Premier League 2020/21: Which club has the most optimistic fans ahead of new season?
The Premier League is back.
It's been a crazy year, with the 2019/20 season only being completed at the end of July, but we go again.
Things might be a little bit different this time around too.
Liverpool stormed to the title over the course of the last campaign, finishing 18 points ahead of second-placed Manchester City.
It was a two-horse race at the top anyway, with Manchester United and Chelsea finishing 33 points behind the Reds in third and fourth.
But many have predicted this season to be much closer.
The teams around Liverpool have strengthened and there's even talk of Chelsea and Man United seriously challenging for the title along with last year's top two.
But just how optimistic are the fans of each Premier League club?
That's a question that The Athletic has answered this week.
They surveyed supporters of each team, asking how optimistic they feel ahead of the 2020/21 season.
Check out the results of the 'hope-o-meter' below, which ranks fans from least to most optimistic:
20. West Ham - 8.8% of fans optimistic
19. West Brom - 37.9% of fans optimistic
18. Leicester City - 39.1% of fans optimistic
17. Newcastle - 42.9% of fans optimistic
16. Crystal Palace - 49.2% of fans optimistic
15. Burnley - 52.9% of fans optimistic
14. Fulham - 57.9% of fans optimistic
13. Aston Villa - 64.7% of fans optimistic
12. Manchester United - 71.5% of fans optimistic
11. Sheffield United - 79.4% of fans optimistic
10. Manchester City - 79.5% of fans optimistic
9. Tottenham - 83.2% of fans optimistic
8. Liverpool - 84.1% of fans optimistic
7. Wolves - 84.2% of fans optimistic
6. Brighton - 87.4% of fans optimistic
5. Everton - 91.5% of fans optimistic
4. Leeds - 95.8% of fans optimistic
3. Arsenal - 97% of fans optimistic
2. Chelsea - 97.8% of fans optimistic
1. Southampton - 98.9% of fans optimistic
Well, those Southampton fans are certainly a hopeful bunch, aren't they? The results of The Athletic's study are rather interesting.
After a brilliant finish to the 2019/20 campaign and a solid summer, only 71.5% of Man United fans are optimistic about the new season.
Surprisingly, it appears that there are a lot of Manchester City and Liverpool fans worried about what's going to happen too. Here, they're ranked 10th and 8th in terms of optimism.
Towards the top, supporters of Premier League new boys Leeds are clearly very excited for the season, with 95.8% of them hopeful about what's to come.
Then there's Arsenal and Chelsea, both clocking in with over 97% optimism. We're not too sure what Southampton fans are so excited about though... a top-half finish, perhaps?
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