The Story in the Premier League
10/18/2024 11:42 AM
Figure 1 EPL fans will be welcoming back their heroes after another international break – Source: Unsplash
With the second international break of the season now in the books, Premier League fans can settle into another month of uninterrupted football action. There will be European games for the lucky few, of course. But everyone else can concentrate fully on the demands of the toughest league in the world.
This is the time of the season that fans who live and breathe the Premier League always find the most difficult. Although international football has its obvious attractions and can be an immense source of national pride for millions, EPL fans usually get frustrated with the stop-start routine of domestic fixtures. Once the next international break is over, in the middle of November, those supporters will be much happier.
But there is so much happening in the Premier League at the moment that a few weeks off has actually been something of a welcome respite for most. We still have over three quarters of the season to go, so sportsbooks like BetOnline are still considering their markets. But there have already been a few signs of what might happen in the weeks and months ahead. The 2024-25 EPL campaign promises to be another high-octane ride and here are a few things we have noticed already this season.
Same Old Story at the Top
Going into the most recent international break it was Liverpool who looked down on the rest of the league. That is undoubtedly an impressive performance from Arne Slot in his first few months as head coach, following Jürgen Klopp’s departure at the end of last season. But his side is not one of only two to still remain unbeaten.
Unsurprisingly, it was Arsenal and Manchester City that managed to navigate the first seven games of the campaign without losing a single match. Although it is obviously far too early to suggest that either of them will be able to emulate the Invincibles of 2003-04, being able to come away from your game every weekend with at least a point is a good sign for both clubs. Expect to see them battling for the title in May of next year.
Promoted Clubs
Due to all kinds of reasons, especially the relative income involved, clubs promoted to the Premier League are routinely considered the favorites for relegation each year. There will sometimes be a bigger team that comes up after a brief spell in the Championship that is expected to do well. But a swift demotion is more typically expected.
Ipswich, Leicester, and Southampton are the clubs battling to finish 18th this season and all three were thought to be certain to be relegated. Ipswich were deemed to be the most in trouble but even former champions Leicester and long-time EPL regulars Southampton were also tipped for the drop. Nothing much has happened in the first few months of the season to change our minds and it could be that the only way any of them stay up is if one of Wolves, Palace, or Everton crash and burn instead.
The Fall of Manchester United
Speaking of sharp declines. It has been yet another tough start of the season for Manchester United and fans will be wondering just how this once great club can get back to a position of challenging for titles. The last few years have been largely woeful but at least there has usually been some kind of European distraction along the way.
It was something of a surprise when Erik ten Hag was offered a new contract in the summer and there have been even more questions raised this year. United had scored just five goals, won eight points, and was languishing in 14th going into the second international break and even the club’s own fans were questioning the lack of identity. It seems as though Ten Hag’s days are now numbered but it will take a lot more than a change of manager for Manchester United to be feared by the rest of the EPL again any time soon.
Figure 2 There has been precious little to celebrate at Old Trafford this season – Source: Unsplash
Smaller Clubs Pushing for Europe
It seems a little unfair to categorize a club consistently pushing for European qualification as “small” but any long-time Premier League fan will easily be able to remember when the four clubs who made it to the Champions League each year could be confidently predicted before a ball had even been kicked.
This season we have Aston Villa battling it out with the elites of Europe and Brighton looks like another club that is keen to recapture the experience of European football nights. Chelsea may have climbed back into the reckoning for a top four finish but there are a number of less familiar teams jostling for position in the top half of the table these days, so expect there to be some fresh faces in Europe in the years ahead.
Can the Forest Resurgence Continue?
Could Nottingham Forest end up being one of those clubs? There is a grand history of European involvement – and triumph – at the City Ground, of course. But this is a club that only returned to the Premier League two years ago after a 23-year absence and the last two seasons have been largely concentrating on making it to the last week of the campaign still in with a chance of staying up.
Forest has looked like a different side this year so far though. There have been more draws than wins but that should only be regarded as an achievement – and one of those victories came away at Liverpool. There seems to be a very strong team ethic at the club now – and a team that has one or two very good players. European football will probably still remain a dream for the fans at the moment but the signs are good that the club will not be involved in a relegation scrap at the end of the season at least.
