The Premier fight for fourth looks a real battle
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag is facing a challenge at a rebuilding Old Trafford.
With Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all the main challengers for the Premier League title and most likely being the top three gaining a Champions League qualification spot in the process, the fight for that fourth Champions League spot looks like it is going to be a real battle this year. The front runners for that spot look to be in no particular order Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and after the opening two weeks results, I suppose you have to add Brighton into the reckoning although they would be outsiders at this stage.
In recent years the obvious answers would have been Manchester United or Chelsea being the teams most likely to make the top four and there is obviously a good chance of that still happening, but it is very hard to trust either of those sides this year for different reasons. Manchester United are very much in a rebuilding process under the new owners INEOS and even though they have already spent €164 million they will still have to spend more and get rid of players before the transfer window closes on Friday if they are to finish in the top four. Another big issue for United is even though Eric Ten Haag just signed a new deal as manager in the summer there is still every chance that he doesn’t see the whole season out if United aren’t challenging. I thought it was very interesting that club legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy was appointed as assistant manager of the club given that he already has experience of managing at senior level with PSV Eindhoven so maybe they already have a potential replacement in place should results be poor.
Chelsea could be absolutely anything this year. From the outside it looks like they are just signing every player available to them and then they are trying to deal with the consequences of how many players they have afterwards. Their manager Enzo Maresca has already said that 12-15 senior players training away from the first team squad, and I just don’t know how they are going to be able to do deals for those players before the transfer window closes Friday. They beat Wolves 6-2 on Sunday and showed just exactly what they are capable of, but Maresca has a huge job ahead of him just to try and keep his squad happy with the talent they have at their disposal. If they are going to have a good season this year the key to their success is once again Cole Palmer. He had an excellent first season at the club last year and will look to build on that again this year. A player of his calibre must be in a team that is challenging for trophies every season and he is the type of player that will be signed by clubs challenging if Chelsea can’t match his ambitions.
Before the season started, I would have had Aston Villa or Tottenham Hotspur would be favourites to fill the fourth and fifth spots jus like they done last year. Aston Villa had a brilliant season reaching the Champions League for the first time since the competition changed from the European Cup. They have been very clever with some of their signings in the summer window like Amadou Onana from Everton and the exciting Jaden Philogene from Hull City which will replace the quality that they lost in players like Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz.
Tottenham likewise have strengthened their hand once again this year as Ange Postecoglou looks to build on last years fifth place finish. They have moved out some squad players and signed players ready to make an impact straight away and a couple of exciting players for the future too. They looked very good on Saturday as the beat Everton 4-0 at home although Everton have looked very poor this season so maybe it isn’t the greatest game to judge a teams good performance off. James Maddison and Hueng-min Son are going to be key to their success once again. Keeping both of those players fit and in form is very important to the attacking style that Postecoglou wants to Spurs to play and they can cause any teams problems.
The best of the rest look like it will be Newcastle United and Brighton. I think that they will just be on the outside of the European places this season. Brighton have won both games so far this season beating Manchester United 2-1 at the weekend at home, and they have looked impressive in both games. Again, Everton was the side they won in the opening game of the season and as mentioned before they aren’t the standard bearer this season in fact there is a real chance that they could finish their last season at Goodison Park being relegated. Brighton have the youngest manager in the Premier League Fabian Hurzeler who is only 31 and they have signed some exciting young players too. they are a club that are really going places and in a couple of years’ time I’d be surprised if they weren’t really knocking on the door of the top four.
Newcastle will have to sign a couple of big players if they are to break into that top four and I just can’t see that happening before Fridays transfer deadline. They will do well again this year, but I don’t think they will be able to match sixth place finish of last season.
Of those teams I think Tottenham will be the ones to sneak fourth place with Chelsea giving them the most problems, but it will be an exciting little mini competition to try and get that last Champions League spot.
