After a condensed schedule, COVID-19 concerns and a year of mostly playing in empty stadiums, the Premier League is hoping for a bit more normalcy this season – but that remains to be seen with the pandemic still looming. While it may have felt a short summer because of Euro 2020, these clubs are ready to start the marathon are all over again.
Manchester City
2020-21: First place, 86 points.
The skinny: While its attackers usually get the headlines, it was a new addition at centre back, Ruben Dias, which helped City return to the top and also nearly capture its first Champions League. The Sky Blues blew away the field down the stretch, finishing the season with most goals scored, fewest allowed and six more wins than second-place Man U.
Big question: After already adding Jack Grealish, will City be able to bring in Harry Kane, too?
Prediction: Second place
Manchester United
2020-21: Second place, 74 points.
The skinny: It was another season without silverware for the Red Devils, but they certainly were close, finishing second in the league and losing the Europa League final. Bruno Fernandes has been brilliant since joining the club in Jan. 2020, scoring 26 league goals and picking up 16 assists. He’ll be joined by a couple of huge summer signings – Jadon Sancho and Rafael Varane.
Big question: If the trophy drought continues, how much patience will the board have with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer?
Prediction: Fourth place
Liverpool
2020-21: Third place, 69 points.
The skinny: After a brilliant run over the previous two-plus years, it all came crashing down last season. The Reds’ depth was put to the test when their three best CBs suffered long-term injuries – including one of the world’s best in Virgil Van Dijk. When this team gets back to full strength, it is a surefire contender.
Big question: How will the Reds fare when Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane leave for AFCON in January?
Prediction: Third place
Chelsea
2020-21: Fourth place, 67 points.
The skinny: After a summer spending spree last year, the Blues were languishing in the midtable until they fired club legend Frank Lampard and brought in Thomas Tuchel to manage. From there, Chelsea caught fire, losing just three of its final 18 league games and going on to claim its second Champions League title.
Big question: How will Romelu Lukaku fare in his return to the Premier League?
Prediction: First place
Leicester City
2020-21: Fifth place, 66 points.
The skinny: After spending the entire season in the top four, the Foxes lost out on their Champions League place by losing their final two games and falling to fifth. The good news was that Leicester captured its first-ever FA Cup and continued to do solid business in the transfer market, turning Ben Chilwell into Wesley Fofana and Timothy Castagne.
Big question: Now 34-years-old, can club legend Jamie Vardy keep producing?
Prediction: Sixth place
West Ham United
2020-21: Sixth place, 65 points.
The skinny: Once the calendar flipped over to 2021, the Hammers started banging out points. The man behind their shocking climb into a Europa League spot was a very unlikely one: Man United castoff Jesse Lingard. The out-of-favour midfielder dazzled after heading to London on loan, bagging nine goals in 16 appearances – equaling his output from the previous two seasons combined.
Big question: Can they replicate their second-half success without Lingard?
Prediction: Eighth place
Tottenham Hotspur
2020-21: Seventh place, 62 points.
The skinny: A season that started out promising ended in dysfunction as Spurs finished out of the top six for the first time since 2009. This was in spite of Harry Kane capturing the Golden Boot and tying for the league lead in assists. An exhaustive search ended with Nuno Espirito Santo being hired as the new manager, but there are still questions about how well this roster bounces back.
Big question: Will Spurs chairman Daniel Levy stand firm and keep Kane?
Prediction: Seventh place
Arsenal
2020-21: Eighth place, 61 points.
The skinny: The once-mighty Gunners spent a concerning amount of the season closer to the relegation battle than the top six of the table, mired in a rebuild that is taking longer than anyone could’ve expected. The good news is that the team conceded the third-fewest goals in the league and has developed some young stars in Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe.
Big question: How much patience will the club have in manager Mikel Arteta if the struggles continue?
Prediction: Fifth place
Leeds United
2020-21: Ninth place, 59 points.
The skinny: Many people figured that Marcelo Bielsa’s promoted charges wouldn’t be in much danger of relegation, but few would’ve expected them to be in the race for the top six. The Whites were a joy to watch thanks to their exciting, attacking style, scoring the sixth-most goals in the Premier League.
Big question: Can Bielsa keep his team on the front foot attacking while also shoring up the back end?
Prediction: Ninth place
Everton
2020-21: 10th place, 59 points.
The skinny: Buoyed by the arrival of manager Carlo Ancelloti – who left after one season – and some big summer signings, the Toffees shockingly were on top of the table going into late October. Form faded though, and Everton sank to 10th place on the final weekend of the season, finishing with a goal-differential of minus-1 and questions of what could have been.
