Barclays Premier League Top 4 Predictions

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The race for the Premier League Golden Boot is typically competitive, with some of the best attackers in world football playing in the division.

A haul of over 20 goals is usually required to come out on top and there are plenty of candidates in the mix this season.

Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero and Mohamed Salah, who have all won the accolade before, should be there or thereabouts, but there is always room for a surprise package.

Editors' Picks

Goal is compiling the individual goal tallies for the highest-scoring Premier League players this season and you can check it out below.

Premier League 2020-21 Top Scorers

Barclays Premier League Scores Today

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah, Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Tottenham's Son Heung-min are the early pace-setters in the race for the Golden Boot, having surged out in front in the opening gameweeks.

Barclays Premier League

Leicester forward Jamie Vardy continues to hit the back of the net for the Foxes with regularity, while Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes has been prolific on the scoresheet, thanks in some part to his status as chief penalty taker at Old Trafford.

Harry Kane has rediscovered a scoring touch that faltered in recent seasons and Leeds United will be pleased with Patrick Bamford's contributions in front of goal.

You can see the top scorers in the Premier League this season below.

*Up to date as of games played on March 6.

Who finished Premier League top scorer in 2019-20?

Jamie Vardy won the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019-20 after scoring 23 goals in 35 league appearances for Leicester.

It was Vardy's first time winning the prize, having previously come close in the 2015-16 campaign with a tally of 24 goals - one fewer than that year's winner Harry Kane.

The former England international finished marginally ahead of Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Southampton's Danny Ings, who each struck 22 times for their club.

Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling followed with 20 goals, with Salah, Kane and Sadio Mane among the chasing pack.

The Premier League kicks off on the 16th of August and fans will be counting down the days until it begins. Last season was a fantastic season and we were treated to drama, high-scoring shocks, and some excellent football. Both Liverpool and Manchester City surpassed the 100 goal mark and took part in some ridiculously high-scoring matches. Everton played some incredible football under Roberto Martinez on their way to breaking the club’s point record. Things weren’t great for all teams however as Manchester United finished in 7th place and failed to qualify for European football for the first time since the 1989-90 season.

With the new season just a few weeks away, I take a look at who I expect to finish in the lucrative top four spots of the league. I take into account completed transfers but will also go into what each team still needs to do to finish inside the top 4.

Fourth: Manchester United

After a disastrous season in which they failed to qualify for European football, Manchester United will be looking to bounce back under Louis van Gaal and return to European football’s grandest stage. Van Gaal showed at the World Cup that he is an excellent manager tactically and can make the most out of what he has(remember, not many people expected the Dutch to progress so far into the tournament). Manchester United fans will be hoping for more of the same this season and the club will be buoyed by the fact that they don’t have to deal with the rigors of European football. Liverpool, Roma, and Juventus have all shown what an advantage that can be and that will be what allows them to finish in the top four.

Barclays Premier League Top 4 Predictions 2020

Manchester United’s impressive summer business so far is also a factor in my prediction for them. Bringing in Shaw is an excellent signing considering the team’s need for a quality left back and although the price tag is hefty, Shaw is an incredible player at such a young age. Herrera is also a fantastic move by Manchester United and his box to box influence will be crucial for them. United have also been heavily linked to Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal and a midfield compromising of Vidal and Herrera will be a massive upgrade on last season’s midfield duo Cleverley and Carrick.

United can also count on the talents of players such as Mata, Januzaj, van Persie, Rooney, and Kagawa. It will be fascinating to see how van Gaal shapes his teams with the amount of attacking talent he has at his disposal. De Gea was one of the few players at Manchester United who could hold his head high after last season and will be looking to continue his impressive form this season. Fans will also be hoping that van Gaal can get the best out of Phil Jones(who should be starting at center-back this season).

However, United still need to make some more transfers if they are to qualify for the Champions League again. The Vidal transfer could be key because if it goes through, United will have one of the most complete players in the world at their disposal and they could feasibly push for a title challenge with that kind of signing. With Ferdinand and Vidic both leaving the club, another center-back should be signed as well. The Daily Mirror reports that United could be bringing in Hummels although I expect the price to be much higher. Despite Klopp’s insistence, United should do everything they can as Hummels would be a fantastic signing to help replace club legends Ferdinand and Vidic.

Third: Liverpool

Liverpool were agonizingly close to a Premier League title last season but fell short in the last few weeks. Rodgers will now be looking to keep the team competitive in the Premier League while also doing well in the Champions League. I don’t think that they will be able to challenge for the title as well this season now that they have European football to deal with but I still see them finishing third in the coming season.

Losing star striker Luis Suarez to Spanish giants Barcelona is a huge blow to the team but Rodgers has taken some intelligent steps to improving the attack in an effort to replace Suarez. Lallana, Markovic, and Lambert are all great signings and will help provide quality and depth to the attack. Emre Can is an astute signing and his ability to play multiple positions will be a handy tool for Rodgers.

