The 2022/23 Premier League season is just around the corner and according to Paul Merson, there were be no significant changes at the top of the table.
Last season, Manchester City just about beat Liverpool to the Premier League title, winning the league by just a single point and Merson has backed Guardiola’s men to lift the trophy this time as well.
The pundit believes Liverpool have managed to patch up their squad so they should be able to challenge Man City for the title and thanks to some fine signings, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea can be in the run-in as well.
‘I think Manchester City will win the Premier League, but I have to say it’s not as much of a foregone conclusion as others make it out to be,’ Merson told Sportskeeda.
‘Erling Haaland’s arrival is obviously a massive boost for Pep Guardiola, but it’s not the end of it with Liverpool still very much in the running. With the departures of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling, Manchester City have lost at least 30 Premier League goals between the pair and that could turn out to be a huge problem for them.
‘The only worry for Liverpool, on the other hand, is that they’ve lost an unbelievable player in Sadio Mane, who scored big goals for them over the years. They’ll have to rely on Darwin Nunez to settle as quickly as Luis Diaz did, which is obviously a long shot because the Colombian took to English football like a duck to water.
‘If Jurgen Klopp can get Nunez firing immediately, it’ll be tight once again, but if that doesn’t happen, I think Manchester City should win the Premier League.
‘Chelsea could be in the title race too with a couple of smart additions, but they’ll have to be consistent over the course of 38 games. Raheem Sterling will give them a massive lift – he’s a talented footballer who can play anywhere across the frontline as we’ve seen over the years for club and country. He has my respect and should have no trouble adapting to Thomas Tuchel’s philosophy at Chelsea, having flourished in the Premier League for Liverpool and Manchester City.
‘Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea pick themselves as the top three in whatever order and I’d be shocked if anything else were to happen.’
Kevin De Bruyne is now the only remaining player from the squad Pep Guardiola inherited at Man City in 2015-16 😳 pic.twitter.com/gp2Wf0Cpx1
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 15, 2022
Can Liverpool or Chelsea stop Man City from winning the Premier League trophy?
Over the years, Man City have made the Premier League their bread and butter but things could turn out to be different this time.
Yes, they have made some very good signings this summer but at the same time, Liverpool and Chelsea have also strengthened their squad.
Darwin Nunez, if he can fire, could become a serious contender for the golden boot this season and if he can net 25 to 30 goals then Liverpool will have a genuine chance of dethroning Manchester City.
On the other hand, Chelsea’s new owners have been winning multiple plaudits for backing Thomas Tuchel this summer and this has given the manager the luxury to revamp the squad in such a short period of time.
The Blues might have lost Rudiger at the start of the summer and they have also lost out on Raphinha but they have more than made up for these gaffs by signing Raheem Sterling and now Koulibaly.
Liverpool are already a very cohesive unit and if Chelsea can also get their act together quickly then it will be very difficult for Manchester City to defend their Premier League title in the upcoming season.
Also, the new arrivals like Kalvin Phillips and Erling Haaland will need time to adjust to the Guardiola style of football so there’s a possibility that Manchester City won’t be hitting top gear from the very start of the campaign.
