The Scout: EPL Season Preview
Winner 2021/22 – Chelsea @ $5.50*
European Champions Chelsea will enter the season as second favourites for the Premier League title, with manager Thomas Tuchel looking to build upon their fourth place finish in 2020/21.
Chelsea’s offseason has been superb, bringing back almost all of last year’s squad, with many of those players likely to reap the benefits of a full year together. The Blues are loaded with attacking talent; Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech and Mason Mount were all a part of last season’s team, and they’re now joined by Belgian superstar Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku returns to Chelsea off the back of an impressive season with Inter Milan which saw him tally 24 goals and 11 assists in Serie A. His size, strength and finishing are ingredients that Chelsea sorely missed last season, and should complement the rest of this attacking unit beautifully.
Chelsea’s formidable attack will be well supported by one of the best defenses in world football, a defense that kept 11 clean sheets in 15 matches under Tuchel. The man that makes all of this work is defensive midfielder N’Golo Kante, arguably the best in the world at what he does.
Top Goalscorer – Harry Kane @ $3.70*
Harry Kane will be out to defend his title as the Premier League’s top goalscorer, after his 23 goals last season saw him claim the Golden Boot ahead of Mo Salah (22).
There is (as always) a lot of speculation surrounding Kane’s playing future (Tottenham or Man City?), but for mine, the colour of his jersey won’t matter, he is a goal scoring machine who will flourish on any team in this league.
The English captain will be the spearhead at either club he plays for, with City moving on from Sergio Aguero, and Tottenham allowing for business as usual, with his Spurs running mate Heung-min Son giving him the perfect partner up-front.
What makes Kane such a prolific goal scorer is his efficiency (by foot or by head), his power and his clinical finishing. He can score goals from any position and has the added bonus of being Spurs’ number one penalty taker.
A successful Euro 2020 campaign saw Kane score four goals (all in the knockout stages) which should have him primed for week one. Whether he is being supported by Heung-min Son or Kevin De Bruyne, I think it’s Kane finishing the season with a fourth Premier League Golden Boot.
Relegation – Watford @ $1.91*
Watford finished second in the English Championship last season, and return to the top flight after just one year.
The biggest concern for Watford will be their attack, with ageing veteran Troy Deeney (33) still the man left to do the heavy lifting up-front. Unfortunately for Deeney, the Hornets lack real potency in their midfield, so legitimate goal scoring chances may be few and far between.
A lack of any big-name signings over the offseason is another worry and I see the step back up to Premier League football making this a long season for Watford fans. Fellow promoted clubs Norwich and Brentford both possess more potent rosters and have more talented strikers (by quantity and quality) at their disposal.
Avoiding relegation is every promoted teams number one mission, but for Watford, I see their return to the Premier League being short lived.
*Odds correct as at 12pm, 12th August 2021.
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