As the English Premier League kicks off on Friday, there's a heightened sense of anticipation, especially for the big clubs that previously underperformed last season.
Manchester United
Manchester United, in particular, will be under the spotlight after a disappointing 2023/24 campaign where they finished eighth, a position they have never occupied in the EPL era and missed out on a Champions League spot.
Hollywoodbets Brand Ambassador Teko Modise has shared his insights on the upcoming season, expressing his expectations for Manchester United.
He believes that the Red Devils are poised to put up a strong fight to regain their standing among the elite of English football. However, Modise also emphasized the need for the club to bolster their squad in certain key positions to enhance their competitiveness in the league.
“I think we can expect Manchester United fighting for their lives, fighting to be in the Champions League position, they’ve made a couple of signings,” Modise said.
“Especially in positions where they feel like they were struggling in the centre-back pairing and I still believe that they’re still going to sign a couple more, especially from a striker point of view and the central midfielder.”
Modise also added that since coach Eric Ten Hag made some changes in his technical team he needs to deliver because if he fails, he won’t survive another season at Old Trafford.
“And also, from the coaching as well, you can see there’s a lot of changes, so it’s a team that has had to turn things around.
“Especially with what Ten Hag went through last season and the previous one, so he has to turn things around otherwise I don’t see him lasting a season at Man United.”
Amad shares his ambitions 📈#MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 15, 2024
Arsenal
The General also highlighted that Arsenal who were the runners-up to Manchester City in the last campaign must be careful of what made them lose the league again to City due to injuries of key players.
However, the former Bafana Bafana star is confident that Arsenal will maintain their strong form despite these challenges.
“And then we can expect Arsenal as well to continue trying to be dominant and win the league.
“But the problem is that we’ve seen this with Liverpool before, where they were so good for only two or three seasons and then you have two or three injuries from the key players, and then the whole team trembles.
“And I see that happening with Arsenal this season, I think they’re going to deal with a lot of injuries because they’re top players, they’ve been playing too many games with high tempo, as much as they are young, but also the emotions out of it of playing so well and yet you’re unable to win the league.
“I just think that this season, especially come December, when it’s crunch time, where the boys are separated for men, I think that’s where they will start fading away from the Champions League position or from the title position, rather.
“And I think it’s going to be interesting to see then how the coaches Arteta and deal with it. Does he bring in new players to strengthen the squad or not?”
Looking to start strong 💪
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 14, 2024
Go Inside Training as the squad prepare for Wolves at Sobha Realty Training Centre 👇
Manchester City
Modise shared his thoughts, suggesting that defending champions Manchester City may need to alter their style of play to retain their title, as other clubs have become accustomed to their current tactics. The Citizens, under Pep Guardiola, have won four Premier League titles in a row, a remarkable achievement in the club’s history.
“And for Man City, I think that we’re going to see a new team, maybe lots of different plays because then he (Guardiola) has realised that teams are accustomed to how Pep Guardiola wants to play.
“So, he has to evolve as a coach, he has to find different ways and different systems to be able to win the league and to win the Champions League again.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see whether he might get that fluidity he needs from the players.
“Are the players also as hungry? Can Haaland also be the top goal scorer again? So, it’s going to be very interesting.
“I think from Man City it’s going to be more an individual as to who then how they want to play.”
City are 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 🏆#ManCity pic.twitter.com/3VVg0hpJUS
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 10, 2024
Chelsea
The Navigator added that City will still win the league but teams like Chelsea and Tottenham will fight for domestic honours as they will also be aiming to go back to Champions League football.
“From a Chelsea point of view, they’ve got a new coach. These are top teams that want to be in the Champions League. So if those top four teams perform well, then the EPL is going to be very interesting. I see Chelsea fighting for the Champions League position.
“I see Arsenal, Man United, I see also Tottenham, I see Man City. But I strongly, still believe that Man City are far ahead that they will win the league.
“But I think domestic cups, they might be split into whether your Chelsea, your Arsenal, your Man United based on how they sign.
“And then I strongly believe that because the market is still open, the registration is still open, we might see more signings just to beef up the teams.
The Hollywoodbets Bookmakers have picked the outright winners to lift the EPL as follows:
Man City 13/10
Arsenal 37/20
Liverpool 7/1
Chelsea 20/1
Man United 22/1
Tottenham 25/1
