At the start of the Premier League campaign, predictions were rife about how the season would go.

Nobody knew what to expect after just a 48 day break between the end of the previous season and start of this, and what has followed has been one of the most whirlwind seasons in recent memory.

So lets take a review of what the predictions were and how they’re doing as we go into the second half of the season.

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Tottenham Hotspur
Predicted – 6th
Currently – 6th

A season that started so promisingly for Jose Mourinho’s side has struggled to keep going that way, with the north London side seriously struggling for results.

Two wins from their last nine fixtures have seen them slip from a potential title charge to a battle for top four, while key man Harry Kane is picking up injuries again. He and Heung-Min Son’s form have been the catalyst for any positives, with both men enjoying stellar individual seasons. Defensively though they have leaked goals and Mourinho has struggled to get the best out of any other attackers to make up for when Kane and Son aren’t firing.

As it stands, they’ll scrape a top six position once again and this particular prediction is one I’m happy to stand by for now.
NEW PREDICTION – 6th

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Arsenal
Predicted – 5th
Currently – 10th

The Gunners had a fantastic summer transfer window, bringing in the likes of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba while they also completed the signing of Thomas Partey after my prediction was made.

Despite that, Saliba wasn’t included in the squad for the Premier League and only made appearances for the Under 23’s before leaving in January while Willian has been poor and Partey has suffered with injuries. This culminated in the Gunners winning just one game in ten between November and the end of December, but they seem to have turned a corner now.

They’ve started scoring goals again, they’re still keeping clean sheets and the introduction of Emile Smith Rowe and signing of Martin Odegaard have added creativity to a side that was bereft of it before. They’re certainly in the race for the top six, but I think a lack of quality squad depth could see them just miss out on it.
NEW PREDICTION – 7th

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Manchester United
Prediciton – 4th
Currently – 2nd

A shocking start to the season saw United open the campaign with defeats at home, but wins away from Old Trafford. That pattern has continued as the season has progressed, with the Reds unbeaten away from home in the league in over a year but having won just four of ten games this season.

They crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage but that didn’t effect their league form too much as they stormed to the top of the league for a period, before a defeat to bottom of the league Sheffield United derailed them.

Defensively they have struggled, keeping just six clean sheets this season, but they have scored a fair few goals this season – the 9-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday night means they’ve scored more than anyone else. Their squad depth has been useful too, with Solskjaer making more changes to his team than anyone else in the league. But with a heavy reliance on individual quality rather than a quality system, they have struggled against the sides around them this year and ultimately it will see them fall away.
NEW PREDICTION – 3rd

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Chelsea
Prediction – 3rd
Currently – 7th

After a £220m splurge in the summer, addressing several key areas, it was expected that Chelsea would put together a title charge to compete against Liverpool and Manchester City.

What followed though was a string of poor performances that ultimately led to Frank Lampard’s departure as manager, with Thomas Tuchel replacing him at Stamford Bridge. It’s too early to say definitively what Tuchel will do at Chelsea right now, but he has managed to get the vast majority of fans on side with the things he is saying in the media.

He has been tasked with getting the best out of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, who have massively struggled in England so far, and if he can do it that will massively boost their chances of success. Even if he can’t get them firing though, Chelsea have enough quality in their squad to really challenge for a top four position although I think they’ll just miss out this time.
NEW PREDICTION – 5th

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Liverpool
Prediction – 2nd
Currently – 3rd

The champions of last season began the season flying once again and raced into an early lead at the top of the Premier League this season too.

They looked their usual selves, but a series of huge injuries and loss of form to key players simultaneously saw them drop out of the top of the league and now they have a hill to climb to retain their title. Virgil Van Dijk, Joe Gomez and now Joel Matip have all been ruled out for the season with injuries which means they’re relying on their two deadline day signings in Preston’s Ben Davies and 20-year-old Turk Ozan Kabak alongside Nathaniel Phillips, Rhys Williams or midfielders Fabinho and Jordan Henderson as their centre back pairing for the season.

That will ultimately be their downfall, although they have enough about them in the other two thirds of the pitch to be able to beat most teams and get a second place finish.
NEW PREDICTION – 2nd

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Manchester City
Prediction – 1st
Currently – 1st

A tough start that saw the squad hit by injuries and COVID-19 saw City struggle to get any momentum going at the beginning of the season.

It forced Guardiola to change his approach to games, and the signing of Ruben Dias has arguably been the best transfer of the season. With him in the team City have kept ten clean sheets in their last 12 league games and have now started finding their scoring boots once again too, even without Sergio Aguero.

Their defensive record, quality squad depth and their attacking depth means I can’t look past them to regain the Premier League title this season and make it three championships in four seasons.
NEW PREDICTION – 1st

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NEW PREDICTED TOP SIX

1. MANCHESTER CITY
2. LIVERPOOL
3. MANCHESTER UNITED
4. LEICESTER CITY
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5. CHELSEA
6. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR