Leeds United (Currently 15th)
It has been a turbulent and difficult season for last season’s surprise side, who managed to finish 9th in their first season back since 2004. Their season could not have possibly started worse, ending Match week 1 in last place after a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United.
It took Leeds United seven games to finally secure victory at fellow strugglers Watford’s expense, although they failed to take three points from Burnley and Newcastle during those previous matches. It looked like that would be the turning point for The Whites with star players like Patrick Bamford and Raphinha starting to pick up some form and secure 10 points from their next seven games.
However, with a tough string of matches that followed as well as Covid and injuries, their form took a metaphorical dive off a cliff. Due to these circumstances, they started the game against Arsenal with the youngest ever starting eleven as well as a fifteen-year-old on the bench.
Further misery has been added as Leeds has been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions by both West Ham and Arsenal respectively. Star players like Kalvin Phillips, Rodrigo, and Luke Ayling that performed outstandingly well last season have struggled for form and quality, possibly giving Marcelo Bielsa some questions on what areas to improve his squad. While Leeds has been extremely underwhelming this season, they still have enough passion and quality for now.
Predicted finish: 16th
Leicester City (Currently 12th)
The Foxes are another side who have endured a dismal season, especially by their standards. This time last season they were pushing for the top four and had managed to drub title favourites Manchester City 5-2.
However, this season it has been difficult for them with a variety of quality players, such as Jamie Vardy, Caglar Soyuncu, and Wilfred Ndidi either not performing to the quality of last season or facing a multitude of injuries. It has been tough for Brendan Rodgers to replace these players as they provide a lot of assets that are needed for the team, which has explained their struggles so far. They started off their season quite well, securing a trophy in the Community Shield against Manchester City, as well as securing points against Napoli, Manchester United, and Wolves.
However, their defensive frailties began to show as they conceded seven goals in the space of two games against West Ham and Spartak Moscow. Their next run of games were not positive as they were beaten 6-3 by Manchester City, and 3-2 by Napoli in the Europa League which sent them down to third place in the group standings and into the newly founded Conference League.
They have also been knocked out of both cup competitions, narrowly by Liverpool and embarrassingly by Nottingham Forest 4-1. This new squad rotation for the Foxes has harmed their quality this season and they are unlikely to finish as high as they did last season.
Predicted finish: 11th
Liverpool (Currently 2nd)
The Reds have been in top form this season but have once again been held back by their usual problem, squad depth. They started off their season well as usual, only dropping points three times to Manchester City, Chelsea, and surprisingly Brentford.
Players that had been performing well for Liverpool last season, such as Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah, and Fabinho have continued the trend with quality performances this season, especially Salah who has been considered the best player in the world for a long period of time this season. Their first defeat came at the hands of in-form West Ham in November, but they still managed to grab results after that.
After a great string of results, including Champions League group games, managing to win them all which put them in the top spot, their form started to drop in December. It started with a draw against Tottenham, a loss to Leicester, and a draw for the second time this season with Chelsea. These results have called for some squad input from the transfer market and left them nine points off front runners Manchester City.
However, the Reds have recently made the League Cup final, beating Arsenal to get there. They have also managed to sign Colombian winger Luis Diaz who will be a good addition to their squad, as well as the fact that they have a multitude of quality youth players who will be pivotal in seasons to come. While the Reds are stronger this season they will likely fall short due to City’s outrageous consistency.
Predicted finish: 2nd
Manchester City (Currently 1st)
At the start of the season, City fans wouldn’t be wrong in thinking they would sweep the competition once again, like the previous season. Despite losing revered striker Sergio Aguero, who left for Barcelona for free in the summer they signed English star Jack Grealish for a fee of £100 million, who had just come of the back off his best season so far for Aston Villa and shined at the Euros for England.
Their season started off a bit rocky with Tottenham star and recurring foe, Heung Min Son haunting them again, scoring the winning goal against the Citizens in the first match week. After that they went on their usual roll, with a few high-scoring games, managing to score 17 goals over only four games, including against Arsenal and Red Bull Leipzig.
While they did struggle around October, being knocked out of the Carabao Cup by West Ham and losing at home to a resurgent Crystal Palace, they have managed to once again pick themselves up and go on a strong and continuous run of form under Pep Guardiola. This has seen them top both the Premier League and Champions League tables respectively.
While Manchester City has quality all over the pitch, some standout players that have really shown their talent include Bernardo Silva who has arguably been one of the best players in the world this season, Rodri, Joao Cancelo, and youngster Phil Foden who adds a lot to the team at his young age. With the form City are currently in as well as the 9-point lead over Liverpool in the Premier League it is most likely that it will be another domestic success for the blue side of Manchester.
Predicted finish: 1st
Where do you think Leeds United, Leicester City, Liverpool, and Manchester City will finish the 2021/22 Premier League season? Let us know in the comments below.
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