almost hide some of their defensive fallings, but it does make sense to see if they can add to their options to give themselves a better chance of making the top 4. However, given Conte’s long-term future is undecided, who knows if the board will back him. Manchester United: Striker With a certain someone now out of the door, United are crying out for a number 9. As of right now, United’s options are Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford. With Martial, he’s never been convincing as a striker, as he’s been a victim of inconsistency. With Rashford, he’s better off the left, where he has space to run at opposing defenders and there’s less pressure on him being the team’s main scorer. If you look at United’s recent history, they’ve not been very good at buying the right strikers. Ibrahimovic, Lukaku, Cavani, Ronaldo. All these players were good for a period but were never going to be the long-term solution. United are the lowest scorers in the current top six, and they need to find that striker that could score them 20+ goals a season. In terms of my personal preference, I would want either Victor Oshimen or Gonçalo Ramos. Liverpool: Centre Midfielder At the time of writing this, Liverpool have agreed a deal with PSV for the transfer of Dutch international Cody Gakpo. If you were to ask Liverpool fans, they would say that their attack is stacked. However, Luis Diaz suffered a setback in his recovery from a long-term injury and Diogo Jota is still injured. So, it makes sense that they get some extra cover. It’s their midfield that I feel needs improving. They signed Arthur Melo in the summer on loan but he’s still unavailable. And even with this signing, their midfield still needs a revamp. In games where Liverpool have struggled, it’s because teams have been able to bypass their midfield far too easily. Jude Bellingham is the name on everyone’s lips but the chances of him moving in January are almost slim to none. It’s most likely that Liverpool will hold out until the summer to see if they can grab their number one man. Chelsea: Striker Like United, Chelsea have had problems scoring goals this campaign. For a team that is looking to challenge for Champions League football, having Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling as your top scorers with 4 goals each is not good enough. According to reports, Chelsea have signed Christopher Nkunku on a pre-contract from RB Leipzig but whether his best position is as a nine is up for debate. Given Chelsea’s system, he’s probably best in any of the three attacking positions behind the striker. They've also signed a striker from Molde, but I don't think he's ready to go straight into the starting XI. Having gotten rid of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku before the season began, coupled with Armando Broja's season-ending injury, they should look to sign a striker. This Week’s Hot Take I think that the Qatar World Cup will mean that it is going to be harder for teams to do business that in previous January windows. The World Cup did a great job of elevating certain players, so much so that their value will have skyrocketed as a result of their performances for their respective countries. This window has always been seen as a seller's market, and for the 2023 winter transfer window in particular, this will be even more the case.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar definitely exceeded my expectations. The football was highly entertaining, and fans witnessed moments that will go down in history. The tournament itself was highlighted by Argentina’s thrilling penalty shootout victory in the final against France, which for me, was one of the greatest football matches ever. Now that I’ve had some time to digest the events in Qatar, I’m going to talk about some of my main takeaways. So, let’s get to it shall we? Is Messi Now the G.O.A.T.? Even before the World Cup, Lionel Messi was my G.O.A.T. I’ve seen him do things with a football that no other man has done before. The one thing that people unfairly held against him was his lack of success with Argentina. Until the summer of 2021, he hadn’t been able to lift silverware with his country. People forget that the 2014 World Cup final against Germany where Gonzalo Higuaín missed two great chances to give Argentina the lead. Ultimately, they lost the match, but who knows what would have happened if Higuaín had put away those chances. Fast forward to December 2022, and Messi is now a Copa America and World Cup winner with Argentina. It now begs the question, surely he has to be the G.O.A.T. right? Obviously, it’s all personal preference, but others (namely older football heads) view players like the late, great Pele and Diego Maradona as the G.O.A.T., because of their World Cup successes. Now that Messi has his, there’s nothing left some him to win: 10x La Liga winner, 4x Champions League winner, 7x Ballon d’Or winner, Copa America Winner, World Cup winner (I could keep going but I think you get the point). I don't know what more he has to do to convince people that he is the greatest football player that has ever lived. How the Mighty Fall This World Cup may have possibly been the final act in the downfall of Cristiano Ronaldo. Prior to the competition had started, he was in the headlines after his explosive interview with Piers Morgan. That interview resulted in his contract being terminated by mutual consent by Manchester United. It was clear that Ronaldo had a point to prove in order to potentially enhance his own G.O.A.T. credentials. Sadly, that turned out to not be the case. He had a underwhelming tournament, only scoring once (a penalty against Ghana). He was even dropped for the 6-1 thumping against Switzerland in the last-16 where his understudy, Gonçalo Ramos, bagged a hattrick. Portugal couldn’t make it all the way, getting knocked out by Morocco in the quarter final. There’s that image of Ronaldo walking off the pitch alone in tears. People have since criticised him for not staying with his teammates, but I viewed it differently. I think he had a moment of realisation that this is the last time he’ll be playing at the highest of levels. Qatar was most likely his last international tournament and in terms of club football, who knows if he’ll ever play in the Champions League or a top 5 league again. It’s sad to see but it shows that father time is and will always be undefeated. The Greatest Spectacle Ever? I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed a match like the final between Argentina and France. What made this match even more remarkable was that for a good 80 minutes, it looked as though Argentina had the match and won. But then Kylian Mbappe decided to turn up to the party, and how he turned up! First, he scored a penalty to give France hope and then in the blink of an eye, he played a superb one-two with Marcus Thuram and then proceeded to score a fantastic volley to make it 2-2. Even before it went to extra-time, both teams where fighting tooth and nail to score the winner. In extra time itself, I thought Argentina had won it when Messi scored his second to make 3-2. But yet again, Mbappe stepped up in a big way to score a 118th minute penalty to make it level the match for a second time. That still left time for both teams to nearly win the match: Lautaro Martinez putting a header wide just before Emiliano Martinez made one of the best saves that I’ve seen live to prevent Kolo Muani from winning it for France. Then in the penalty shootout, Gonzalo Montiel converted the winning penalty after France had seen two of the spot kicks missed or saved by Martinez. It was a truly fantastic final, one that will go down in folklore as one of the greatest sporting spectacles. Hope for England I picked England to be the biggest flops in Qatar, safe to say I got that prediction wrong! They certainly didn’t flop, being beaten in the quarter finals by France 2-1. While the loss itself was hard to take for the players, media and fans, I do believe there is hope for England moving forward. One could argue for large spells of the match, England were the better team. France’s opener arguably shouldn’t have stood after Bukayo Saka was fouled in the build-up to Aurélien Tchouaméni strike. Once more, Harry Kane’s penalty miss in the latter stages of the match with England trailing 2-1 was pivotal. Who knows if the outcome of the match would have been different had Harry Kane, who is normally so reliable from the penalty spot, dispatched the spot kick. However, Qatar represented another instance of England getting knocked out by the first decent team they faced. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. England have got a good young squad that is only going to get better with experience. If they keep the group together and allow other youngsters to push through, they’ll be in decent shape. Euro 2024 is not long away, and England have a good shot at winning the tournament. This Week’s Hot Take Given how well received the football on display in Qatar was, I don’t think this will be the last time we’ll see a World Cup held in the Middle East. People will point to the fact that having a World Cup held in November/December isn’t the most ideal, but I do think that Qatar was a good host nation. There was a lack of crowd trouble, the stadiums itself were top-quality and the fans that made the trip to Qatar were superb. It was a memorable tournament and will surely act as a blueprint for other countries in the region who have aspirations of hosting a World Cup.

