We are just one day away from the start of the English Premier League season — even though it seems like the previous season just ended. It’s easily the most hectic sport in the world as these players seem to have no offseason.
The most competitive soccer league in the world kicking off is always exciting. Shooting life into sports fans who have had nothing but baseball to watch for a couple of months. If you’re not a fan of the league but are looking to get involved this season, here are some of the biggest storylines for the 2022-2023 EPL season
Related: Soccer games today – Watch times and odds for next EPL, MLS, and Liga MX matches
Can Erling Haaland help Manchester City break the all-time points record?
Manchester City has had its way with the Premier League over the last six years. They have won the league five out of the six seasons and finished second the one year they didn’t win the whole thing. They lost pretty handily in 2019-2020 to a historic Liverpool team that culminated the season with 99 points, one point shy of the record. Which was set by Manchester City two years prior.
The two teams have thoroughly dominated the league over the last five years, but the Citizens of Manchester always seem to come out ahead The rich have only gotten richer this offseason as Erling Haaland, the prolific 22-year-old Norwegian striker, joins Man City’s side. Here is every record Haaland has broken so far during his career across all formats. (Champions League, Bundesliga, etc.)
- Best minutes per goal ratio in the history of the league (87 minutes)
- Best minutes per goal in the history of the Champions League (64 minutes, I don’t even understand how that’s possible. He is 38 minutes ahead of the next fastest player(s))
- Fastest to 20 goals in the Champions League (14 matches faster than the next closest person)
- Youngest player to ever score 20 goals in the Champions League, and the only player to ever do it before turning 21
- He scored 62 goals in 67 games in Germany, no one has ever done so that quickly
- First player ever to score 25 goals in first 25 appearances in the Bundesliga
- Scored two or more goals in a game 23 times, the most in all of Europe’s big 5 leagues
- Third amongst all active players in goals since 2020 (86)
- The first player to score five goals in the first two games in the Bundesliga, and the first to score seven goals in his first three games
Haaland is a freak of nature and is now dawning the light blue of Man City, a team that scored 99 goals last season, good for fifth all-time in goals scored by a team. Pep Guardiola’s squad also signed Kalvin Phillips from Leeds, who will be set to make a big impact on the team following a year of some injuries.
Anything short of a Premier League title would be catastrophic for this team. Anything can happen, but there is a reason Man City has opened up at -170 to win the league (according to Fanduel)
How will the impending World Cup affect roster choices and performance?
One of the best tournaments in sports is the World Cup. The world’s most popular sport, dividing the best players into their respective countries, all vying for a chance at world domination. Happens every four years, which makes the tournament so amazing. If you are an iconic soccer player, and you can add this to your resume, you become a made man.
The World Cup is going to be held right in the middle of the Premier League season, as well as the four other tournaments that go on during the soccer calendar. As the tournament is country-specific, it will be interesting to see the strategies that are promoted by managers in order to keep their side fit for the season.
Depth on the roster will play a huge part in the season. Players fatigue a lot due to the sheer number of games played in a soccer season. Now, add in the travel to Qatar for the tournament, plus the impending weeks tacked onto the campaign, keeping fresh legs will be a huge part of the winning strategy for the top teams in the league.
Can Arsenal finish inside the top 4
Arsenal historically is one of the greatest clubs in the EPL. They have a decorated past of winning premier league titles, and competing year in and out in the Champions League. Since the departure of Arsene Wegner, Arsenal has had a very hard time finishing inside the top four teams. They have not made the play-in tournament since the 2015-2016 season, and desperately need to right the ship this coming season.
Arsenal’s front office had a busy offseason, as they brought in forward Gabriel Jesus and left back Oleksandr Zinchenko from Manchester City. Plus William Saliba from Olympique Marseilles, and Fabio Vieira from FC Porto. These were great moves from Arsenal, as these are proven winners, and Jesus has been a revelation in the preseason for the Gunners. Scoring seven goals in five preseason games.
Mikel Arteta’s side overall has been amazing this preseason. They have squared off against Ipswich Town, Nurnberg, Orlando City, Chelsea, and Sevilla, and have won them all. They have scored 25 times in six games, including six against the notoriously stingy, Sevilla defense. They are off to a great start in the limited sample size of the preseason, but all signs are pointing up for Arteta and the Gunners.
Who will dethrone Kevin De Bruyne for Premier League Player of the Year?
Kevin De Bruyne has taken home the most prestigious award in the Premier League in two of the last three years. De Bruyne has been in amazing form for Man City since he dawned the kit, but in the past three seasons, he has been special.
When looking at the odds, the leader, unsurprisingly, is Erling Haaland at +600 odds. He is going to be in the conversation if he continues his domination of world soccer. De Bruyne enters the season at +700 odds, followed by Liverpool Striker, Mohamed Salah at +800, and Tottenham Striker, Harry Kane at +1200, to round out the top four.
The most interesting odds for “Premier League Player of the Year” is Manchester City midfielder, Phil Foden, who opens up at +1600 odds, tied with Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tottenham forward Son Heung-min. Foden has won “PFA’s Young Player of the Year” the last two seasons and is on a meteoric trajectory. He would be my value pick for this award, although the embarrassment of riches with Manchester City could lead to no awards for the squad.