Premier League Predictions

Since there was loads of football on telly today, and since we are about halfway through the season, time to see how good my predictions at the start of the season are doing:

• Man City will pip Liverpool to the title again, and no new teams will break into the top 6

Well, it will take a miracle for Man City to win the title now.  And I didn't see Leicester challenging for a Champions League spot.  But otherwise, the same teams are competing for the European places.

• One of Frank Lampard or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not be a manager next season

TBD.  Chelsea and Man Utd are two of the more enigmatic teams - can be really good one day, and really bad another day.  I like Chelsea's youth, and I think Man Utd should be doing a lot better than they are considering the resources they have - and I think they are the ones who really need a world-class manager.

• The relegation battle will go down to the final weekend, and the following teams will be relegated: Sheff Utd, Norwich, Brighton

I still think the relegation battle will come down to the wire - there are a lot of clubs who could go down.  Of the 3 teams I predicted: Norwich are going down, Brighton could go down and Sheffield United are not going down.  The fact that Sheffield United have as many points as they do so far has to be one of the surprises of the season.

• VAR will still result in major controversy

Yep, this was sadly predictable.  VAR has been a disaster - too many marginal decisions, too many stoppages in play, and sadly not suited to the flow of the English game.  I'd rather not have it and live with the occasional controversial goal or decision.

• English sides will not dominate European football this year

TBD - but I don't think we will see the same English domination in the European competitions as we did last year.  That was a fluke.

• Due to the closeness of the races at the top and bottom of the league, the most amount of money ever will be spent on vastly overrated players in this season’s January transfer window

TBD.  I guess the transfer window is open now, so it will be interesting to see who is on the move.  With so many clubs not separated by that many points, I think we could see a flurry of activity in that middle to bottom tier of teams.  And yes, teams will undoubtedly spend loads of money on mediocre and obscure foreign players.  

• Harry Kane will experience a major injury and Tottenham will fade at the end of the season, yet again

I don't know what to make of Tottenham.  They haven't had a particularly convincing season so far, and I think their managerial change is one of the more perplexing choices.  I think they will struggle to qualify for the Champions League - and Harry Kane may not experience a major injury but he will have a decidedly ordinary goal-scoring season.

• Everton will flatter to deceive, yet again

Yep, I got this spot on.  To the extent that Everton also had to get rid of their manager.  But now they seem to be turning it around, so we shall see where they finish up.  

• Newcastle will have a surprisingly good season under Steve Bruce (but he’ll get fired next season)

Yep, I'm on track with this one as well.  Newcastle are holding their own this year.  And Steve Bruce is not the kind of manager who you can trust to keep your team competitive every year.

• Palace will be one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league

Yep, I am Nostradamus.  Who is the lower scoring team in the league currently?  Palace.  Mind you, it didn't take a genius to see that one coming.