Kelvin Stuttard from Pixabay"/>Manchester City ran away with the Premier League title in the 2020-21 season but according to Paul Merson, it will be a closer fight this time around courtesy of Man United and Liverpool.
City won the title – picking up 86 points from the 38 league matches while Man United came a distant second with 74 points.
Owing to their numerous injuries, Liverpool spent a large chunk of the campaign outside of the top four but in the end, they somehow rallied to grab the third spot on the table.
Paul Merson has claimed that even though Man City are still the favourites to win the title but both Man United and Liverpool are going to provide a much sterner test.
He wrote in his Daily Star column: “Manchester City are still favourites to win the league again in my book, after the way they finished the season.
“But, don’t count Liverpool and Manchester United out either. Liverpool will be a different animal with Virgil Van Dijk back. He gets them pushed up and playing on the halfway line.
“Last season was a wake-up call for them and they will be massive contenders this time around.
“I think they will sign players too, and the front three will be fresher. They will have a point to prove.
“And United I don’t think are far away either. When Marcus Rashford is back from his injury he’ll be fresh as a daisy. I think he starts in their best XI with Jadon Sancho the other side of Edinson Cavani.
“Add in Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba and you know they will score goals. They like to counter-attack and I think they’ll do that even more now.”
Last season, Liverpool struggled mainly due to their defensive woes but their attacking players also remained out of sync. So, for Jurgen Klopp’s side to get back their old form, players such as Salah and Mane also have to be at their 100%.
As far as Manchester United are concerned, they lagged behind primarily due to the lack of world-class talent in their side which is why Ole is making such that he plugs all the gaps before the 2021-22 season kicks off.
