Inside the final fortnight of the 2022-23 EPL season, we run a rule over the winners and losers from another pulsating campaign.
WINNERS
Manchester City
A third straight title awaits for Pep Guardiola’s men, who (once the title is confirmed) will have finished on top in five of the last six seasons. It’s an EPL monopoly, folks. Starting the campaign as $1.57 title favourites, City delivered on that short price.
While Arsenal pushed them for much of the 2022-23 season, the Sky Blues’ depth shone through in recent months and, as we speak, have gone 22 games unbeaten across all competitions. Cynics will say their financial dealings unfairly propel them to new heights. Proponents will say they’re an incredible juggernaut that ought to be admired. Both can be true. They were also $27 hopes with Palmerbet to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, which now looks a distinct possibility.
Erling Haaland
We all knew he would be an EPL force, but few knew he would dominate to this degree. The Norwegian ($3.60 top goalscorer chance prior to the season kicking off) has obliterated almost all goal-scoring records in sight, in a simply outrageous debut campaign in sky blue, most notably passing Andy Cole and Alan Shearer’s record (34) for the most goals in an EPL season.
3̶5̶
36 🤷🏼♂️😜 pic.twitter.com/BBxCa5ngqM— Erling Haaland (@Erling) May 14, 2023
Mikel Arteta
Sure, his overriding emotion right now is disappointment. And sure, his Arsenal side had a chance to push City all the way for the title and failed to do so. But it’s still an undeniably great season from Mikel Arteta and Arsenal. When you consider they’ve finished outside the Champions League spots for the last six EPL seasons, their inevitable runner-up finish ($14 Top 2 hope prior to the season) in 2022-23 is not to be scoffed at. Especially when you consider the upside of their young core. The fact he won *four* manager of the month gongs along the way speaks volumes.
Arsenal have amassed 80 points in a Premier League season for the first time since 2007-08.
Mikel Arteta has done a brilliant job 👏 pic.twitter.com/0OyhKlEneo
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 7, 2023
Newcastle, Brighton, Bournemouth
When you consider pre-season predictions, few predicted these three clubs to do as well as they did. Newcastle are a step away from their first appearance in the Champions League since 2003-04 despite starting the EPL season as $9.50 Top 4 hopes. Brighton are on track for their *first ever* appearance in Europe despite starting the season as $8.50 Top 6 hopes AND losing manager Graham Potter part-way through the campaign. And Bournemouth — the only club to be considered better-than-evens ($1.45) to be relegated — have survived with ease.
Come on guys, you knew this was coming 😘 pic.twitter.com/k5L0TvqfD9
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) May 14, 2023
LOSERS
Chelsea
An utterly shambolic season from start to finish. It’s just under a year since Todd Boehly took over as Chelsea owner, and it’s hard to think of a more chaotic and ultimately unsuccessful 12 months given the size of the club and the money spent. Boehly spent a record £323 million in January to bring in the likes of World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez and winger Mykhailo Mudryk, but no sugar hit has swung this struggling club around. Four (4) separate manager have had control of the first team this season, and they will finish in the bottom half of the EPL table for the first time since 1993-94. To put this into context, the Blues were $1.02 with Palmerbet prior to the season to finish in the EPL Top 10.
🗣️ "DISGUSTING"
Gary Neville on Chelsea's performance against Arsenal and blames Todd Boehly's running of the club as a reason for their decline 👀
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 4, 2023
Tottenham
The disarray at Stamford Bridge has to some extend shielded greater scrutiny being swung Tottenham’s way. Spurs’ season is petering out, and the North London side has accrued just four points in their last six EPL outings. At the World Cup break, despite an up-and-down start to the season, Tottenham were still $2.25 Top 4 hopes with Palmerbet. That soon, however, became beyond their reach and now a Europa League spot also appears out of reach. To make matters worse, fans of their fiercest of rivals in Arsenal have enjoyed some scintillating football this season, while Spurs fans have seen very little that inspired confidence.
Liverpool
Some might say their inclusion here is harsh, especially as they’re coming home with a wet sail. Certainly, they’re not in the same bracket as the above two. But the fact is, if Man United and Newcastle hold their nerve in the final two games of the EPL season, Liverpool won’t host Champions League football later this year at Anfield for the first time in six seasons. Jurgen Klopp’s men were $1.06 prior to the season kicking off to finish inside the Top 4. A dominant central midfielder will be high on their priority list in the summer transfer window.
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