The World Cup group stages have come to end, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. There have been some duds in terms of match quality (Qatar vs Ecuador comes to mind; what a waste of 90 minutes that was), but there have also been some super entertaining games that have left fans on the edge of their seats. With the group stages done and dusted, this is where the tournament really. Some teams will rise to the occasion, while others will falter. Come a couple of weeks’ time, we’ll know who will come home with title of World Champions. So, with the intro out of the way, let’s assess what has happened so far in Qatar. Who Doesn’t Love An Upset What has made this World Cup different to others has been the number of upsets. It all began with Saudi Arabia stunning Argentina on matchday 1. They defended superbly throughout and were clinical with the chances they created. I don’t think many fancied Japan to qualify for the last 16, but they did the unthinkable, beating both Germany and Spain en route to advancing as group winners. Who would have thought that for the second World Cup in a row, Germany wouldn’t make it out of their group. Look at Morocco as well. Sure, they’ve got some talent players, the likes of Hakimi and Ziyech, but them also topping their group certainly wasn’t on the cards. In the process, Morocco beat Belgium which was key in sending the latter home early. Let’s not forget about South Korea, who with a last-minute winner against Portugal, snuck through at the expense of Uruguay. From a neutral’s POV, it’s meant that you can never predict what’s going to happen game-by-game, and long may it continue. Is It Actually Coming Home? Let’s get real for a minute. I’ve seen people wax lyrical after England comfortably swept aside Iran and Wales, but some English fans need to chill a little bit. We shouldn’t forget that before England beat Wales, they put in a truly abject performance against the USA. They were even getting booed after full-time. Iran and Wales are two teams that England should be beating comfortably. The first time they played a semi-decent side, they came unstuck, lacking any real creativity or urgency. The Americans really made England look ordinary. It begs the question; can England win this World Cup? Well, anything is possible, as we’ve seen already. I do think in terms of personnel, they have the quality, especially in the attacking areas. I think the concern will be whether against better opposition, they can dominate games in midfield. If Southgate goes with five at the back, with two holding midfielders, England will get overrun in the centre of the park. My gut feeling is as soon as they buck a top side, like a France, it will be the end of the road for them. The End of the Road Speaking of the end of the road, that certainly is the case for certain teams. They’ve achieved the most they can as a group, but it’s time for a change. Countries that spring to mind are Belgium and Germany. This current crop of Belgians have been dubbed the “Golden Generation” due to the wealth of talent within the squad, players like De Bruyne, Courtois, Hazard & Lukaku just to name a few. Despite all the ability they have, they’ve only reached one World Cup semi-final. They never managed to win the big one or even get to a final. Belgium’s best players are all in their early to mid 30s; they’re not getting any younger. It’s time to breath some new life into the squad, sooner rather than later. Germany were always a side that would almost be guaranteed to make the quarters of any international competition. Those days seem long gone. They’re different to Belgium in that their team isn’t an aging one. They’ve still got a good mix of youth and experience. For whatever reason, in recent tournaments, they’ve struggled. They’ve haven’t made it out of the group in the last two World Cups, where previously they had made it to the semis four consecutive tournaments from 2002 to 2014. I think the international game is evolving, and it might be moving too fast for the Germans. The Cream Always Rises To The Top This isn’t one team that is the clear favourite to win the World Cup, but in glimpses we’ve seen that if certain teams can put it together, they could be hard to stop. France didn’t succumb to the dreaded World Cup curse, like defending champions have in the past. Even with Benzema getting injured before the competition, there aren’t many attacking quartets better than Mbappe, Griezmann, Dembele and Giroud. If they can remain on song, they should be a team that their opponents would want to avoid. Brazil were many people’s favourites (including mine) and they remain one of the contenders. Neymar’s injury does put a slight damper on their chances, but the consensus is that he’ll be fit for the knockouts. Like France, they have so many good attacking players that even with Neymar not fully fit, they’re a scary outfit. They haven’t been as impressive as some might expect, but the group stage is about getting out relatively unscathed, which is what they’ve done. Lastly, the Argentines. That loss against Saudi Arabia could have been made people think that this isn’t their tournament. But watching them play Poland it was like a kid taking candy from a baby. It was pure domination. Argentina really should have won by more than 2 goals. Messi knows that winning this tournament would make him the undisputed G.O.A.T. and with him leading the charge, Argentina have every chance of winning their first World Cup since 1986. This Week’s Hot Take If we’re just looking at the group stages only, I can’t remember a more dramatic one in recent memory. Some many of the groups have been decided on the last matchday, with teams going from potentially topping their group to finish rooted to the bottom of it all within the space of a couple of minutes. I think having a World Cup in Winter has added that element of unpredictability that we as football fans love. Why have we seen so many surprises in Qatar? Who knows, but I for one am not complaining. If the drama continues into the knockout rounds, this might be a World Cup for the ages.

