Predicting the 2018/19 Premier League season – Top four, relegation, first sacking & more

The 2018/19 Premier League season gets underway on Friday evening, which can only mean one thing: prediction time. Here’s what our writers think.

Liverpool are about to embark on another title quest, as they seek to end that long wait without reaching the summit of English football.

It promises to be another thrilling Premier League campaign, whether it be the title battle, top-four fight or struggle at the bottom of the table.

As is the case every August, we have asked the This Is Anfield writers to predict how things will pan out in 2017/18.

 

Jack Lusby

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal

Relegated: Southampton, Watford, Cardiff

First manager to be sacked: Rafa, sadly.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Conor Coady during the Sky Bet Championship match at Molineux, Wolverhampton. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Friday November 3, 2017. See PA story SOCCER Wolves. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No use with unauthorised audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications

Surprise team: Wolves

Best new signing: Interested to see Alireza Jahanbakhsh at Brighton, Jean Michael Seri at Fulham, James Maddison at Leicester and both Felipe Anderson and Andriy Yarmolenko at West Ham…but it’s still got to be Naby Keita.

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

@jacklusby_


Henry Jackson

Top Four:

1. Man City
2. Liverpool
3. Man United
4. Chelsea

Relegated: Cardiff, Huddersfield, Watford

First manager to be sacked: Javi Gracia

Watford manager Javi Gracia during the Premier League match at Wembley Stadium. London. (Nick Potts/PA Wire/PA Images)

Surprise team: Fulham

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

@HenryJackson87


James Nalton

Top Four:

1. Man City
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal

Relegated: Watford, Brighton, Cardiff

First manager to be sacked: Javi Gracia

Surprise team: Seeing as Wolves qualifying for the Europa League won’t be a surprise, West Ham.

Napoli's Filho Jorge Jorginho prior to the match (Mike Egerton/EMPICS Sport)

Best new signing: Jorginho

Golden Boot: Sergio Aguero

@JDNalton


Joanna Durkan

Top Four:

1. Man City
2. Liverpool
3. Man United
4. Tottenham

Relegated: Huddersfield, Watford, Cardiff

First manager to be sacked: Javi Gracia

Surprise team: Wolves

NEW JERSEY, USA - Wednesday, July 25, 2018: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrate scoring the first equalising goal, to level the score 1-1, during a preseason International Champions Cup match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at the Met Life Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Best new signing: Jorginho

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

@JoannaDurkan_


Joel Rabinowitz

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. Man City
3. Tottenham
4. Man United

Relegated: Watford, Huddersfield, Cardiff

First manager to be sacked: Javi Gracia

Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon (left) celebrates scoring his side's third goal of the game against Hull City

Surprise team: Fulham

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

@joel_archie


Steven Scragg

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. It doesn’t matter
3. It doesn’t matter
4. It doesn’t matter

Relegated: Huddersfield, Cardiff, Watford

Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock . (Richard Sellers/PA Wire.)

First manager to be sacked: Neil Warnock

Surprise team: Fulham

Best new signing: Alisson

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

@Scraggy_74


Aaron Cutler

Top Four:

1. Man City
2. Man United
3. Liverpool
4. Arsenal

Relegated: Cardiff, Huddersfield, Watford

First manager to be sacked: Javi Gracia

Surprise team: Fulham

BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - Thursday, July 19, 2018: Liverpool's new signing Naby Keita during a preseason friendly match between Blackburn Rovers FC and Liverpool FC at Ewood Park. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Harry Kane

@aaron_cutler


Alex Malone

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Tottenham

Relegated: Watford, Cardiff, Huddersfield

Marco Silva (Miguel Pereira / Global Imagens)

First manager to be sacked: Marco Silva

Surprise team: Wolves

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Mo Salah


Matt Ladson

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. Man City
3. Tottenham
4. Chelsea

Relegated: Southampton, Watford, Cardiff

First manager to be sacked: Not sacked, but Rafa Benitez first to go. First sacked: Javi Garcia.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Friday, December 15, 2017: Newcastle United's manager Rafael Benitez reacts during the FA Premier League match between Arsenal and Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Surprise team: Good surprise: Fulham – Made some good signings to add to a good squad. Bad: Burnley – They will struggle.

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Mo Salah

(@mattladson)


Karl Matchett

Top Four:

1. Liverpool
2. Man City
3. Chelsea
4. Man United

Relegated: Cardiff, Huddersfield, Bournemouth

First manager to be sacked: Claude Puel

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 19, 2016: Southampton's manager Claude Puel during the FA Premier League match against Liverpool at St. Mary's Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Surprise team: Fulham

Best new signing: Naby Keita

Golden Boot: Harry Kane

@karlmatchett

Click here for our Liverpool predictions for 2018/19

* Click here to see how right/wrong we were last season!

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