Premier League: The 2022-2023 Season Was One Of The Most Unpredictable

• The 2022-2023 Premier League season was, without a doubt, one of the most unpredictable in the history
• Big teams were faltering, smaller teams were raising
• It was one of the hardest to predict national leagues among the top 5

The 2022-2023 Premier League season was, without a doubt, one of the most unpredictable in the history of English football. Big teams were faltering, smaller teams were raising, and the fate of the title was undecided until late in the season. It was one of the hardest to predict national leagues among the top 5 – the only constant that was confirmed by the odds was that Manchester City took the title.

Manchester City or Arsenal?

Manchester City vs Arsenal. Photo/City Xtra

This was the real question of the title race that went down this season. It was down to a clash between Man City, the team most expected to win, and Arsenal.

Arteta’s team made some outstanding transfers, which contributed to a furious start to the season. At that time, every bet on their victory was safe. Arsenal took the top spot and seemed unstoppable, going from a team barely mentioned into the top four, and with a newfound popularity among sports betting users. The Gunners easily defeated Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, and Tottenham.

But not even their 8-point lead over Manchester City was enough because Guardiola’s boys seemed to find their voices in February. At that point, City started an intimidating winning streak. The more they advanced in the championship, the more the challengers began to tremble. As a result, Arsenal dropped points against West Ham and Liverpool, where they led 2-0 in each match but ended up earning a single point. They also stumbled against the relegated Southampton, drawing 3-3, and their hopes for the title were shattered in the direct match against Manchester City.

A new strategy devised by Guardiola, aimed to benefit Haaland, proved to be the key to good results.

Haaland – The Winning Bet

The best bet before the season was to wager on Haaland as the top scorer in the Premier League. Haaland devoured the English league from the moment he debuted, becoming a clear top scorer – equaling the record for goals in a single Premier League season. He scored 36 goals in 35 apps, six more than Harry Kane, who also had a fantastic season. There was never a doubt about who would be the top scorer of the competition as Haaland started the season with doubles and hat-tricks as a form of entertainment.

The top scorer chart was completed by Toney (20 goals), Salah (19), and Wilson (18).

The Fall of the Giants: Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham

Apart from City, there were other challengers out for the title before the start of the season: Chelsea, Liverpool, and Tottenham. But all three of them had nightmarish campaigns, failing to even secure a place in the top four!

The biggest disaster was at Chelsea, who invested over 500 million euros in transfers this year and finished the season in 12th place! They were closer to relegation than to European competitions!

The constant rotation of managers at Stamford Bridge proved to be a recipe for disaster. Tuchel was sacked after a 0-3 defeat to Leeds. Potter produced the worst results in Chelsea’s history, so he had to go. Finally, Lampard surpassed the negative record for average points set by his predecessor.

Liverpool also had a tough time, especially by their standards of achieving 90+ points per season. The Reds managed to salvage their form towards the end, saving some face. But this wasn’t enough, and they finished just one place shy of the Top 4, securing a spot in the Europa League.

Tottenham seemed to be a threat to City’s rule at first, after a strong transfer season. Conte was determined to prove his worth. Yet after a challenging start, where the Spurs tricked their way to some undeserved victories, everything fell apart when the Italian coach lashed out at a press conference. His sacking was not good news for the team. Tottenham dropped from the top four to eighth place, ending the season without European qualifications..

Pleasant Surprises of the Season

Newcastle United 2022-2023 season. Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)

There were also a few teams that exceeded expectations and performed much better than anticipated. First and foremost, Newcastle finished in fourth place, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time. After narrowly avoiding relegation last year, this is Newcastle’s greatest achievement of the season.

The second big surprise was Brighton & Hove Albion, a team that qualified for Europa League for the first time. Although they lost their engine early in the season, with coach Graham Potter leaving, they replaced him with an even better one, Roberto De Zerbi. The Italian transformed Brighton into a team that played sublime football. The results matched their performances, all achieved with a very young squad.

Also, let’s not forget Aston Villa’s qualifying for the Conference League after initially battling relegation, Fulham doing great for a newly promoted team (10th place), Nottingham Forest – avoiding relegation, and Brentford finishing the season 9th, just one place shy of the European competitions.

Painful Relegations

This was the only time in the last decade when none of the newly promoted teams were relegated from the Premier League. Fulham, Nottingham, and Bournemouth defied the odds, staying in the EPL for another season. At the same time, Leicester, who won the title in 2016, Leeds, and Southampton had to leave the top-flight league.

Leicester’s relegation was the most painful, as the team won the EPL title, the FA Cup, and the Super Cup in recent years. This decline in their performance was a surprise, and it could be even worse if their results (and investments) continue to falter.

It Was the Most Unpredictable Season

In terms of final standings in the Premier League, the 2022-2023 season was the most unpredictable in recent years. Nobody expected Chelsea and Tottenham to miss out on European competitions, Leicester to be relegated, or Brighton and Newcastle to break the dominance of the “Big Six.” But the same events made this one of the most dramatic and entertaining Premier League seasons, making us look forward to the next one.