Still seems strange to be talking about a World Cup and it’s not the middle of summer, right? Well, this is the situation we find ourselves in. The 2022 edition begins this weekend in Qatar and it’s sure to be hotly contested. There are so many side plots going into the tournament. Can Messi finally win the big one? Will it be England’s time again? Are we going to see Neymar light up Qatar? Footballing wise, I'm hoping this World Cup will be a spectacle. With the backdrop out of the way, let's take a whack at predicting what will transpire over the next month or so. Winners: Brazil I think most people are picking either Brazil or Argentina as their winners, and for good reason. I’ve gone for the former of the South American giants. They are a team that are bang in form, having lost only 1 match in the last three years (and that was the 2021 Copa America final against Argentina). Their squad is littered with talent and it’s very well balanced, from defence to attack. Just looking at their potential starting front three: Neymar, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. That’s a defender’s nightmare. It’s also been a while since they last lifted the trophy (over 20 years), so you’d think they due to win it for the sixth time soon enough. My heart wants Messi and Argentina to win, but my head is telling me it's Brazil's to lose. Top Scorer: Kylian Mbappe Despite his antics at time, Mbappe is a generational player. It was at the World Cup in 2018 where he really established himself on the grandest stage and I think he’ll have another exceptional tournament. I feel that form is going to be pivotal to how teams and players perform and there aren’t many players on the planet in better form than this man. Provided that France progress fairly far (which I believe will be the case), Mbappe has.a good chance of scoring in most matches he plays. One could argue that with the attacking options France have, they’ll share the goals around. But I still think he’s end up winning the golden boot award. Player of the Tournament: Neymar It only seems fitting that the Golden Ball award should be given to the winning team. Given I’ve picked Brazil to win, it makes sense that Neymar will be a big reason why they become champions of the world. He’s a player that has gotten an unnecessary amount of hate since he joined PSG. I was one of those people, but I’ve always said that behind Messi and Ronaldo, he’s been one of the world’s best over the last 5-10 years. He’s been bang at it this season for PSG and you know whenever he puts on a Brazil shirt he steps up in a big way. Just look at his goalscoring record for the national team: 75 goals in 121 games. Those are next level numbers. I have a feeling the disappointment of the 2014 World Cup will be at the back of his mind, as he’ll want to write some wrongs. Player to Watch: Pedri It was super tough for me to nail down a single player to watch as there will be some many talented players gracing the World Cup. The player I’ve gone for is Pedri. I forget that he’s already played so much football in his young career and he’s only 19. He burst onto the scene almost out of nowhere, but his performances over the last year or two have been on another level. The way he plays the game is reminiscent of his Barcelona and Spain predecessor Andres Iniesta. There’s an elegance about the way he moves around the pitch, seemingly always making the right pass and gliding past players at will. We already know how good Pedri is, but this World Cup represents an opportunity for him to establish himself as the lynchpin of Spanish football for years to come. Dark Horses: Portugal When you look at the bookies' favourites, not many seem to have Portugal that high up on their list of contenders, and I don’t know why. If you look at their squad, there are no real weakness. They’ve got a good choice of keepers. Their defence contains some of the world’s best in their positions. Their midfield has a nice balance of grit, playmaking ability and control whilst their attack has the potential to be explosive. The concern will be whether these players can gel at the right time. Similar to Messi, this is likely to be Ronaldo’s last World Cup and he’ll want to go out on a bang. Given he has played much for United this season, he’ll be all fired up for Qatar which could make this Portugal team one to avoid in the knockout stages. Biggest Flops: England Some people probably won't like this pick, but I have this feeling that despite the quality of their squad, England are going to disappoint this year. The main reason: Gareth Southgate. I’m sure he’s a nice enough guy, I just don’t think he’s a good coach. Tactically I think he’s not up to scratch and I don’t feel he has the balls to make the big decisions. People who back Southgate say he's taken England to a World Cup semi-final and a Euro final. One paper, that looks good. But let's actually analyse those results. In the former, they lost to the first good team they faced, and, in the latter case, they played 6 of their 7 games at Wembley. It's going to be a whole lot different playing in the sweltering heat of Qatar than at the familiar surroundings of Wembley Stadium. For the players sake, I hope they do well, but with this manager, I see it ending badly for them. This Week’s Hot Take This will be the hardest World Cup to win of all time. Teams will have to cope with the excruciating heat. Sure, World Cups have been held in other hot countries, but these conditions will be different. Secondly, teams will be playing this tournament midway through the league season and so players will not have had as much time to prepare both physically and mentally compared to if the competition was staged in the summer. For these reasons, whoever comes away the victors, they’ll know that they had to do it the hard way.

