The one thing we love about football is its unpredictability.
No matter how much we think we know about the beautiful game, it just never fails to surprise us.
So then why do we constantly make pre-season predictions ahead of every new campaign?
We do it for a bit of fun and, after a few months of the season, we’ve probably ripped up our predictions and forgot all about them.
But pundits can’t quite do that.
The predictions they make stay on the internet forever.
And ahead of this new season, 24 BBC Sport pundits have predicted how the Premier League top four will look come the end of the season.
The likes of Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Micah Richards and Chris Sutton have all had their say.
Let’s take a look at the results:
So, let’s break it down.
13 pundits have predicted Liverpool will retain their Premier League title, while 10 believe Manchester City will wrestle it back. Meanwhile, Chris Waddle has predicted Manchester United will win the title. No, seriously.
By using a system of 4 pts for a 1st place, 3 pts for 2nd, 2 pts for 3rd and 1 pt for 4th, BBC reveal that the overall predicted rankings using all 24 predictions are:
Here’s what some of the pundits had to say about their title prediction:
Jermaine Jenas: "I'm surprised so many people don't see Liverpool winning it again. I know their results fell away at the end of the season but you have to remember they had wrapped up the title so early, then had to get to the end of the season with no crowds. Even in normal circumstances, it would be a struggle to maintain their intensity. So I don't think Klopp will allow their standards drop now. Why would you build something to then just give it away? I can't find a reason anyone will finish above them - I am expecting Liverpool to keep on building an era of dominance."
Micah Richards: "When you look at Liverpool's best XI, their balance and the cohesion between their players is better - and they still have three magicians up front. But I look at City's whole squad and think they will win the title."
Chris Sutton: "City are the only team since 2009 to win the Premier League in back-to-back seasons but their title defence last season was pathetic. They will be hurting from that and they be desperate to respond."
Stephen Warnock: "Winning the Champions League will be more important to City whereas with Liverpool it will be about the Premier League again. They will want to prove how good they are, plus they have not been able to celebrate it with their fans because of the coronavirus pandemic so they will be fired up to win it in front of them."
