We continue our discussion about the prospects of the English Premier League competitors in the upcoming season. In the previous preview, we analyzed the potential success of Arsenal, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, and Brighton.
Today, we will evaluate the prospects of Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Everton, Fulham, and Ipswich Town. We will assess their summer transfer activities, tactical setups, and potential positions in the final table.
– Last season’s finish: sixth place (63 points, plus 14 goal differential)
– Key ins: CM Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (Leicester City, €35,4m), GK Filip Jörgensen (Villareal, €24,5m)
– Key outs: Thiago Silva (Fluminense, free)
– My predicted position: 6
Despite Chelsea’s extravagant spending of over a billion euros on transfers in recent years, the Londoners still have a weak defensive line and problem positions on the attacking flanks. Moreover, they lack a prolific striker.
This summer, promising players Lewis Hall and Ian Maatsen left the club. While the club is expected to sign Samuel Omorodion for £35 million, this move is another gamble in the transfer market, raising questions about its potential success.
So far, only the signings of Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto could be considered the most successful in terms of price and transfer quality.
Cole Palmer is currently the only footballer capable of consistently delivering high-level performances. Chelsea’s success this season will heavily depend on his creativity and goal-scoring ability.
However, there are doubts about whether Palmer’s talent alone will be enough for the Blues to compete for a top-four spot in the EPL.
It seems that Enzo Maresca will use a 4-2-3-1 formation at Chelsea. However, the London club has a vulnerable defensive line, which means playing with a two-center-back system can lead to big problems.
Switching to a 3-4-3 formation might help Maresca improve control around the penalty area, but he will have to sacrifice one of the numerous central midfielders. Either way, the Italian coach will find it very difficult to find the optimal defensive and attacking balance.
Since Thomas Tuchel’s resignation, Chelsea’s main issue has been poor defensive performance. To secure a top-four spot in the EPL, the team must drastically improve their defensive play; otherwise, they risk facing another season of disappointment.
– Last season’s finish: tenth place (49 points, minus 1 goal differential)
– Key ins: LW/RW Ismaïla Sarr (Olympique de Marseille, €15m), DC Chadi Riad (Betis, €15m)
– Key outs: LW Michael Olise (FC Bayern München, €53m)
– My predicted position: 12
Crystal Palace has sold their main star of the past two seasons, Michael Olise. The Frenchman played a crucial playmaking role in Oliver Glasner’s team, and his departure could seriously weaken Palace’s creative dynamics. It’s difficult to predict how successfully Ismaïla Sarr will be able to adapt, but he is unlikely to fully fill the void left by Olise’s exit.
Eberechi Eze and Joachim Andersen showed a solid level of play in their positions last season. After the arrival of the new coach Oliver Glasner, they were able to further unlock their potential and will surely be key players for the team in the upcoming season.
In the 3-4-2-1 formation, Crystal Palace consistently outplayed their opponents tactically in numerous matches.
Under Oliver Glasner’s leadership, the team quickly switched from an attacking 2-3-5 formation to a defensive 5-2-3 / 5-4-1, making it very difficult for the opponents to find space on Palace’s half of the field.
The London club also frequently applied strong pressure on their opponents and executed lightning-fast transitions from defense to attack.
Under Oliver Glasner’s management, Crystal Palace saw a marked improvement, playing at a level comparable to the top teams in the league. However, it’s still unclear whether Palace will be able to maintain its performance over the long term, especially considering Michael Olise’s departure.
– Last season’s finish: fifteenth place (40 points, minus 11 goal differential)
– Key ins: DC Jake O’Brien (Olympique Lyonnais, €19.5m), ST
Iliman Ndiaye (Olympique de Marseille, €18.5m)
– Key outs: Amadou Onana (Aston Villa,€59,4m), Ben Godfrey (Atalanta, €9m)
– My predicted position: 14
Everton sold one of their most important players, Amadou Onana, to Aston Villa. Last season, the Belgian defensive midfielder performed a huge amount of work in the center of the field, often disrupting opponents’ attacks with his tackles and interceptions. Onana also won an average of 6.0 ground and aerial duels per match.