The Premier League is a third of the way through and we’re starting to get a better sense of how this campaign might play out. Granted, there’s still a lot of football to be played. It would normally be around Christmas time where it becomes clearer where teams will end up. However, with the World Cup halting league football around the world in two weeks’ time, I think it’s the right time to assess the season so far. So, this week, I’m going to talk what I’ve made of first 12/13 games thus far. Are Arsenal the Real Deal? In my way too early predictions, I had Arsenal finishing fifth in the league, just short of the top 4. But right now, they’re sitting at the top of the tree. Aside from City, they’ve been the best team up to this point. Arteta has got them playing an attractive brand of football whilst having a defensive steel to them which hasn’t been present in recent times. The question remains, can they keep this up? I’m still intrigued to see how this team copes with setbacks. In the immediate aftermath of the games where they dropped (the loss at Old Trafford and the draw against Southampton), they proved it was merely a blip (spanking Brentford and Forest 3-0 and 5-0 respectively). It’s when they experience more severe setbacks is where we’ll see what this team is made of. Can they win the league? Anything’s possible. They’ve put themselves in a good position. We just have to see if they can maintain their lofty levels. Erling Haaland: A Man on a Mission THIS MAN IS NOT HUMAN. I don’t know what factory this guy was built in, but the engineers sure knew what they were doing. Nah but in all seriousness, Haaland is just on another level. We’re barely into November and he’s already got 17 goals. He doesn’t even touch the ball that much, but that’s the beauty of it all. He is consistently in the right place at the right time. His appetite for scoring is second to none, and you can see the fear he strikes in opposing defenders. Normally it’s hard for strikers, especially from the Bundesliga, to hit the ground running when they move to England. But Haaland ain’t any old striker, is he? It helps he’s in a team that creates chances galore, but he’s still got to put them away. He might not say it openly, but he’ll be desperate to beat Salah’s record of 32 goals in a single campaign. Provided he stays fit and Pep doesn’t rotate him too much, I think he’s got the record in the bag. Hope for United, But Caution is Required After the first two games, I was about done with United. Props to Ten Haag for putting his stamp on the team and turning this around. Since that embarrassment against Brentford, we’ve beaten Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs and have won 7 of the last 10 games. The players are really taking to his coaching and are responding in a big way. Martinez and Dalot are two examples of players who have epitomised what the manager is all about playing with intent and aggression. Eriksen has been that calming presence in the midfield. After a slow start, Casemiro has kept the centre of the park ticking over nicely, and Rashford is starting to look like the player he was a couple of years ago. Despite all the good thus far, I’m remaining cautious. I’ve seen this happen before. We’ve gone on good runs before but as soon as things go pear-shaped, the players have downed tools. I’m hopeful that with this manager, it will be different. But I think it’s wise for all United fans to be wary at this stage. The New Kid on the Block The race to be in Europe’s elite competition next year is as open as I can remember, and right now it’s super close to call. City and Arsenal look like the teams to catch, which leaves 5 teams fighting for those other two spots. I’ve been shocked by what I’ve seen from Liverpool and Chelsea in the early stages of this season. Teams have been able to cut through Liverpool at will, with the midfield getting bypassed time and time again. The lack of change within the squad over the last few years coupled with how much football they played as a group has really caught up with them. Chelsea have just been a bit of all over the place. Potter doesn’t quite know his best XI, and there seems to be a lack of chemistry between the players. I was quite high on Spurs, but watching them up to now, they just aren’t a good watch. They play such negative football and Conte looks like he’s reaching his breaking point. This has left the door open for a potential outsider to come into the mix. Enter Newcastle. They’ve looked good when I’ve watched them, and their squad has a nice balance. It’s going to be close, but this could finally be the year where one of the traditional top 6 don’t make it. It's Tough at the Bottom Life’s always tough for the teams at the foot of the table, with this year being no different. There are at least 7 teams that are fighting to stay in this league. All those have shown that whilst they can win the odd game or two, they lack consistency and it’s going to be a struggle for them all the way to May. It’s normally the case where there are one or two teams who are cast adrift early on and then that last spot can come down to several teams. I don’t think that’s the case this time around. I really fear for times like Forest, Bournemouth, and Wolves. Their inability to score goals is going to cost them dearly. As always, nothing’s decided in November, but it’s going to be a fight to the finish. This Week’s Hot Take This could be the last season we see Guardiola and Klopp manage in the Premier League. City will most likely win the league, and if they finally win the Champions League, I think he’ll leave and ride into the sunset. He would have won everything possible, and he might think it’s time to try something new. Liverpool are in real danger of missing out on the top 4. If that happens, Klopp could call it a day. He’s been at the club for over 7 years now, and he’s possibly taken this side as far as he can.

One of the stories from the Premier League over the last week was United’s victory over Spurs. From start to finish, it was complete domination, by far the best I’ve seen United look in the last few years. Aggression, commitment, and penetration: that performance had it all. But one man had to make that night all about him: Cristiano Ronaldo. He stormed off the pitch before full-time after refusing to come on as a late substitute. He has now been dropped from the next league game and his future is now uncertain. All the headlines should have been about the performance, not about one man throwing a tantrum. But since it happened, we might as well address it, in what I call, the Ronaldo Conundrum. To Sell or Not to Sell After failing to qualify for the Champions League last season, Ronaldo made it clear that he wanted out. I don’t blame him either. As someone who wants to continue to play at the highest level, you can’t fault him for seeking a new challenge. It was down to Erik Ten Hag to decide whether to grant Ronaldo his wish or to convince him that he was crucial to his plans. It appeared that a stalemate had been reached. United didn’t want to sell him, and Ronaldo was left unconvinced that the club were going in the right direction. There were teams who were interested in buying him (Chelsea, Napoli, Atletico to name a few), but United weren’t willing to do business with any of them. I think once it reached a point where Ten Hag knew keeping him against his will wouldn’t be good for the club, United should have found a way to sell him (or even as a last resort, buy him out of his contract). But alas, that never happened. This is where I think United are first to blame in this. Everyone knows that as a club, it’s no good keeping a disgruntled player. It never works out. Allowing Ronaldo to move on would have massively freed up the wage bill and allowed Ten Hag to refresh his forward line, getting someone more suitable to his style. The Fit Just Isn’t Right I alluded to this a few sentences above that It’s evident that Ronaldo does not fit into Ten Hag’s style of football. We’ve seen from his stint as Ajax manager that he likes to play aggressive, attacking football, collectively pressing from the front and while defending with a high line. I want to focus on the pressing part for a moment. We’ve seen over the last few years in the league that the best teams press from the front. Ronaldo has never been known for his pressing, even at the peak of his powers. At 37, he’s not getting any younger and he simply can’t get around the pitch like he used to. I read an article that said in the two league games he’s started this campaign (against Brentford and Newcastle), United have registered their lowest distances covered. It’s worth noting that United failed to win both those games (albeit for very differing reasons). The point I’m making is that Ten Hag demands a certain amount of energy and dynamism from his players. With Ronaldo in the team, he’s not going to give you that. United have looked more dangerous with Martial or even Rashford compared to Ronaldo and those two are better fits for what the coach is trying to implement. To Big For His Boots The actions from Ronaldo at the end of the Spurs match showed that he’s all about himself and that he thinks he’s bigger than the club. Let’s get something straight. No one, I repeat, no one, is bigger than Manchester United. Ronaldo needs to check himself. If United were losing the game and he stormed down the tunnel, it still wouldn’t have looked good, but you would at least be able to somewhat understand his reaction. But this was a game that United were WINNING, the fans were in full voice and Old Trafford was rocking. Sometimes you need to recognise that it’s not all about you and even if you’re disappointed to not be playing, you should be happy that the team is playing well. Why Ronaldo felt the need to make everything about him I’ll never know. He later issued an apology on social media saying he reacted in the heat of the moment but that’s not good enough. As a senior member of the squad, he should be setting an example. The only example he set on Wednesday was how to throw your toys out of the pram when you don’t get your way. What’s Next? The question now remains, what happens next? Some people believe Ronaldo has played the last game for the club. I don’t think he has just yet as I’m sure Ten Hag will reintegrate him back into the squad. But longer-term, where do Ronaldo and United go from him? Simply put, both parties need to go their separate ways. The manager doesn’t want the player around, and the player doesn’t want to be stuck on the bench. The problem is, what team can afford him, and more crucially, what teams want him? Getting him in January is sure to prove very difficult. The same teams that wanted him in the summer probably aren’t interested in him now. Chelsea signed Aubameyang in the summer, Napoli are flying in the league and don’t need him. That leaves Atletico as the only realistic option. But even then, his wage demands and links to Real Madrid would mean brokering a transfer would be tough. It might be easier to release him from his contract and draw a line under the whole situation. Yes, it will cost United money, but it might be what’s necessary given the Ronaldo cloud that seems to be hanging over the club. This Week’s Hot Take Ronaldo should have never re-signed for United. There was so much buzz around his arrival and United were tipped to at least be the most competitive they’ve been in a while. But last season he was possibly one of the reasons why United finished 6th. He was our top scorer, but his output and sheer presence came at the detriment of others and overall, we took steps backwards. Now look at this season, United are a better team both off and on the ball without Ronaldo in the starting XI. The sooner he’s gone, the better so that the Erik Ten Hag project can really take off.

