Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U… how EPL’s ‘big six’ will fare in 23/24 season

With actions from the opening week of the 2023/2024 English Premier League (EPL) season, CrispNG‘s Ezeh Chimezie Amos predicts how far the traditional top six clubs — Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Tottenham — will go this season.

Arsenal

The Gunners persevered in mediocrity for years before last season, when they suddenly found themselves competing with Manchester City for the crown. Young players like William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, and Bukayo Saka provided hints of what is to come.

The Gunners has made some great signings in Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz, and they greatly overachieved last season by controlling the title race for 248 days though, they were unable to maintain it, and their best chance of winning the in recent times may have vanished. To be one of Europe’s top clubs, you must consistently perform at the top level. Arsenal’s ability to do so is in doubt because despite the many positive traits Gabriel Jesus brings to the team, finishing has never been one of his strong points. Another issue is his availability, which is also a big concern.

In light of those two considerations, it may be concluded that the No. 9 position is where the Gunners have the most reason for concern because any side that wants to compete for the EPL title should be concerned about their lack of a reliable striker in a league where even the smallest mistake could put your title chase at risk.

It is asking a lot of Arteta’s team to duplicate their feat of reaching 84 points even though they have started the season with a comfortable first win of the season but with the added strain of Champions League action, I still believe that Arsenal’s top aim is to finish in the top four.

Chelsea

Trimming down a severely bloated roster has been Mauricio Pochettino’s top objective at Chelsea, and he got to work on it right away. N’Golo Kanté, Mateo Kovacic, Kalidou Koulibaly, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Édouard Mendy, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tiemoué Bakayoko and Baba Rahman have all already left Chelsea. César Azpilicueta, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are among the more experienced players that have left the team.

Thirty-one players started at least one game for Chelsea last season, the most of any league side. This was due to the turmoil that came with having three head coaches (Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Frank Lampard).

Pochettino likes to work with a leaner team, therefore deadweight is being eliminated. He now has to restore some order to a club that is completely chaotic.

Mauricio Pochettino will have more time on the practice field to energize his team because Chelsea won’t be playing in the Champions league this year.

Although Christopher Nkunku’s injury is a major setback for the new manager, I believe Poch can at least secure a top-6 finish and organize the club for the 2024/2025 season.

Chelsea will be hoping to drastically improve on their last season’s disastrous performance, but given the competition in their area, they could have to wait a little longer to make it back into the top four.

Manchester United

United broke a six-year trophy drought and returned to the Champions League with a third-place finish in Erik ten Hag’s first season as manager. As Newcastle United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham are all making waves in the transfer market, they cannot afford to remain still if they are still to compete at top level again this season.

United are poised to completely implement Erik ten Hag’s ambition with wise and cautious additions in the transfer window.

More goals will be scored as the team has a ball-playing goalie like André Onana to assist them build up and gain more ball possession, they have also got more talent in the midfield like Mason Mount, and a promising No. 9 like Rasmus Hjlund. Though United will need to enter the transfer market once more to find a replacement for Fred who recently signed for Fenerbahce

Rasmus Hojlund will be under a lot of pressure to score the goals that will make Erik ten Hag’s £72 million wager on him worthwhile because sports fans, particularly football fans, are not exactly known for their patience, it may be difficult for the Danish striker and his teammates to live up to the anticipation due to the high expectations he established last year, ten Hag’s second season at United may perhaps be more significant than his first.

As ten Hag starts to articulate his genuine vision for the squad, the success of the new additions will probably serve as the barometer for his second year at United. United has accomplished many of the tasks expected of a team seeking to advance, but it is worthwhile to consider how far United can actually go this season in an era where Manchester City dominates domestic competition with little difficulty.

Having struggled to get away with 3points in their first league game of the season against Wolves i think that glory in the form of a Premier League title appears doubtful but quite likely for any other domestic trophy because the team is likely to be competing for second place among teams like last year’s runners-up Arsenal and a resurgent Liverpool. However, this is football, and miracles do occur.

Manchester City

Last season’s Premier League was won by triple-champion Manchester City and their extraterrestrial robot striker with three games remaining.

Although the Citizens may not have expected Arsenal to compete with them so fiercely in the race for a third straight domestic league championship, it was still fairly comfortable in the end—a draw with Brighton & Hove Albion and a loss to Brentford to end the season had no bearing on them winning the league.

Manchester City may have lost some key players from the team from the previous season, but they have demonstrated in prior years that losing certain key players doesn’t always hurt their chances of winning the title.

Kelvin De Bruyne’s injury will be a major concern as Pep have recently confirmed that the player will be out for few weeks after undergoing surgery.

This in addition to the absence of Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez, who are essential members of the team. However, with the addition of Mateo Kovacic, they still have Erling Haaland’s goals but can he score enough without his main supplier? Josko Gvardiol is also a fantastic addition at the back who can help City get even more out of John Stones after his outstanding end to 2022–2023.

I don’t see anyone stopping City from winning its sixth premier league title in seven years with Erling Haaland going home with the Golden Boot.

Tottenham

Ange Postecoglou has already addressed a few issues in his short time as Tottenham’s manager, bringing in James Maddison to remedy the midfield’s lack of creativity and Guglielmo Vicario as a long-term replacement for the aging Hugo Lloris. Under the Australian, Spurs quickly seem to be moving in the right path.

Tottenham has something to prove after losing out on playing in Europe last season, but it will be difficult for the London club now that their star player, Harry Kane, has joined Bayern Munich. There will be a problem scoring goals. At the other end of the field, Spurs is also likely to experience more difficulties. They allowed 63 goals last season, which was more than any other team outside the bottom six, giving them the sixth worst defensive record in the Premier League. A new goalie will only be able to do so much, therefore stopping the shots at their source will play a significant role in the solution. Postecoglou will likely switch to a formation with three players in central midfield, which will help crowd out the central areas and, he hopes, help keep opponents from getting into quite as many shooting opportunities inside the penalty area.

To assist them improve their dismal defensive performance from the previous season, more focus is needed in the back. If Kane had been on the team, I would have predicted at least a top-six finish for them.

Liverpool

Liverpool enters the new season after missing out on Champions League football with new midfield faces and the same defensive concerns they had at the end of the 2022/23 season. It’s challenging to constantly challenge for the Premier League title, but Liverpool got themselves into a jam that no number of goals could get them out due to a combination of injuries and poor defensive play. In order to better serve Mohamed Salah, Jurgen Klopp did strike a balance by the end of the season by playing Trent Alexander-Arnold in an inverted fullback position. However, it was ultimately too late.

Former club captain Jordan Henderson and fellow midfielder James Milner have left the team, and they have been replaced by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, which has changed the dynamic of the midfield. Fabinho, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Roberto Firmino have all left the team too.

The Reds are in a unique position to properly focus their attention on ending Manchester City’s three-year reign atop English football if they can figure out how to fix their defensive leaks. They appear to be a squad that will score many goals and has a strong front line, but it all depends on how well they can stop the opposition from scoring. Liverpool should prioritize finishing in a champions league spot, and if an opportunity arises to stop City, they ought to seize it.