Despite losing Luis Suarez, the attack is still Liverpool’s greatest strength. They can still count on Sturridge, Sterling, and Coutinho to bang in goals and terrorize opposition defenses. Liverpool will need their midfield to improve defensively(something that the signing of Emre Can should help solve) and their defense remains a weak point. Both those areas need to be addressed if Liverpool are to finish third while playing in the Champions League.

Out of the top four teams in the league last season, Liverpool conceded the most goals and their defense badly needs signings. The reported signing of Dejan Lovren(via Daily Mirror) will help but Liverpool need to sign a left-back. With Cissokho returning to Valencia and Jose Enrique under-performing last season, left-back is an area that should be a priority for Liverpool. After an impressive World Cup, Blind should be the left-back they look to sign although Alberto Moreno has also been linked with them. Signing either of the two will go a long way to resolving their defensive issues that ultimately prevented them from winning the league last season. In the same article reporting Dejan Lovren signing, the Daily Mirror reports that Origi and Remy are close to signing with Vidal, Pogba, and Reus also on Liverpool’s transfer list.

The transfers of Origi and Remy would provide extra depth to the attack although Liverpool should be looking to reinforce the midfield and defense more than their already talent-packed attack. Though the transfers of Vidal, Pogba, and Reus would be fantastic they are unlikely to go through and Rodgers should be looking at more realistic alternatives.

Second: Manchester City

I don’t expect Manchester City to retain their title next season despite having one of the most talented squads in the league. Pellegrini has been a great appointment for City so far and the board will undoubtedly be happy with his work in the league. However, City so desperately want to make an impact in the Champions League and that focus could cost them the league.

City have had a relatively quiet transfer window so far. Fernando and Caballero are both astute signings that will provide depth and competition in defensive midfield and goalkeeper while signing Sagna on a free is a masterstroke. However, I think that City should push and go for one or two more signings.

With Real Madrid bringing in Kroos and probably James Rodriguez as well, Isco could be available. The Daily Mail reports that Manchester City could be set to swoop for the young Spanish midfielder. Manchester City already have incredible players in midfield but this could be a fantastic signing as it will give them more depth and Pellegrini has previously worked with him at Malaga. A problem that City have had in the recent past is finding a suitable partner for Kompany in defense. I don’t think that Manchester City need to dip into the transfer market to solve this issue however considering they have a great young center-back in Nastasic. He didn’t have a great season last year but I believe that City should keep their faith in him for at least one more season.

City’s squad is certainly one of the most impressive in the whole league. In defense they have the aforementioned Sagna, Kompany, and Nastastic as well as Clichy and Kolarov vying for the left-back berth. In midfield they can count on such talents such as Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Nasri, and Silva among others. They have a star-studded offense with Aguero, Negredo, Dzeko, and Jovetic. Pellegrini showed last season that he can get the best out of these players and City fans will be hoping they can continue the kind of form that won them the Premier League last season.

Champions: Chelsea

I predict Mourinho to win yet another Premier League with Chelsea. The sly tactician should have a fantastic squad going into the beginning of the season and it seems as though Chelsea have finally fixed their greatest weakness: lack of a goal-scoring center forward. With this critical weakness amended I expect Mourinho to lead Chelsea to the Premier League title.

Chelsea have been the most impressive Premier League team in the transfer window so far this summer. Bringing in Luis Filipe and Fabregas are both incredible transfers that bring massive amounts of talent to the squad and both players could be key to Chelsea’s title win. Perhaps the most important one however is Diego Cost. He is the perfect striker for Mourinho’s system: he’s strong, hard-working, plays extremely well as a lone forward, and(perhaps most importantly) consistently scores goals. If he can adapt to English football, he will be lethal for Chelsea and will work well with onrushing midfielders such as Fabregas or Hazard. One cannot ignore the sale of David Luiz to PSG which was a fantastic piece of business.

Barclays Premier League Results Table

With Courtois returning from Atletico Madrid, Chelsea have two world-class goalkeepers who can compete for the starting spot and competition often brings out the best in players. Luis Filipe and Azpilicueta are contenders for best full-back pairing in the Premier League while Cahill and Terry are both excellent center-backs. In midfield Mourinho has both depth and quality to work with in both defensive positions and more offensive positions. Hazard’s performances will be key for Chelsea but he will no longer have to carry the offense as much now that Fabregas(a midfielder with proven goal-scoring ability in the Premier League) and Diego Costa have joined. Manchester City might just edge Chelsea in terms of talent, but Chelsea’s squad definitely suits Mourinho’s tactics well and I believe that is what will allow them to beat City to the title.

Barclays Premier League Top 4 Predictions Against

In terms of transfers that Chelsea need, there really aren’t any. Chelsea got their transfer business done quickly and efficiently and it appears as though Mourinho is satisfied with the transfer window. For right now, Chelsea are undoubtedly Premier League favorites in my eyes.