The World Cup is fast approaching, and coaches are in the midst of finalising their squads for the competition. For England, this is a pivotal tournament for them. How they perform will determine whether Southgate is still in a job or not and whether the last two tournament results were merely a fluke. He’s got to get his squad selection spot on, with any mistakes being heavily scrutinised by the media and fans alike. So this week, I’m going to take a crack at picking my 26-man squad for Qatar. Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal), Nick Pope (Newcastle) Goalkeeper is the one area where I don’t think there’s too much debate. Jordan Pickford has been England’s number one for a while now. Whilst I’m personally not his biggest fan, I’d take him. He’s a good shot stopper and has good distribution which will be good when teams press England high up the pitch. Aaron Ramsdale’s performances for Arsenal ensure he's got a place in my squad. Arsenal have made a great start to the season and since he replaced Bernd Leno as Arsenal’s starting keeper, he’s been very good. Sure, he can sometimes be a bit nervous on the ball, but he’s been an assured presence for Arsenal between the sticks and he would be in my starting line-up ahead of Pickford. The third keeper spot was between Nick Pope and Dean Henderson. Pope had a shocker against Germany, but it wasn’t enough for him to not make my squad. The thing that Pope has in his favour is that he’s been playing regularly at club level. Henderson was basically ignored by United last season and although he’s now a regular for Forest, I don’t think his performances warrant him going to the World Cup, unless a keeper is ruled out due to injury. Defenders: Reece James (Chelsea), Kyle Walker (City), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), John Stones (City), Fikayo Tomori (Milan), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Eric Dier (Spurs), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle) The first two things that people will notice is my inclusion of Trent Alexander-Arnold and my omission of Harry Maguire. TAA's defending can leave a lot to be desired. We’ve seen it first-hand this season for Liverpool as teams have identified him as a weak spot and consistently exploited his lack of defensive awareness. Despite this, what he can offer going forward is undeniable. He’s a special talent at the full back position. He’s by far England’s best passer of the ball and he offers creativity from right back that no one else can match. He wouldn’t be in my starting XI but having him as option of the bench in those tight matches could be a game-changer. Moving onto Harry Maguire, I don’t care what anyone thinks, he shouldn’t be on the plane. As a United fan, I’ve watched him week in and week out and he’s been tragic for the last 12-18 months. He may have experience in international tournaments, but it’s not enough to warrant him being picked. It amazes me how someone like Tomori, who is England’s most in-form centre half, can’t even get a look in. Him and Stones would be my centre-back partnership England, as I think they offer a nice balance at the heart of the defence. Midfielders: Declan Rice (West Ham), Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Phil Foden (City), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), James Maddison (Leicester), Kalvin Phillips (City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton) Given my preferred formation for England would be 4-3-3, I’ve gone for 8 midfielders. Out of the ones selected, Rice, Bellingham, Foden & Mount are all certainties. A special shoutout to Bellingham. How this guy has developed during his time in Germany is insane. At first, I thought he was overrated, but after watching him play, how wrong I was. His all-round ability, his command of the game and the level of maturity he's shown at such a young age, it’s scary. Maddison has been unfortunate to not be selected more for England. Leicester haven’t been that good recently, but he’s been putting up great numbers from midfield. He’s one of England’s best technical players and he should feel slighted if he doesn’t make it. Although he’s not been playing great, Henderson offers those intangibles that make him a good player to have in Qatar. The last midfield spots go to Phillips and Ward-Prowse. The former’s place is in doubt due to a shoulder injury so someone else may end up replacing him. The latter would make my squad mostly because of his set-piece ability. I know I’ve picked TAA and Trippier but, from a dead-ball, there’s not many players better than Ward-Prowse. Attackers: Harry Kane (Spurs), Tammy Abraham (Roma), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Marcus Rashford (United), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Jack Grealish (City) I don’t need to explain why Kane and Sterling are dead certs for the England squad (we know who they are). I was tempted to put Saka in that category given his rise to prominence over the last few years. He was voted England’s player of the year in 2021/22 (although I think there was an element of sympathy with that vote), and he’s been a consistent performer for both Arsenal and England. Rashford is a tricky one. The main reason for taking him is he and Sterling are the only attackers that offer real pace. Sometimes in games where there’s space in behind, having Rashford as an option off the bench could be pivotal. If this was 12 months ago, I would have gone for Dominic Calvert-Lewin over Ivan Toney, but he’s been injured far too often for him to deserve a spot. You’ll notice that Jarrod Bowen and Jadon Sancho don’t make my squad. I like Bowen, I think he’s a tidy player. England just have better attackers. With Sancho, he’s another whose performances haven’t been good enough to merit a place. This Week’s Hot Take As good as this generation of English players is, they aren’t better than the Golden Generation from 2001 to 2007. In terms of quality of depth, this current crop of players is better than those in the past. But that generation of players had some of the world’s best players at the position. Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes, Beckham, Terry, Ferdinand, Cole. I’ve not even got to the second tier of players who were still quality. There’s still a long way to go before that generation will be surpassed.

