Sports

What Top Teams Should Do, As The Premier League Resumes -By Ayobami Okerinde

The EPL has had some surprises this season, with Newcastle sitting 3rd and Brighton 7th on the log respectively. The teams will hope their form before the World Cup will continue for them to earn a place at the end of the season. The EPL has Four spots for the Champions League, and One spot for the Europa League.

Published

3 years ago

December 25, 2022

After a 43-day break, the Premier League is set to resume for what could also be said to be the Second half of the season. The EPL went on break on November 13, 2022, after round 15 of games (with some teams having a game in hand) to accommodate an unprecedented World Cup in Qatar. Before the break, Arsenal FC sits at the top of the Premier League with 37 points, followed by Manchester City. Clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, and Chelsea are currently out of the Top four, though unsurprising as their performance has been underwhelming. With teams hoping to bounce back, and some pick up from where they stopped, here’s what the top teams should do to fight for the title and finish in the top four.

Arsenal

The Gunners are currently having the form of their lives as they sit top of the Premier League table and have only lost and drawn one game in the league. With the league resuming, the team will be without a striker, Gabriel Jesus, who sustained an injury while representing Brazil at the World Cup, and he could potentially be out for 3 months following surgery to his knee. With the transfer window around that corner, the Gunners should go into the market to get a new striker as they cannot fully rely on Eddie Nketiah for the rest of the season. Also, they will hope players like Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Emile Smith Rowe, and others, will continue and improve on their league form before the World Cup. The Gunners will hope to finish in the top four since the 16/17 season, and will also set their eyes on winning the Premier League for the first time in 18 years.

Manchester City

The Citizens are currently second on the Premier League table, and 5 points behind leaders Arsenal. The Pep Guardiola-led side has won four out of the last five Premier League titles. The team will hope to have their players back in shape, as they had 16 players which were the most of any premier league team at the World Cup in Qatar. The City side are perennial winners and will hope on the squad depth of the team to carry on throughout the rest of the season. The City side will hope Erling Haaland’s form will help the team and also the form of World Cup Winner, Julian Alvarez will propel the team to another title.

Liverpool

The team led by Jurgen Klopp is currently 6th on the EPL table and has not been impressive since the start of the season. The team will have Mo’ Salah back as he missed the World Cup, following his country’s failure to qualify for the World Cup. Also, £100m striker, Darwin Nunez has underperformed and has not hit the ground running as much as expected. The team will have to sign a new forward, as Diego Jota and Luis Diaz are currently out injured. Also, the team should look to sign a defensive midfielder to improve their midfield.

Manchester United

The red devils are set to set to restart life after Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward contract was terminated following an explosive interview with ace broadcaster, Piers Morgan, where he took a dig at the club and manager Erik Ten Hag. The Manchester side is currently fifth, 3 points behind fourth-placed Tottenham. The team will have to sign a forward to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, and also hope summer signing Anthony hits form for the team.

Chelsea FC

The start of Graham Potter’s reign at the club has been disappointing, as the team sits 8th currently on the table. The team has been winless in six premier league games, and last won a Premier League game on October 16. The team spent money in the summer, but the signings have underperformed so far. The team is also battling with injuries to Ngolo Kante, Wesley Fofana, and Armando Broja. The team will have to sign two forwards (a winger and striker) to kickstart their season and hope to finish in the top four this season, as the EPL title is a dream too far with their form.

Tottenham Hotspur

The North London side is currently fourth on the table. The team has in the last few seasons become a regular in the top four and champions league. The team does not have much to do, and will only hope forward, Richarlison, gets back to full fitness, following an injury he sustained at the World Cup.