Boxing Day marks the return of the Premier League, with England’s top flight having been on pause for over a month.
The defending champions, Manchester City, will be looking to retain their title and make it three in a row. They will face stiff competition from the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United, who will all be looking to mount a serious title challenge.
One of the major storylines heading into the 2023 season will be the transfer activity of the top teams. Manchester City and Chelsea have already made big moves in the transfer market, bringing in several top players to strengthen their squads. Manchester United, on the other hand, has been relatively quiet, but they will be expected to make a big signing or two before the season starts.
City’s strength in depth and title-winning pedigree probably still just about gives them the edge in this race – not to mention the prodigious goalscoring abilities of Erling Haaland – but Mikel Arteta’s Gunners have been superb and are deservedly top of the league at this stage.
In third place are Newcastle, who have defied all expectations to land themselves firmly in the hunt for European football with some stellar performances. Eddie Howe’s side have lost only once so far and, despite the money being pumped into the club by their new owners, have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations by doing so well, so soon.
Behind the Magpies are Tottenham Hotspur, who under Antonio Conte continue to be one of the most confusing sides in the league. Spurs are a defensively solid outfit and can be shockingly dull to watch at times, yet they are among the league’s highest scorers and remain on course to qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season. Their form was beginning to dip before the World Cup, but Conte will be hoping to repeat his side’s form in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign.
The race for the top four doesn’t end there, however. Next up are Manchester United and Liverpool, both of whom have recovered from poor starts to climb the table and will fancy their chances of sneaking into a Champions League spot. United are steadily improving under the management of Erik ten Hag, while Liverpool have arrested their slump after a series of poor results and performances.
Chelsea will also try and keep optimistic about European qualification despite currently sitting eighth in the table, needing to find consistency under new manager Graham Potter. Meanwhile, Potter’s former club Brighton have started the season superbly and will be desperate to achieve European qualification themselves. With so many sides trying to fit into a handful of league places, this is bound to be a fascinating narrative as the season progresses.
This is shaping up to be one of the best relegation battles in years, with pretty much all of the bottom 10 or 11 teams needing to look over their shoulder.
The early frontrunners for the drop were newly-promoted Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest. Both sides have since demonstrated that they are capable of picking up points in the top flight, however, opening the door for a less obvious team to fall through the trapdoor.
Currently bottom of the table are Wolves, who despite possessing a more-than-decent squad have simply been unable to score goals.
The 2023 season will also see the return of fans to the stadiums, after the pandemic restrictions. The return of fans is a huge boost for the league and the teams, as the atmosphere inside the stadiums will be electric.
In summary, the 2023 English Premier League season promises to be an exciting one, with plenty of drama and action on and off the field. The teams are gearing up for the start of the season and fans are eagerly awaiting to see their teams in action.
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