The transfer window is always an exciting time in the footballing calendar. As a United fan, it’s been an interesting window, with the usual masses of money spent trying to get United back once again to where they belong. So, this week, the plan is to grade each of United’s summer signings and see how I think they’ll fare this season and the rest of their United careers. Tyrell Malacia: 9/10 Call me a bad United fan, but I hadn’t heard of Malacia before he joined. From the first few games, he looks like a United player. We’ve been crying out for someone tenacious at left-back for so long. Alex Telles hasn’t done the job since he signed, and Luke Shaw has had one good season in eight years. Watching Malacia against Liverpool, he did as good a job as anyone could have marking Salah, despite the Egyptian scoring. Even as we were getting battered by Brentford, when he came on, he was the only one who showed any fight. He’s got bundles of energy and always plays with a sense of urgency and purpose. He’s fully cemented him as our starting left-back and if he keeps us his good start, he’s set to have a good campaign. Christian Eriksen: 7/10 Given he signed for free, I can’t be too critical of this signing. Eriksen has undoubtedly got quality and he’s proven in this league. People didn’t think he was going to kick a ball again after he collapsed at Euro 2020, but he had a great 6-month spell at Brentford, showing the footballing world he’s still got something left in the tank. Do I think he’s the solution to our midfield? Not really. I think he’s almost a stopgap for another midfielder, someone that can do a decent job for a year or so and then potentially be moved on. When I think of our ideal midfield, one thing it needs is dynamism, something which Eriksen doesn’t really possess. Good player, but not a game-changer at this stage of his career. Lisandro Martinez: 7/10 I was one of those United fans that may have judged this guy too quickly after the Brighton and Brentford games. Since then, he’s been top drawer. He’s good on the ball, strong in the tackle and can pick out a pass. The fact that he’s a lefty also helps cos having Maguire in that channel for another season makes me shudder. I think against teams that don’t have a tall, strong number 9; he’ll do just fine. It’s those games where he’ll face a Haaland, or a Núñez or a Kane that he might get found out. No disrespect to Welbeck or Toney, but if you’re getting dominated by these two, good luck with those other three strikers. If he is playing alongside Varane, it may not be as much of an issue, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Casemiro: 8/10 If this was three or four years ago, I would have given this a 10/10. Casemiro is an elite defensive midfielder, one of the world’s best. He’s the sort of player that United fans have been demanding for God knows how long If you think of all the qualities that make a top-tier holding midfielder, he’s got everything. He’s also a serial winner. I mean what hasn’t this guy won: La Liga, Champions League, Copa Del Rey, UEFA Super Cup. You name it, he’s won it. You’re probably thinking, why on earth have I rated this move an 8 out of 10? In one word: desperation. As good as he is, this was a desperate signing. Why didn’t we try get him earlier instead of playing cat and mouse with Frenkie De Jong? One thing that can’t be ignored is playing with the likes of Fred and McTominay is a completely different kettle of fish compared to having Modric and Kroos next to you. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to make that adjustment. Antony: 8/10 I saw a compilation of Antony’s best moments, and someone said that he’s basically Jeremy Lynch. If you don’t know, he’s a football freestyler who believed his own hype but was really all flicks and tricks with no real substance. Now Antony is not Jeremy Lynch, but he does like a skill or two. He never managed double figures in Holland which is a little concerning. He’s been bought for big money, £85m. For someone that is still relatively unproven, it’s a bit of a gamble. The thing I like most about him is his directness. His first instinct is to run at defenders, which is something that United’s wingers normally shy away from. United are also in desperate need of a left footed attacker to play on the right side of the front three and with his combination of pace, skill and intensity, he could make that position his own. Martin Dúbravka: 6/10 I’m finding it hard to say much about this signing. It sort of speaks for itself. He’ll be our back-up goalie, who will probably play in the cup competitions and that’s about it. With Dean Henderson at Forest, United need an extra keeper and he’ll do a decent enough job. The deal is a loan with an obligation to buy depending on appearances, so it’s not like it’s costing United a fortune. The only thing of note really is that Dúbravka has been in the league for a while so he should be able to hit the ground running straight away. Not much else to add really. This Week’s Hot Take With all the spending this summer, United either need to make the top 4, or win the Europa League it to be classed as a good season. I’ve said that it will take a couple of years for Ten Haag to really stamp his authority on this United team and even with the amount that has been spent I still believe that. However, there is more pressure on him after all these signings than before. He’s been backed by the owners and so it will be a test for him to be able to get the best of out his players and have them being competitive in the next nine months.

