I have no dog in this fight since my temporary support of Everton failed to grow legs enough to last what's now going on three years of Villa's exile in the Championship.
The season starts this weekend. NBC is sending the full US crew over to the UK for their opening weekend full court press, so the TV schedule is packed like your middle school bag lunch. While Arsenal starts a new era, it's the usual suspects who are the betting favorites for this season. Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man United seem to be pretty much the consensus picks for top four, with Chelsea in the mix as well. But that's about it this year, as Arsenal get mentioned but not as frequently as in the past. Chelsea usually reacts well to a manager change, but that's all but unknown territory at Arsenal, where Wenger has ruled since 1996. Talk about a trip into the unknown.
Speaking of the unknown, pre season predictions of relegation candidates are notoriously full of crap. But the early "favorites" to be in play come relegation Sunday in the spring of 2019 are Cardiff, Newcastle, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, and Southampton. Wolverhampton and Fulham seem to be getting a pass from the usual skepticism of promoted clubs, but fair enough ... they're built for the journey more than Cardiff are. Look for Watford, Brighton and Crystal Palace to take some heat this season as well. I think the league is once again pretty stratified and the bottom layer is pretty thick, while the middle layer is wafer thin. Everton, Burnley, Leicester (and probably West Ham, provided they settle into that stadium at some point) all look likely to bubble around between the haves and the have-nots.
Should be a pretty good mix at the top, and hopefully Tottenham, Liverpool and United can keep City from running away and hiding this season. There was precious little drama last year and for us neutrals, that's no good.
The season starts this weekend. NBC is sending the full US crew over to the UK for their opening weekend full court press, so the TV schedule is packed like your middle school bag lunch. While Arsenal starts a new era, it's the usual suspects who are the betting favorites for this season. Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Man United seem to be pretty much the consensus picks for top four, with Chelsea in the mix as well. But that's about it this year, as Arsenal get mentioned but not as frequently as in the past. Chelsea usually reacts well to a manager change, but that's all but unknown territory at Arsenal, where Wenger has ruled since 1996. Talk about a trip into the unknown.
Speaking of the unknown, pre season predictions of relegation candidates are notoriously full of crap. But the early "favorites" to be in play come relegation Sunday in the spring of 2019 are Cardiff, Newcastle, Huddersfield, Bournemouth, and Southampton. Wolverhampton and Fulham seem to be getting a pass from the usual skepticism of promoted clubs, but fair enough ... they're built for the journey more than Cardiff are. Look for Watford, Brighton and Crystal Palace to take some heat this season as well. I think the league is once again pretty stratified and the bottom layer is pretty thick, while the middle layer is wafer thin. Everton, Burnley, Leicester (and probably West Ham, provided they settle into that stadium at some point) all look likely to bubble around between the haves and the have-nots.
Should be a pretty good mix at the top, and hopefully Tottenham, Liverpool and United can keep City from running away and hiding this season. There was precious little drama last year and for us neutrals, that's no good.