Season 23 Premiership Talk & Predictions Thread

Restricted content Forums League News, Transfers & Account Info General Discussion & Team News Season 23 Premiership Talk & Predictions Thread

Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #17377
    ZizouZizou
    Keymaster

      *Key – All categories like Top Earner, Key Player, etc are determined by FM.


      This is the 23rd season for the Dynasty Liga Premiership League.

      Season 22 Champions:

      After years of really close calls and late-season heartbreak, Internazionale were finally crowned Premiership Champions once-again, Zizou’s 6th Premiership title in total.


      Season 23 Teams:

      ARSENAL (27/3)
      Owner: Gooner
      Assistant Manager: Mikel Arteta
      Captain: Declan Rice
      Top Earner: Toni Kroos
      Lowest Earner: Reuelle Walters
      Key Player: Alisson
      Hot Prospect: Juan Larios
      Zizou’s Key Player: Declan Rice
      Oldest Player: Sergio Ramos, 37
      Youngest Player: Reuelle Walters, 18
      Average Age:: 24

      Last Season Prediction: 14th
      Last Season Finish: 13th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 6th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 11/1

      Key Categories led: Jumping Reach

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Arsenal GM Gooner wasted no time in making changes after a disappointing campaign that saw them finish 13th last season. William Saliba was the headline-grabbing acquisition for the Gunners in a window that also saw them add Gabriel Jesus, Alphonso Davies, Alisson Becker, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Lucas Torreira and in what was announced as his last season as a footballer, Toni Kroos. Arguably the most important addition besides Saliba was Alisson, who is likely to start over Edouard Mendy. If they do not get out of the gate quick, because much of their side remains unchanged, Arsenal will need to tinker with their squad and tactics to get the right breaks to improve their performance. Assistant Manager Mikel Arteta’s side has shown glimpses of brilliance, but inconsistencies have held them back. Where have we heard that before.


      FC BARCELONA (27/3)
      Owner: BLAUGRANA
      Assistant Manager: Luis Enrique
      Captain: Mikel Oyarzabal
      Top Earner: Erling Haaland
      Lowest Earner: Maxime Estève
      Key Player: Erling Haaland
      Hot Prospect: Pablo Torre
      Zizou’s Key Player: Erling Haaland
      Oldest Player: Neto, 34
      Youngest Player:: Sergey Pinyaev, 18
      Average Age:: 24

      Last Season Prediction: 4th
      Last Season Finish: 7th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 10th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 13/1

      Key Categories led: None

      Zizou’s Thoughts: For a few years now, Barcelona GM BLAUGRANA has been trying to get it right. Despite inheriting a plethora of great players including Erling Haaland, BG had not managed to win anything with the club. That is, until last season when Barca defeated Salford City in the Dynasty Liga Cup Final, BG’s first piece of hardware. This did not stop BG from making several changes, intent on continuing the development of Barca in a bid to compete for more trophies. Viktor Gyökeres and Nico Williams will look to provide Barcelona with some key weapons on attack. Ultimately, Barca’s season will be defined by their ability to get the tacs right and potentially more importantly, to defend as well as they attack. The job will fall to former Barca legend, new assistant manager Luis Enrique.


      BAYER LEVERKUSEN (27/3)
      Owner: Timo
      Assistant Manager: Jürgen Klopp
      Captain: Téji Savanier
      Top Earner: Karim Benzema
      Lowest Earner: Jasper Cillesser
      Key Player: Virgin van Dijk
      Hot Prospect: Matheus Cunha
      Zizou’s Key Player: Trent Alexander-Arnold
      Oldest Player: Thiago Silva, 38
      Youngest Player:: Matheus Cunha, 24
      Average Age:: 29

      Last Season Prediction: 11th
      Last Season Finish: 14th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 9th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 13/1

      Key Categories led: Leadership, Aggression

      Zizou’s Thoughts: The story for Timo will be written this season largely by how well he does in all four competitions but more than that, how well he does with Bayer Leverkusen in the tournament with the biggest stakes, The Premiership. New for Leverkusen are Matheus Cunha and Harvey Barnes which should add some pepper up top. But a largely unchanged side will give Timo the ability to see what his team looks like before deciding to make any additional changes from the team that finished last a season prior. Arguably the best decision Timo could have made upon joining late in the offseason was to stand pat and use the first half of the season to assess his team. It is a good side with some good pieces and Football Manager predicts a better finish this season. But the job will ultimately fall to Timo in righting the ship with Bayer before the season is over.


