Football: Predictions for This Season

Some things that happen in the Premier League are genuine shocks but some others are totally predictable.  It was never a surprise to see Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United side being awarded more penalties than any other team in the league or Rafa Benitez having a meltdown after a game against any of the top four.

So what are some safe predictions for this season?

Liverpool will get big-headed

Let’s start with something nice and easy. Liverpool’s fans at some point this season, probably after a couple of wins against the big sides, will proclaim that this is their season.

It happens whenever the Reds manage to gain a bit of momentum but they always end up disappointed and it will be no different in 2017-18.

It’s been 28 years since Liverpool last won the title so while you can’t criticise the Merseysiders for dreaming it would be nice to see them not get too far ahead of themselves.

Lukaku will boss the small fry

Here’s another certainty. Romelu Lukaku will score 20 goals for Manchester United. That might sound like a fair output for a £75m man but the problem is that 80% of those goals will come against struggling sides like West Ham, against whom he netted two goals in the opening match of the season.

The big Belgian scored just four goals against the top seven teams last season and his preseason form suggests that his 2017-18 campaign will continue in the same vein. It is one of the safest predictions of the season.

 

Optimism is a Hazard

Eden Hazard will be shouted out as the next Ballon D’Or winner. He even compared himself to Messi and Ronaldo.

Every season the Belgium international has a stint of a good form and the whole world of football falls at his feet full of confidence that he can finally deliver on the potential he has shown for so long.

Unfortunately for Chelsea fans, the winger always fails to live up to the hype and this season will be no different. Let’s not forget his impact when he plays well is extra-ordinary.

 

Injuries will limit Sergio

Sergio Aguero will play half as many games as the other strikers but will still manage to grab at least 18 goals.

The Argentine scored his side’s first goal of the season in their opening victory against Brighton and he is clearly one of the most lethal strikers in the Premier League but his injury problems always leave him playing fewer games than his closest rivals.

The frustration for Manchester City is that Aguero does so well with his limited opportunities that if you took Harry Kane out of the equation he would have earned another couple of Golden Boot awards in the last few seasons.

Theo is so predictable

Making predictions is easy when you are talking about Arsenal. Everybody knows that the Gunners will have a mid-season meltdown, partly because it has been suffering from some sort of curse for the last five or six seasons.

Arsene Wenger’s side just can’t get going after it loses a couple of games so a predictable “shock” exit from the Europa League will more than likely start off a stumble headlined by Theo Walcott’s usual slump in form.

Almost every year since he signed at the Emirates Walcott has had a woeful string of performances which contributes to the team falling into a hole. After the decline in form for the whole side come the exits from competitions and a drop from first to fourth position.

The Premier League will be so tight in 2017-18 that the stakes will be even higher this time around and Arsenal will be in danger of repeating last campaign’s failure to finish in the Top Four.

Maybe if the Gunners just gave up on Walcott they could put an end to the heartbreak?

 

by Nubaid Haroon

YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA  Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi

 

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