For the past 8 years, we’ve asked you — the reader — to predict how you think the Premier League table will finish up at the end of the season. The challenge is that we ask you this before the season kicks off, and before the summer transfer window ends.
It’s an opportunity for you to share your expertise and guess how the table will end for the 2015/16 season. Post your top 20 in the comments section below.
Before we dive into the predictions, I would like to mention that I believe this Premier League season will be the most competitive yet. In recent years we’ve said goodbye to strugglers such as QPR, Hull City and Wigan Athletic, while the recently dour teams such as Sunderland and Aston Villa — to name just a couple — have been boosted by managers who prefer more of an attacking style of soccer.
Having said that, there will be teams that will encounter a difficult season ahead— namely West Ham United who made the inane choice of replacing Sam Allardyce with Slaven Bilic, and Leicester City who made the similarly poor choice of firing Nigel Pearson and replacing a manager well-past his prime in Claudio Ranieri.
At the top end of the table, Chelsea will find this season a tougher test to win the title, but they’ll use the January transfer window to buy the players they need to win the Premier League for the second year in a row.
Manchester City, Liverpool and Spurs will face a rocky season with all three clubs finding it particularly tough against smaller clubs who have bought wisely in the summer transfer window such as Southampton, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Swansea.
Southampton, meanwhile, will be able to improve on last season’s form and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Everton, meanwhile, are in a free-fall, but will find a way to stay up.
Predictions:
1. Chelsea
2. Arsenal
3. Manchester United
4. Southampton
===============================================
5. Manchester City
6. Crystal Palace
7. Liverpool
8. Tottenham Hotspur
9. Stoke City
10. Newcastle United
11. Swansea City
12. Aston Villa
13. West Bromwich Albion
14. Sunderland
15. Norwich City
16. Everton
17. Bournemouth
===============================================
18. West Ham United
19. Watford
20. Leicester City
It’s difficult to predict at this early stage of the season especially before the transfer window has ended and before a ball has been kicked, but it appears that many of the clubs have done their summer transfer shopping earlier than usual this summer, so take your best shot at predicting the final 20. And good luck.