      FC BAYERN (27/3)
      Owner: James
      Assistant Manager: Julian Nagelsmann
      Captain: Marc-André ter Stegen
      Top Earner: Kylian Mbappé
      Lowest Earner: Hayden Hackney
      Key Player: Kylian Mbappé
      Hot Prospect: Brennan Johnson
      Zizou’s Key Player: Marc-Andre ter Stegen
      Oldest Player: Ciro Immobile, 33
      Youngest Player:: Alejandro Balde, 19
      Average Age:: 26

      Last Season Prediction: 5th
      Last Season Finish: 10th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 2nd
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 8/1

      Key Categories led: Bravery, Positioning

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Arguably the story of the offseason was FC Bayern’s acquisition of Kylian Mbappé, a move that was nearly ten years in the making. Mbappé not only becomes the #1 target on a team chock full of offensive skill, he transforms Bayern’s chances of winning another Premiership title tenfold. By adding Alexis Mac Allister, Davide Frattesi and Alessio Romagnoli, Bayern continue to bolster their depth down the middle of the field, presenting an incredibly tough challenge to any opponent in the league. Bayern GM James took advantage of their depth in goal and transferred Alisson, naming Marc-André ter Spiderman their clear #1 goalkeeper. Last season’s disappointing finish in 10th looks likely to be a thing of the past with Bayern one of the teams to beat heading into the new season.


      BORUSSIA DORTMUND (27/3)
      Owner: Santiger Munez
      Assistant Manager: Lionel Scaloni
      Captain: Robert Lewandowski
      Top Earner: Kalidou Koulibaly
      Lowest Earner: Maarten Vandevoort
      Key Player: Robert Lewandowski
      Hot Prospect: Amadou Onana
      Zizou’s Key Player: Guglielmo Vicario
      Oldest Player: Keylor Navas, 36
      Youngest Player:: Maarten Vandevoort, 21
      Average Age:: 26

      Last Season Prediction: 6th
      Last Season Finish: 6th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 13th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 18/1

      Key Categories led: None

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Not much of note changed for Borussia Dortmund continues to develop the old fashioned way. And after a torrid season from Robert Lewandowski, winner of the Premiership Golden Boot once again, one could’ve argued that changes needed to be made in the first place. BVB’s chances of replicating their successful performance from last season are uncertain, however as the expectation of key younger players brings both excitement and cause for concern. While new recruits bring fresh talent and energy, the team’s dynamics may take time to settle. With the squad’s chemistry and cohesion built around last season’s core, integrating the new players will require patience and adjustments, which may lead to an initial drop in performance. New to Dortmund, Micky Van de Ven, Fabian Schär, Manor Solomon and David Hancko are all expected to play a part with all eyes on Dortmund and Lewandowski to start.


      CELTIC (27/3)
      Owner: Zooka7
      Assistant Manager: Hajime Moriyasu
      Captain: Wataru Endo
      Top Earner: Marco Verratti
      Lowest Earner: Leo Kokubo
      Key Player: N’Golo Kante
      Hot Prospect: Arouna Sangante
      Zizou’s Key Player: Riyad Mahrez
      Oldest Player: Riyad Mahrez, 32
      Youngest Player:: Noah Mbamba, 18
      Average Age:: 24

      Last Season Prediction: 7th
      Last Season Finish: 5th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 14th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 20/1

      Key Categories led: None

      Zizou’s Thoughts: After a tumultuous finish to the season with AZ Alkmaar that saw them fall to 5th, Celtic GM Zooka7 did what few others would’ve done and threw the book out, starting over from what one might say scratch, conducting a fire sale of epic proportions. The player sales made Zooka the richest GM in the league, giving him a lot of advantages but at a cost as Celtic, the side that saw the most change, was predicted by Football Manager to finish last. But one would be silly in passively disqualifying Zooka in any way. As the most qualified member of the league, Zooka’s vision, despite sometimes clouded by impulsivity, remains a target he appears to be headed full steam towards. Much of the Japanese contingent that helped Beşiktaş finish 3rd last season has come to Celtic to infuse the Glasgow giants with football magic. Apart from them, Celtic will also have to rely strongly on other new faces Marco Verratti, Riyad Mahrez, Edmond Tapsoba, Andrea Cambiaso, Odilon Kossounou and Georginio Rutter for some of the heavy lifting, at least for the first half of the season. As it’ll be anyone’s guess what the roster looks like by the end of the season once the other half of Zooka’s roster revolution resumes.