Big question: How much rope will fans give new manager Rafa Benitez, who formerly headed up cross-town rival Liverpool?
Prediction: 10th place
Aston Villa
2020-21: 11th place, 55 points.
The skinny: While Grealish was understandably the headliner for Villa last season, it was new goalkeeper Emi Martinez that probably had the biggest impact, leading the EPL in saves. The Villans sold Grealish for a record fee over the summer and have already spent a lot of the incoming cash by signing Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Danny Ings.
Big question: Will that raft of new signings be enough to replace club hero Grealish?
Prediction: 12th place
Newcastle United
2020-21: 12th place, 45 points.
The skinny: The Magpies were able to pull themselves out of the relegation scrap thanks in no small part to Arsenal loanee Joe Willock, who contributed eight goals for the Tyneside club after joining in February. Despite his meager 31.8% winning percentage entering his third season at the helm, Steve Bruce remains the man in charge.
Big question: What will it take for despised chairman Mike Ashley to sell the club?
Prediction: 13th place
Wolverhampton Wanders
2020-21: 13th place, 45 points.
The skinny: After finishing seventh the previous two seasons, Wolves struggled mightily after top scorer Raul Jimenez suffered a broken skull in November, ruling him out for the season. The Mexican striker has recovered and ready to go this campaign, but it will be under new management. Nuno Espirito Santo left for Spurs and has been replaced by fellow Portuguese Bruno Lage.
Big question: Can a change in system help Wolves bounce back into European contention?
Prediction: 11th place
Crystal Palace
2020-21: 14th place, 44 points.
The skinny: Palace had one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League last season, conceding 66 goals with a whopping minus-25 differential. Patrick Vieira has been brought in as the new manager, but he’ll have his work cut out for him without making some moves in the transfer market to shore up the back end.
Big question: Has Christian Benteke found his form after his first double-digit scoring season since 2016-17?
Prediction: 18th place
Southampton
2020-21: 15th place, 43 points.
The skinny: After scoring an upset over Liverpool in their first game of 2021, the Saints promptly fell to pieces, picking up just one point in their next nine games – including a 9-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United. But despite its poor league form, Southampton somehow made it to the FA Cup semifinal before losing to Leicester.
Big question: Will Che Adams be able to step up and replace recently transferred striker Danny Ings?
Prediction: 15th place
Brighton & Hove Albion
2020-21: 16th place, 41 points.
The skinny: For a club that had the fewest wins of any team that wasn’t relegated, there were many positives for the Seagulls. Their minus-6 goal differential was 12th best in the league and their 15 losses were equal to Leeds and Villa. Yves Bissouma has also proven to be a rock in the midfield and is coveted by several top clubs.
Big question: How will Brighton spend the money brought in by selling Ben White to Arsenal?
Prediction: 14th place
Burnley
2020-21: 17th place, 39 points.
The skinny: The Clarets were once again anchored by their defence, but only managed to score 33 goals – third-fewest in the league. Chris Wood potted 12 of them but, after the Kiwi striker, no other Burnley player managed more than three. After losing seven of nine to finish the season, relegation was a real threat for the once-solid midtable club.
Big question: After another quiet summer transfer window, does Sean Dyche’s squad have enough depth?
Prediction: 16th place
Norwich City
2020-21: First place in League Championship, 97 points.
The skinny: The definition of a yo-yo club, the Canaries have bounced between the Championship and Premier League for three straight seasons. Finnish talisman Teemu Pukki remains the club’s top option in attack, but it will need to replace winger Emiliano Buendia, who was sold to Aston Villa this summer after leading the Championship in assists last year with 16.
Big question: Does this Canaries side have what it takes to break the cycle of promotion and relegation?
Prediction: 20th place
Watford
2020-21: Second place in League Championship, 91 points.
The skinny: After being relegated from the Premier League following the 2019-20 season, the Hornets bounced back in short order. Watford earned promotion on the strength of its back end. It had a stellar defensive record in the Championship, allowing just 30 goals in 46 games and keeping 23 clean sheets.
Big question: Has this club improved enough from the squad that finished 19th in the Premier League just two years ago?
Prediction: 19th place
Brentford
2020-21: Third place in League Championship, 87 points.
The skinny: The Bees are back in the top flight for the first time in 74 years, clinching their promotion with a playoff win over Swansea. They were much closer to the automatic promotion spots than the fourth-place side. Ivan Toney is Brentford’s big star and led then Championship with a whopping 32 goals and 10 assists last year.
Big question: After being the top-scoring side in the second tier last year, how will that translate to the Premier League?
Prediction: 17th place