Finding a replacement for such a player is a tall order, and Everton is not rushing to find a replacement at the moment.
Onana and James Tarkowski were key players for Everton last season. Additionally, 22-year-old Jarrad Branthwaite performed crucial defensive work in his penalty area, being one of the best center-backs in the Premier League.
If Everton were to sell Branthwaite this summer, it would further weaken a squad already grappling with the loss of key players.
Sean Dyche relied heavily on the 4-4-1-1 formation last season. Despite facing an eight-point deduction due to sanctions, Everton played incredibly organized and intense football, especially at home.
This tactical discipline allowed the team to consistently earn points and maintain their place in the Premier League for the 2024-25 season.
Sean Dyche managed to remarkably mask the vulnerabilities of players like Ashley Young, Séamus Coleman, and Idrissa Gueye through excellent game organization. However, Onana was a crucial player in the midfield, and without an adequate replacement for the Belgian, Everton risks getting stuck in the lower part of the league table.
– Last season’s finish: thirteenth place place (47 points, minus 6 goal differential)
– Key ins: AM Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal, €31,8 m)
– Key outs: DM João Palhinha (FC Bayern München, €51m), Tosin Adarabioyo (Chelsea, free), Bobby Decordova-Reid (Leicester City, free)
– My predicted position: 18
Fulham sold their top scorer Alexandar Mitrović for €52 million last summer, which has impacted their chances of finishing in the top ten. Despite this, Rodrigo Muniz and Raúl Jiménez managed to partly compensate for the departure of the Serbian striker, contributing 16 goals between them.
This summer, the team also parted ways with their main defensive midfielder, João Palhinha, who was sold for over €50 million to Bayern Munich, and their main center-back, Tosin Adarabioyo, who moved to Chelsea on a free transfer.
Despite these crucial departures, Fulham’s management is currently reluctant to spend big money on acquiring top defensive players, which could potentially place the club near the relegation zone in the upcoming season.
Rodrigo Muniz emerged as a vital player last season, scoring 9 goals, many of which were crucial in helping the team maintain their position in the middle of the league table in the second part of the season. Meanwhile, Andreas Pereira was the main playmaker for the team and contributed with seven assists.
In turn, João Palhinha played a crucial role in the defensive phase in the center of the field, while Tosin Adarabioyo looked solid in the center of the defense. With both players now departed, there is uncertainty over who will step into these crucial roles.
Fulham predominantly used a 4-2-3-1 formation last season, with active full-back involvement along the flanks and wingers shifting into half-spaces. This allowed them to overload the opponent’s holding area and create dangerous opportunities in certain matches.
The London club’s leadership still has time to find alternatives to the departed players, but if they fail to do so, Fulham’s prospects for the upcoming season could be bleak, potentially leaving them vulnerable to relegation.
– Last season’s finish: second place in the Championship (96 points, plus 29 goal differential)
– Key ins: –
– Key outs: –
– My predicted position: 20
Ipswich spent over €70 million on transfers but did not acquire any players with mid-table Premier League experience. This approach is likely to become a significant problem in the new season and could lead to a swift descent to the bottom of the table.
Left-back Leif Davis was one of the best players for Ipswich last season. He provided an impressive 18 assists in the Championship, but it remains to be seen if he can adapt to the higher level of competition in the Premier League.
Kieran McKenna most frequently used a 4-2-3-1 formation last season, which balanced defense and attack. It will be interesting to see if the team’s attacking style will change to a more defensive one and whether this will result in a change in formation.
Ipswich’s management has decided to retain the core of the squad that secured second place in the Championship last season. This is a bold move that comes with significant risks, as the team may simply lack the individual skill to compete against teams with average-level players in the English Premier League.
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