Three Things We Can Expect from the 2014-2015 Premier League Season

Three Things to Expect from the 2014-2015 Premier League Season: 

July 14, 2014

By Scott Tilley

With the World Cup ending yesterday, I figured it would be appropriate to get geared up for the start of the 2014-2015 Barclays Premier League season without any delay, seeing that the opening match is less than a month away. Here are three things that you can expect the Premier League season to produce by the end of May in 2015. 

1. Close Title Race

The 2013-2014 BPL season produced one of the most exciting title races in recent memory between Liverpool, Chelsea, and eventual title winners Manchester City, and the upcoming season is expected to duplicate the excitement of this past season come May, 2015. With teams having a transfer frenzy in the early stages of the summer transfer window, the title race could be expanded from last year's three-horse race and could become a race between 5 or 6 clubs. Arsenal is looking to improve from two consecutive fourth place finishes in the table and will look to challenge the likes of title-favorites Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea. Liverpool, coming off of a fantastic season finishing in second place, will look to step up and challenge for the title again. My prediction, however, is that Liverpool misses the top four come May due to the club returning to Champions League football. Year long title favorites in 2013, Manchester City, will look to add another title to the two that they have won in the last three years. Chelsea will look to challenge for the crown by making signings like Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. Fans can also expect Everton, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United to make appearances in the top four throughout the season as well. One thing is for sure; this season will be a tight race between 5 or 6 clubs at the top of the table. 

2. New Superstars

The summer transfer window has already produced some amazing signings for Premier League clubs, so you can expect a few of those new signings to have breakout years in the league. Here are just a few: 

-Alexis Sanchez-

Perhaps the biggest BPL signing of the summer, Alexis Sanchez's move from Barcelona to Arsenal for a small fee of 32 million pounds is likely to strengthen the Gunners and the wing play that eluded them in last year's season. Sanchez has the talent to change the way a club plays, and he shouldn't disappoint at Arsenal playing alongside the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and newly crowned World Cup champion Mesut Ozil. 

-Luke Shaw-

By far the most-sought after youngster of the summer, Luke Shaw signed for Manchester United, surprising many as it looked as though he may have stayed at St. Mary's or signed for his boyhood club, Chelsea. It's hardly likely that a full back will become the star of the Premier League season come the end of it, but Manchester United have captured the talent of the century in Luke Shaw and he will for sure strengthen the Red Devils in a position that they have struggled with since their last title win. 

-Adam Lallana-

The former Southampton captain sealed his move to Liverpool in early July, along with former Saints teammate Rickie Lambert, after coming off of a fantastic season earning him a spot in England's less-than-impressive side in the World Cup. You can expect Brendan Rodgers to throw Lallana in at the number 10 role after seeing the departure of Luis Suarez up top. If Lallana plays half as well as he did in 2013-2014 on a team like Liverpool, we could see him receiving Player of the Year honors at the end of the campaign. 

Other notable players:

- Jake Livermore, Hull City

- Andre Schurrle, Chelsea

- Adnan Januzaj, Manchester United

- Siem de Jong, Newcastle 

3. Surprises

Come the end of May, we may see one or two teams higher up in the table than we initially anticipated in August. We saw this in 2013-2014 with a club like Crystal Palace, a newly promoted side that ended up finishing at a solid 11th place at the end of the BPL season. The Eagles did this by pulling off crucial victories at Selhurst Park, with the help of their supporters, like upsetting then-first-place Chelsea and a mind-blowing 3-3 comeback draw versus Liverpool to thwart the Reds' push for the title. 
Look for clubs like Southampton and Swansea to push for spots in the top 8, but also be on the lookout for clubs to slip up such as Aston Villa or Newcastle, who in the past have flirted with the thought of relegation.