      CHELSEA (27/3)
      Owner: ProPAIN
      Assistant Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
      Captain: Matthijs de Ligt
      Top Earner: Kevin de Bruyne
      Lowest Earner: Eric Martel
      Key Player: Kevin de Bruyne
      Hot Prospect: Maximilian Beier
      Zizou’s Key Player: Antoine Griezmann
      Oldest Player: Wojciech Szczęsny, 33
      Youngest Player:: Eduaro Camavinga, 20
      Average Age:: 26

      Last Season Prediction: 3rd
      Last Season Finish: 3rd
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 5th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 11/1

      Key Categories led: Strength

      Zizou’s Thoughts: For one of Dynasty Liga’s perennial powers, Chelsea very much flew under the radar this offseason. After falling short of the top two, Chelsea rounded out last season finishing 3rd but will turn to a few new players to try to help make up the difference. Gleison Bremer, Marco Asensio and Dani Carvajal join as key players this season. Some of the Chelsea GM ProPAIN’s focus went to shoring up Chelsea’s depth, acquiring Maximilian Beier, Eric Martel, Bryan Zaragoza and adding Fabio Silva and Gift Orban from U21s. Rafael Leão and Eduardo Camavinga are expected to take on a much bigger role this season with the key man in midfield once again being the Belgian ace Kevin De Bruyne as Chelsea look for a triumphant return to prominence with a second Premiership for PP.


      FENERBAHÇE (27/2)
      Owner: Xerxes
      Assistant Manager: Pep Guardiola
      Captain: Thomas Müller
      Top Earner: Marcelo Brozović
      Lowest Earner: Ersin Destanoğlu
      Key Player: Mohamed Salah
      Hot Prospect: Felix Nmecha
      Zizou’s Key Player: Achraf Hakimi
      Oldest Player: Thomas Müller, 33
      Youngest Player:: Joshua Zirkzee, 22
      Average Age:: 27

      Last Season Prediction: 10th
      Last Season Finish: 8th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 4th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 10/1

      Key Categories led: Teamwork, Free Kick Taking

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Fenerbahçe’s lone trade acquisition certainly grabbed some headlines as Achraf Hakimi joined from Celtic to help create an overwhelming attack on the right with Mo Salah ready for another run. Despite having never won a Premiership title, GM Xerxes has remained a steady manager with hard-working teams that can grab any result from you. Joshua Zirkzee, Denis Zakaria, Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Azzedine Ounahi join the ranks but the main threat in attack is bound to be Dušan Vlahović once again. Even though he’s been sporadic as a goal threat in the Premiership, Vlahović will certainly look to take advantage of the added threat posed from Hakimi and Salah, as well as Mohammed Kudus and Hakan Çalhanoğlu.


      INTERNAZIONALE (27/3)
      Owner: Zizou
      Assistant Manager: Diego Simeone
      Captain: Manuel Neuer
      Top Earner: Rúben Neves
      Lowest Earner: Álvaro Valles
      Key Player: Lionel Messi
      Hot Prospect: Riccardo Calafiori
      Zizou’s Key Player: Bernardo Silva
      Oldest Player: Manuel Neuer, 37
      Youngest Player:: Riccardo Calafiori, 21
      Average Age:: 27

      Last Season Prediction: 1st
      Last Season Finish: 1st
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 3rd
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 10/1

      Key Categories led: First Touch, Passing, Balance, Pace, Anticipation, Determination, Vision, Dribbling, Long Shots, Marking, Tackling, Technique

      Zizou’s Thoughts: If you didn’t think all six of Internazionale GM Zizou’s Premiership titles didn’t mean anything, take a look at his roster page. Sure, this is a silly fantasy game. But it’s incredibly difficult to find success when every GM’s rivals are as hungry, knowledgeable, passionate, resilient, dedicated and yes, lucky, at times, as they are. So, to have the success Zizou’s been able to achieve is certainly an achievement, that must be said. Above all, the core Liga values for Zizou were his defining element. And none more important than his Anti-Madrid policy. That inevitably meant the off-season transfer of Kylian Mbappé, who’d played for Zizou for nearly the past decade, winning titles along the way. And in his place, Phil Foden became the major acquisition in return, joining along with last season’s Championship Golden Boot winner, Marcus Thuram to share the marquee. Adrien Rabiot was called up from Championship and Artem Dovbyk was Inter’s #1 free agent target alongside Riccardo Calafiori. How much of Inter’s dominance is left after recent second, second, and first table finishes remains the question that will be answered and every GM will have their chance to knock the King off their perch off the throne. Good luck.