Coming up with a topic this week was tricky. The international break is upon us and there isn’t anything major going on in the world of football right now. But then I came across Todd Boehly’s recent press conference where he talked about some new ideas that the Premier League could implement. Some in the media have accused him of trying to “Americanize” English football after being an owner for less than a minute. His presser made me think what the league could add to spice things up a bit. It’s already the greatest league in the world, but let’s talk about what more could be introduced. All-Star Game One of the new suggestions that Mr Boehly made was having an all-star game, pitting the best of the North against the best of the South. People forget that he wasn’t the first guy to float the idea. Rio Ferdinand tweeted about a potential all-star game way back in 2011, but because an American brought the topic back up, people think it’s stupid. It would be cool to see a North XI vs South XI in a one-off match. Imagine the line-ups, they’d be ridiculous! The game itself could be a spectacle that could create a lot of buzz. However, a match like this wouldn’t work for a few reasons. The English top-flight is non-stop from August to May. The only time such a game could be played is maybe at the end of the season, when everything has already been decided. There would also need to be an incentive. One of the criticisms of the NBA All-Star Game before it changed its format was it wasn't competitiveness enough. I don’t know what a good prize for the victor would be, but there would need to be something to motivate the players. The last reason comes from that old saying: if it ain’t broke, don't fix it. The Premier League already generates more money, eyes, and fanfare than any other league. Why would you feel the need to change an already winning formula? Running Match Clock For the most part, I would be all for league using a running clock. For those that don’t know, the way it works is when the ball goes out of play or there's a stoppage, the clock stops. The clock then resumes when the ball is back in play. Having this would completely get rid of time-wasting. Players could no longer stay on the floor feigning injury to waste time. Goalkeepers would stop taking an entirety to take a goal kick to run down the clock. Time-wasting would become completely redundant and a thing of the past. I'm sure there have been plenty of managers who have been irate that the final whistle didn’t below when it should have. There’s only one scenario where I don't see this working. Picture this. A team is a goal down or level and they’re desperately trying to score a late goal. They get into a great goalscoring opportunity and then, boom. The final whistle blows just before a potential strike on goal. Now if this was the NBA, it wouldn’t be a problem. As long as a shot is taken before the final whistle, if it goes in it counts. However, in football, this just couldn't happen. No More Draws Some of the ideas I’ve already mentioned are heavily influenced by American team sports (I’m a big fan of the NBA and NFL if you didn’t know), and this is another one of them. It would be interesting to see if the Premier League (even just for one season) eliminated draws and games could only be won or lost. If a game is tied after 90 mins, the match would be settled in a penalty shootout. You’re probably thinking, “how would the points system work then”? Well, the answer is simple. Three points for a win, zero for a loss just like normal. The only twist would be that a team would get two points for winning on penalties and one point for losing a shootout. Getting rid of draws would make each match that little more meaningful. There are certain matches during a season where teams are content playing for a draw, just going through the motions, with no ambition to try and win the game. It’s not fair on the fans that travel to watch their team be overly cautious. I think this would be great for football in general really. Rolling Subs In the last year or so, we’ve already seen a change to subs. Teams are now permitted to make five subs instead of three. Five subs were allowed from when the 2019/20 season was restarted to the end of the 2020/21 season but the league chose to go back to three subs for the 2021/22 campaign. Another addition that could be implemented is having rolling subs, where players can be substituted on and off at any point in a match. Managers would still only be permitted to use a maximum of five subs, but they would be rolling ones. The question is, would managers/players be in favour of having them? There’s a reason why a manager would take off a player, whether it’s tactical, or they have an injury, or they just had a shocker. It’s not like in the NBA, where if a player is going through a poor stretch of play the coach can take them out of the firing line and then bring them back on. It doesn’t work like that in football. The likelihood of this ever being seen is probably slim to none. This Week’s Hot Take Out of all the changes I’ve talked about, I think the All-Star Game is the one least likely to happen, but it would be the one that would eventually become the most popular addition to the English top-flight. People are very quick to knock something before they’ve had a chance to experience it. If the Premier League can get it right, it has the potential to become the most anticipated game in the British footballing calendar.

It’s great having football back, isn’t it? Every year, there’s that three month break between seasons where fans are left wondering what to do with their Saturday evenings, Sunday afternoons or even Monday nights. Well, the wait is over as the new campaign is well underway. Last time, I tried predicting where teams would end up finishing come May next year. Instead of focusing on teams, this week’s I’m going to focus on individuals, and see who will win the end of season awards. Player of the Season: Kevin De Bruyne Ever since Eden Hazard left the Premier League, KDB has become the league’s best player. Mohamed Salah gives him a run for his money, but in terms of all-round ability, there isn’t anything that KDB can’t do. He can pass, he can shoot, he can run, he can even put in a tackle. I’m fully aware that this award isn’t about who’s the best player in the league, but rather who’s going to have the best season. Since I’ve tipped City to 3-peat this year, I can’t see anyone being more influential than him in a City shirt. City are bound to score a ton of goals this year and De Bruyne is sure to be at the centre of a lot of those goals, whether it’s scoring them, assisting them or just being involved in the build-up play. Provided he stays fit, I’m pretty confident that I’ve got this prediction right. Young Player of the Season: Erling Haaland Sometimes I forgot that Haaland is only 22 and he’s already established a reputation of being one of the most feared strikers on the planet. He’s torn up in the Bundesliga and Champions League for the last 2 years and he’s about to take the Premier League by storm. I’ll admit, when I watched him against Liverpool in the Community Shield, I thought he may take some time to settle. But after then watching him against the Hammers on matchday 1, I quickly retracted that thought. In the first three games alone, he could have like 6 or 7 goals, and that isn’t even an exaggeration. City have so many exceptional midfielders and attackers that getting chances and scoring goals shouldn’t be an issue. You can’t teach his combination of pace, power & strength. You add in his composure in front of goal, he seems destined for a stellar campaign. Manager of the Season: Thomas Frank Since they’ve come into the league, I’ve admired the way Thomas Frank and Brentford have adapted to the step up in competition. Even as they were dismantling United on matchday 2, I couldn’t help but be impressed with how Brentford were set up to be clinical in attack, composed in midfield & assured in defence. In that match, Thomas Frank had a clear plan and executed it to perfection: be compact in defence and clinical in attack. The season is only three games old so a lot can change, but Brentford don’t look like they’ll suffer from that classic second season syndrome. They’ve recruited well this summer, retained their key players (for the most part) and they’ve started the season well enough. I think that Thomas Frank will rightfully get the recognition that he deserves. Top Scorer: Erling Haaland This is the second prize that I’ve tipped the big Norwegian to win and I don’t think it will be a surprise to too many. City have been the league’s top scorers for 5 consecutive seasons (including the last two while playing without a recognised no.9). They score a lot of goals, period. The difference this time round is that instead of sharing the goals around, Haaland is certain to be City’s main guy when it comes to scoring. I’ve seen people predict Haaland to score 30+ goals in the league. While I don’t think he’ll get that many (given it’s only been done by 3 players in the last time 10 years), I can see him bagging around 25 goals and winning the Golden Boot. Best Signing: Erling Haaland This is turning into a Haaland appreciation post, isn’t it?! I was half tempted to give the nod to Gabriel Jesus as I think he’s exactly what Arsenal were missing. But after giving it more time, I can’t look past big boy Haaland. City may have found their striker for the next 10 years, someone who could break all sorts of records and finally get them over the hump in the Champions League, for only £51m! Given he’s worth well over £100m, the fee City ended up paying will go down as a bargain. Imagine already being the best team in the country and then adding a world class striker to your ranks. That’s called making a statement. Pep has a well-earned reputation of being able to develop players, so imagine how much more Haaland can improve under Guardiola’s guidance. Worst Signing: Anthony Gordon/Dwight McNeil I know that he’s not moved yet but if he wear to make the switch to Chelsea, he’d be my choice. Anthony Gordon is another example of someone who has shown such small glimpses of talent that has been somewhat overhyped by the English media. He’s not a bad player, but signing a guy for £60m who has only played 50 or so Premier League games doesn’t give me good vibes at all. He would basically be another Pulisic, or Ziyech, or Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea: an inside forward who’s a decent dribbler but doesn’t have an eye for goal. Chelsea don’t need another tekky player. They need someone who’s going to put the ball in the back of the net. If I had to pick a transfer that’s happened, I’d go with Dwight McNeil to Everton. He’s very overrated, and in that Everton team I don’t think he’s going to add anything. This Week’s Hot Take City could be the first club (from memory) to do a clean sweep of the individual awards: Player, Young Player & Manager of the Season. KDB and Haaland must be strong favourites to win those first two awards so there’s no doubt in my mind that City will have at least 2 winners. Given what City could achieve this year, in terms of winning the league, points won, goals scored etc., Pep has a strong case for MOTS. It’s whether Guardiola will fall foul to voter fatigue in that voters will get tired of choosing him for fourth time in his career.

