There are three new groups for Liverpool to face after their promotion to the Premier League again in Could, however how will they fare in 2024/25?
Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton acquired out of the Championship final season, with the latter beating Leeds within the playoff last.
They are going to be determined to keep away from the identical destiny as Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton in 2023/24, nonetheless, when it comes to going straight again down on the first try.
Right here’s the lowdown on Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton, and what to anticipate from them.
Leicester
Final season: Champions
TIA predicted end: seventeenth
Finest XI: Hermansen; Ricardo, Okoli, Faes, Justin; Ndidi, Winks; Mavidi, De Cordova Reid, Fatawu; Vardy
The view from Leicester
Jamie Thorpe (@thorpie54)
The place Leicester will end: seventeenth. That is an extremely robust query to reply, as for now there may be nonetheless one large query mark looming: what number of factors will Leicester be docked this season?
That being mentioned, we simply have to move in to what will likely be a horrendously robust season with a wierd optimism/siege mentality outlook and hope we’re capable of drag ourselves over that line.
Survival is the one objective this 12 months.
The place Liverpool will end: 2nd. It’s going to be a extremely fascinating season from an outsider’s perspective.
Slot merely couldn’t have larger sneakers to fill, however appears to have made a optimistic impression to date. Mo Salah will likely be key, clearly, and appears primed for a giant season.
Who will win the league? I do know it’s boring, however Man Metropolis. Their squad continues to be the strongest and the deepest and there are match winners all over the place.
I’d prefer to suppose Arsenal and Liverpool can push all of them the way in which, but it surely’s onerous to wager in opposition to them.
One participant you want Leicester would signal, realistically: Matt O’Riley from Celtic. He’s about as near a Kiernan Dewsbury-Corridor substitute as we’re prone to discover, and is recent off the again of a really spectacular season with Celtic.
Price might be a stumbling block, however he’s the precise profile we’d like.
Recommendation for visiting followers: The Counting Home is the devoted away pub close to the bottom and is a good choice.
What’s the temper like this summer season and your optimism for the season forward? You’d suppose a newly-promoted aspect bouncing again on the first time of asking can be stuffed with confidence and pleasure – sadly, this isn’t the case.
There’s a grim acceptance that this will likely be a slog, however nonetheless, we’ve upset the percentages many occasions earlier than!
Ipswich
Final season: 2nd
TIA predicted end: nineteenth
Finest XI: Primarily based on who’s at the moment right here and prone to be match: Muric; Johnson, Woolfenden, Greaves, Davis; Morsy, Luongo; Burns, Chaplin, Hutchinson; Delap
The view from Ipswich
Joe Festivals (@BlueMondayITFC)
The place Ipswich will end: fifteenth
The place Liverpool will end: 4th
Who will win the league? Arsenal
One participant you want Ipswich would signal, realistically: Sammie Szmodics. The switch saga for him has been ongoing for a few month and is driving us all to distraction!
Aside from that, a top quality central midfield choice to play alongside Sam Morsy, similar to Ben Sheaf.
Recommendation for visiting followers: Get the prepare – it’s a five-minute stroll to the bottom from there, with a giant away pub in between.
What’s the temper like this summer season and your optimism for the season forward? The temper across the city is pretty much as good because it’s ever been.
We all know will probably be a tricky season, however now we’ve tied Kieran McKenna all the way down to a long-term contract we go into the season with the hope he can proceed to work his magic at Portman Highway.
Southampton
Final season: 4th & Playoff winners
TIA predicted end: twentieth
Finest XI: McCarthy; Sugawara, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Walker-Peters; Downes, Smallbone, Alcaraz; Armstrong, Brereton Diaz, Edozie.
It wants some critical work!
The view from Southampton
Luke Osman (@lukeosman_)
The place your workforce will end: nineteenth. I say this a couple of weeks earlier than the tip of the window, and issues can change, however we simply look so weak.
There’s a robust argument that this aspect is worse on paper than the one which completed all-time low in embarrassing vogue a pair years again, albeit with far larger spirit and character this time round.
I fancy Leicester to be only a contact worse than us.
The place Liverpool will end: third. I don’t see Liverpool testing Man Metropolis or Arsenal on the high of the league however I nonetheless suppose they’re sturdy, regardless of the inevitable teething issues that may include a brand new supervisor.
I can’t see any workforce outdoing Liverpool and pipping them to third, until Chelsea and Man United magically repair their points in a single day, Spurs massively overachieve, or Newcastle and/or Aston Villa go to a different degree.
Who will win the league? Metropolis. They didn’t hit high degree final season and nonetheless ended up profitable nicely. If Erling Haaland retains himself match, will probably be by a landslide.
Arsenal will hold tempo for some time, as they’ve for the previous couple of seasons, however you may’t look past Metropolis.
One participant you want Southampton would signal, realistically: Aaron Ramsdale, Caoimhin Kelleher… even considered one of Chelsea‘s much less favoured goalkeepers of their dozens!
Matt O’Riley from Celtic’s been touted, and as has your very personal Fabio Carvalho – these are each actually good gamers, however we’ve to repair the precedence space first and that’s between the sticks.
Recommendation for visiting followers: Strap in – you’ll get some good video games. We received’t sit again, we’ll take dangers, and Russell Martin’s made that abundantly clear.
It should look messy at occasions, and at others it’ll in all probability look actually slick. Both approach, I feel there will likely be loads of targets at St Mary’s, and I can see high-scoring video games, usually with us sadly on the incorrect finish.
The away followers are additionally in a special a part of the bottom as of this season, in order that will likely be a change for individuals who have been to St Mary’s beforehand!
What’s the temper like this summer season and your optimism for the season forward? There’s concern as a result of we nonetheless want plenty of new signings.
There’s a degree of pleasure as a result of Martin’s instilled larger togetherness and positivity across the membership, but it surely might simply collapse if we obtain a couple of heavy defeats early on, which is much from unattainable with a tricky journey to Newcastle opening our marketing campaign.
All of it actually relies on the ultimate weeks of the window.
