The Community Shield always whets the appetite for the season ahead but especially so this season. Wembley Stadium was back at full capacity, setting the tone for the full scale return of fans in the Premier League after the vast majority of the last campaign took place behind closed doors.
The other way that the Community Shield set the tone for the season ahead is the number of Manchester City players who were either absent entirely or limited to playing a bit part in the match. Many of the best players in the Premier League had a busy summer of international football straight after the most condensed club fixture list ever.
Managers will have to gradually reintroduce their star players over the first few weeks of the campaign whilst carefully managing loads all the way through to May. Clearly, some clubs are in a better shape to cope with the wear and tear of the season than other but which club will outlast the others in the battle for the Premier League title?
Can Man City successfully defend their Premier League title?
Premier League Winner Market
Man City 4/6 (bet365)
Chelsea 5/1 (Betfred)
Liverpool 5/1 (Ladbrokes)
Man Utd 8/1 (Coral)
Tottenham 40/1 (Ladbrokes)
Leicester 50/1 (Paddy Power)
Pep Guardiola knows perfectly well that to stand still is to lose ground in the Premier League. Thus, the team who won the title by 12 points last season have broken the British transfer record with the signing of Jack Grealish and could well add England captain Harry Kane before the transfer window is done. Man City have been the dominant force in English football for some time now and that is reflected in their price of 4/6 to win the Premier League for the fourth time in five years.
After an almost comically bad start to their title defence last season, Liverpool somehow managed to drag themselves into the top four. The spirit among Jurgen Klopp’s team is worth several points over 38 matches and the return of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez is massive. Both Liverpool and Chelsea are tempting at 5/1 with but could the best value lie with Manchester United at 8/1 with Coral?
For all that there are questions about Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s ability to get the team over the line but his job was to build the squad and there is no question that he has done a wonderful job. The additions of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane strengthen two key areas and should enable Man Utd to take a step forward. They may not win the title but United will surely give punters a run for their money at the prices.
Can Ole Gunnar Solskjaer silence the critics and lead Man Utd to glory?
Top 4 Finish Market
Man City 1/33 (Coral)
Chelsea 2/9 (Ladbrokes)
Liverpool 2/9 (Coral)
Man Utd 2/7 (888sport)
Leicester 9/2 (bet365)
Tottenham 9/2 (Ladbrokes)
Arsenal 9/2 (888sport)
Everton 10/1 (Betfred)
A big part of the anger at the clubs who signed up for the European Super League only to quickly backtrack was their hubris. Arsenal and Tottenham came in for particularly harsh criticism as their position in the ‘big six’ is under huge pressure. Neither of the North London teams cracked the top six last season and it’s difficult to know what to expect of them going into the new campaign. What we can say is that it’s Leicester who look the best placed to gatecrash the top four.
Brendan Rodgers’ men came agonisingly close to a place in the Champions League in each of the last two seasons but have an uncanny ability to put disappointment behind them. Rodgers has claimed that keeping players fit will be the key to making it into the top four this season and Leicester are another side who have made some good signings. Patson Daka will help share the goalscoring burden with age finally starting to catch up on Jamie Vardy while their top class midfield has been further bolstered by the signing of Boubakary Soumare.
If any of the odds on shots in the betting for a top four finish fail, Leicester can take their place at 9/2 with bet365.
Top Goalscorer Market
Harry Kane 11/4 (Ladbrokes)
Mohamed Salah 4/1 (Coral)
Raheem Sterling 16/1 (Paddy Power)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 25/1 (bet365)
Sadio Mane 25/1 (bet365)
Bruno Fernandes 25/1 (Betfred)
Patrick Bamford 25/1 (Paddy Power)
Danny Ings 25/1 (Ladbrokes)
It is a remarkable situation that Harry Kane is the favourite to be the Premier League’s top goalscorer and nobody is sure which club he is going to play for. If Kane gets his way, he will be playing for Man City. If he doesn’t, he’ll need to put his tail between his legs and play for Tottenham. Either way, he is going to score a lot of goals this season.
At the time of writing, there are no strikers to match Kane’s quality in the Premier League but as and when Romelu Lukaku rejoins Chelsea and gets added to the betting, he could at least run the England captain close. Lukaku did the business leading the line for Inter Milan en route to the Serie A title last season and could well do likewise for Chelsea.
If you’re looking for value in the Top Goalscorer market though, consider backing Danny Ings at 25/1 with Ladbrokes. Aston Villa are a very interesting side who could be fighting for a place in Europe or be involved in the scrap against relegation. Ing’s ability in leading a new look front line will be key to Villa having a good season. If he hits the ground running and says fit, he could surpass his best tally of 22 goals in a season and challenge Kane, Lukaku and the excellent Mohamed Salah for the Golden Boot.
Betting Recommendations
Man Utd to win the Premier League at 8/1 with Coral
Leicester to finish in the top 4 at 9/2 with bet365
Danny Ings to be top goalscorer each way at 25/1 with Ladbrokes