Premier League football is back baby, and boy have I missed it! It doesn’t seem that long ago that City completed that epic comeback to clinch the title in May but here we are again. People are knee deep in picking their fantasy football teams and making those early season predictions. So, with only one matchday played, I’m going to take a punt at predicting where teams will finish in the 2022/23 campaign. Let’s get on with it shall we? Champions: City City and Liverpool again look like the teams to catch. They’re simply on a different level compared to the rest of the league. There isn’t too much between the two, but I’ve gone for City (just). The addition of Erling Haaland is a massive game changer. This man tore up the Bundesliga and the Champions League. If his performance in City’s opener is anything to go by, he’s going to be a problem. With City, you know exactly what you’re going to get: De Bruyne, Rodri, Mahrez, Ruben Dias, Walker. These guys epitomise quality & consistency. With Liverpool, as consistent as they’ve been the last 3 or 4 years, there are some question marks this time round. How will Nunez settle in? How big a loss will Mane? Can Luis Diaz fill that void? I see a lot of potential with Liverpool, but City seem more like the finished product. Champions League: Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea I’m going with the three teams above, and in that order. We’ve already talked about Liverpool, so I’ll focus more on the other two teams. I’ve got Spurs finishing third this season. Their recruitment has been shrewd thus far. They’ve still got the best one-two combo in the league with Kane and Son and support from the likes of Kulusevski and Richarlison. They’ve got an underrated midfield with Højbjerg, Bissouma and Bentancur. Not to mention that a full year with Antonio Conte will work wonders for this Spurs side. On the flip side, something seems off with Chelsea. I can’t put my finger on it, but it doesn’t look right over there. Whilst they’ve bought in some good players, they’ve missed out on quite a few of their targets which must be a little concerning for Chelsea fans. They bought good quality into the squad, but they’ve haven’t look great in preseason. I remember thinking last year that teams started to figure out Chelsea a little bit and I believe that will be the case again this season. Europa and Europa Conference League: Arsenal, United, West Ham I watched Arsenal against Palace the other day, and I’ll admit, they looked good. Ramsdale was assured in goal, Gabriel and Saliba at the back were solid and the front four of Martinelli, Ødegaard, Saka and Gabriel Jesus looked dangerous all game long. The main reason why I haven’t got them in the top 4 is there’s still some doubt in my mind that, in the more pivotal moments, they won’t fold. They’ve certainly got a starting XI to make top 4, it’s a case of whether they’ll perform when it matters most. In my mind, the odds are stacked against United. Watching the game against Brighton was a grim reminder of how big a job Ten Haag as at United. It looked like I was watching the same old United, so wide open in defence and lacking any sort of creativity in attack. It could even be a case that West Ham pip United to 6th place, who knows. They’ve retained most of the squad, and they’ve made a couple of good additions as well, Scamacca and Cornet just to name a couple. I think the challenge for West Ham again will be being able to jungle the Premier League with European football and taking points off the top 6. Best of the Rest: Newcastle If there is a team that could break up the top 7, it’s Newcastle. I mentioned it in one of my previous posts but the transformation this club has undergone since the new owners came in is extraordinary. It feels like something is building in the Northeast. Eddie Howe has just recently signed a contract extension, showing that the ownership has full faith in his leadership. They’ve made smart signings, which was never really the case under Mike Ashley. I expected Newcastle would start splashing the cash given how rich their owners are, but they’ve resisted the temptation, electing to be astute in their transfer dealings. This must be the first time in a long while where Newcastle fans are looking forward to the season, quietly confident that something special is in the offing. Relegation: Southampton, Forest, Bournemouth This one is the hardest to pick. Realistically, as many as 6 teams could be battling for survival. I’ve gone with the three teams above though, as they’re the weakest three teams in the league. Southampton remind me of Burnley; they’ve been in the league without getting relegated for a while now, but it feels like they’re time has come. They’ve not bought too many players yet and the ones they have I don’t personally think improve the squad that much. In a similar fashion, this Forest team are reminiscent of that Fulham team from 2018/19. Fulham that year brought in a truckload of players but ended up going down as those players couldn’t gel quick enough. My feeling about Bournemouth is nothing other than they simply don’t have enough quality to hang with the big boys and stay in this league. I was very tempted to pick Fulham to be honest, as I can’t remember when they last didn’t go down at the first attempt. But watching how they played against Liverpool has made me think that they’ve got what it takes. This Week’s Hot Take If City 3-peat, these group of players should be considered the greatest in Premier League history. Retaining the league is one thing but winning three on the trot puts you on a different level. Manchester United have won three in a row before (twice in fact), but it’s the way City would have achieved it if it were to occur. Consistently amassing 90+ points, fending off fierce competition from an elite Liverpool team and playing a brand of football that is second to none. Say what you want about City and Pep, but we may be watching the best team to ever grace the Premier League.