My predictions for the second half of the Premier League season – Part 1
By Jim James
1 Half of the Premier League season is gone, and we have seen what the teams are going to be like this year, and we got the blog out of the bin so now is a better time than any to do my premier league predictions. Well, let’s hop into it!
20th: Sheffield United
Second. Season. Syndrome. I know they’ve won 3 of their last 5 games, but this is just a rare purple patch, and they will be in the championship with the wooden spoon soon enough.
Why do I say this? Do you really think Chris Wilder and his team of misfits can get this team out of last place? They have Aaron Ramsdale in goal, Phil Jagielka in defense, Sander Berge in cdm, and Rhian Brewster up top. This team can’t and won’t get out of last place, I’m sorry
19th: Fulham
Fulham is going down in 19th place. They are in 18th right now, but for a reason I will talk about later in the article, West Brom are jumping them. Fulham hasn’t made any noteworthy January signings, something that Scott Parker really should’ve capitalised on. He had the chance, to make some signings, get a hero to get them out of 18th place, they failed to do so and they are not going up.
This team just isn’t capable of surviving. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola was one of the worst loan moves they could’ve made, as he is used to title races, not relegation scraps, they should’ve signed someone like Ben Foster, Mat Ryan, or Adrian. Just not Areola. Aleksandar Mitrovic also, even though he was relegated a couple years ago, just folds like a cheap suit when it comes to premier league football. This squad isn’t fit for getting out of the relegation zone
18th: West Bromwich Albion
Almost. They would be oh so close to surviving with their team. Their January signings (yes, that is what I was referring to with Fulham), most notably Okay Yoklugu and Ainsley Maitland-Niles would help in getting them to 18th, and it went down to the final matchday, but they couldn’t do it.
17th: Newcastle
Survived by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chin. And I predict that Joelinton will score the goal to keep them up. Ok, maybe I was joking. I think that Newcastle didn’t do enough to make a push to mid table, but I do think they will stay up, if just.
Karl Darlow won’t be their savior forever, and their attack is abysmal. Steve Bruce and Mike Ashley will have to do more to keep this side in the prem for too much longer.
16th: Burnley
Burnley are a decent team, but this year isn’t their year. They will still bounce Newcastle by a few points, but other than that 16th is the highest they get this year, they’re just so bang average.
This Burnley team is aging and changes will need to be made in the coming few transfer windows to see if they can stay up, an inevitable sale of Dwight McNeil will get them a lot of money, and to get a lot of money from the rest of their team they will need to sell in the next few years, and it’ll be interesting to see what they do.
15th: Southampton
9-0. Again. What happened? I thought that they had learned from last year, but apparently not. This time I also had Jake jamming it down my throat because he’s a United fan as I watched the saints slowly crumble. Unlike last time, I think that this defeat will shake them, and they will fall, but not enough so that they will get relegated, but they will still do poorly and finish 15th.
They will have to rely on Angus Gunn again, with his last premier league game being the 9-0 defeat last season. Jan Bednarek will be mentally shaken from the own goal and red card and won’t be the same player as he has been all season, and the rest of the team will mentally explode.
14th: Brighton
They will have a pretty bang average second half of the season and will ride the wave of Southampton’s bad form, and finish comfortably over the relegation zone with help from Moises Caicedo spurring them on to 14th position. (Also if you actually care enough to read the opinion of a random internet stranger wanting to tell you where Brighton will finish in the league, good job, you truly are a legend.)
A good mix of wins and losses will keep them up with again, an average performance. Lewis Dunk will hold the defense and Neil Maupay will get the attack firing. They won’t do great nor awful and Graham Potter will be able to improve the team even more going into the 2021-22 season.
13th: Leeds United
They will drop two places but still, an exceptional season by them, being in the premier league for the first time in over a decade. Marcelo Bielsa’s men will drop in form in the coming games due to Fatigue and other things, but they will still do well, and hey, maybe even pull off some upsets along the way.
But they’re going to get a major injury along the way here. I’m sorry, that is what I will think is going to happen. To one of their starting XI players. Maybe Alioski or someone like that, and if it does happen, I am eager to see how Marcelo Bielsa reacts to this.
12th: Crystal Palace
Just like Brighton, they have a mid table second half, but yet again surf off the bad form of leeds and hope not to collapse and go on a run of defeats in the process. They aren’t anything to write home about, but poor performances from lower clubs put them up this high.
That being said, they are a solid team, and do deserve a spot up here, Wifried Zaha is reluctantly scoring, the midfield is helping, and they are doing a generally good job.
11th: Aston Villa
Yeah, Aston Villa aren’t gonna be the greatest forever. They were a point away from relegation, they make a couple signings, and all of a sudden they’re in the conference? I don’t think it is that easy. They will get mid-table, ways from relegation, but they won’t be top 10.
Ollie Watkins and Ross Barkey have been decent, but they of course can’t do all that. They will have to go back down to earth sometime, and they will in the coming weeks. A bad run of form, injuries, etc. will ruin their european chances. They will need to do something else to get into the illustrious competition.