Manchester City remain most people’s favourites to claim the 2022/23 Premier League crown.
It’s no surprise given what Pep Guardiola has achieved in English football, winning four of the last five titles and playing a brand of football which has amazed City fans and demoralised opponents.
The Blues also have perhaps the best player in the division in Kevin De Bruyne, who pushed them onto another Premier League crown last season.
No team scored more or conceded fewer than City last term, and their summer recruits haven’t been too bad either, adding the prolific Erling Haaland to the star-studded squad which had already been assembled.
But for all the admiration Guardiola’s team justifiably receives, they were just 15 minutes away from surrendering the title last season, and it took a magnificent comeback on the final day against Aston Villa to prevent Liverpool taking top spot.
Football’s full of fine margins and, had City lost to Villa, then there would be a plethora of articles detailing the reasons they let the title slip away
And despite all the optimism surrounding City, some of those underlying defects are still present as we head into the new campaign.
We’ve picked out five factors which could stop City’s ruthless rabble from claiming another title this season, and open the door for someone else to win the league…
5. Liverpool
The previous points might all be moot if Jurgen Klopp’s side put together the sort of points tally they’re capable of. Liverpool have accumulated 90+ points in three of the last four seasons and, in 2019/20, the Reds’ start just simply blew City out of the water. The title race was all but done by Christmas, and the total of 99 points was the second highest in the history of English football. It seems unlikely anyone else will challenge Guardiola’s men for top spot, and Liverpool certainly have the know-how when it comes to claiming titles.