New Delhi: As EPL begins two weeks earlier than the usual mid-August start. Liverpool and Manchester City look forward to dominating the league again.
Manchester City – Favorites once again
Four Premier League titles in five seasons do not come on a platter. That too in a league as competitive as the English Premier League. City are enjoying one of the most dominant periods of success in English soccer history.
As the new season gets rolling on Friday, an early start keeping in mind the six-week break from November 14 to December 25 for the Qatar World Cup, Man City once again starts as favourites.
Despite the deep pockets of the Abu Dhabi-based City Football Group, City have spent an estimated $1.2 billion in the transfer market and is yet to win the Champions League with the club.
This season they look all the more intimidating with the inclusion of the robot Erling Haaland, Argentine striker Julian Alvarez and Kalvin Phillips in the midfield. They lost the Community Shield to Liverpool 3-1 on July 30.
Liverpool – Klopp eyes top spot
If any team has run Pep and Man City close, it is Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool. Last season took the title chase to the final day of the season. The duopoly is all set to continue in 2022- 23 too.
The two most exciting teams in the Premier League are head and shoulders ahead of their rivals who have a lot of catching up to do. Liverpool were chasing a quadruple but had to contend with the poor man’s double, League Cup, and FA Cup.
Klopp has let go of Sadio Mane to Bayern Munich. And brought in Darwin Nunez, 23, from Benfica, for an initial fee of €75 million. Nunez will take his place in an attack that already has Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz as forward options.
Nunez scored one the other day against City and looks all set for a memorable stay at Anfield. With Thiago Alcantara having established himself in the center of midfield and Virgil van Dijk dominant in defense, the spine of the Liverpool team remains firm.
The style of play is likely to be unchanged, however, with wingbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson constantly topping the assist charts for wide players.