      MANCHESTER CITY (27/3)
      Owner: xavi4life
      Assistant Manager: Marcelo Bielsa
      Captain: Ronald Araujo
      Top Earner: Marquinhos
      Lowest Earner: Natan
      Key Player: Ederson
      Hot Prospect: João Pedro
      Zizou’s Key Player: Darwin Núñez
      Oldest Player: Emiliano Martínez, 30
      Youngest Player:: John Kennedy, 21
      Average Age:: 25

      Last Season Prediction: 12th
      Last Season Finish: 12th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 12th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 15/1

      Key Categories led: Flair, Off The Ball

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Don’t settle for less than you feel you deserve. And don’t accept less than what you feel you can earn. This is something that Manchester City GM Xavi4life clings to in his bid to win his first ever Premiership title. For a team that finished last season 12th with Valencia, talk of any title challenge can seem wild until you realize that Xavi has consistently defied the odds with resilience and been a champion nearly everywhere else. Tasked with this opportunity is assistant manager Marcelo Bielsa, who will benefit from the addition of several potentially key new players up from other leagues and including free agency. A full season of Darwin Núñez will surely have City feeling a good about their potential goal output. But it’s the additions of Pervis Estupiñan, Joelinton, Rodrigo De Paul, Nahuel Molina, Samuel Lino and Vanderson to the side that have Xavi filled with an air of confidence that they’ll have something to say before it’s all over.


      MANCHESTER UNITED (27/3)
      Owner: JR
      Assistant Manager: Erik ten Hag
      Captain: Rúben Dias
      Top Earner: Rodrygo
      Lowest Earner: Exequiel Zeballos
      Key Player: Rúben Dias
      Hot Prospect: Tiago Santos
      Zizou’s Key Player: Lautaro Martínez
      Oldest Player: Ángel Di María, 35
      Youngest Player:: Tiago Santos, 21
      Average Age:: 26

      Last Season Prediction: 8th
      Last Season Finish: 2nd
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 8th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 13/1

      Key Categories led: Decisions, Concentration, Penalties

      Zizou’s Thoughts: One could reasonably surmise that last season’s nearly title-winning run was the surprise of the season with most of the preseason talk had Manchester United finishing mid-table. Whether this was a one-season marvel or whether there’s more to this hunt will largely be up to the players. But long-serving GM JR will no doubt be hungry for more. He addressed the glaring weakness in goal, likely the only reason United did not win the title by adding Diogo Costa via trade. Nicolás González, Martín Zubimendi, Miguel Gutiérrez and Mauro Icardi were called up by JR during the off-season and Mikel Merino, brought on via transfer. Yet without a major change, the question remains whether United are in a better position now than a year prior. That will be anyone’s guess. And JR’s to solve.


      PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN (26/3)
      Owner: evilo
      Assistant Manager: Thomas Tuchel
      Captain: Joshua Kimmich
      Top Earner: Victor Osimhen
      Lowest Earner: Elia Caprile
      Key Player: Harry Kane
      Hot Prospect: Quentin Merlin
      Zizou’s Key Player: Thibaut Courtois
      Oldest Player: Kyle Walker, 33
      Youngest Player:: Jamal Musiala, 20
      Average Age:: 25

      Last Season Prediction: 2nd
      Last Season Finish: 4th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 1st
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 8/1

      Key Categories led: Acceleration, Agility, Fitness, Composure

      Zizou’s Thoughts: For as much attention is being paid to Lens in the Championship, and rightly so, arguably GM evilo’s best chance at winning a league title, or the Cup for that matter, is with Paris Saint-Germain in the Premiership. Because after a very active and aggressive offseason window, PSG has put themselves in a very good position. Moisés Caicedo, Luis Díaz, Federico Dimarco and Wissam Ben Yedder were added to strengthen the roster but it was the addition of Victor Osimhen after a Golden Boot challenging performance last season that earned the plaudits and put PSG in a position to have two of the best Center Forwards in the league, the other being Harry Kane. And although, not as notably as the other moves, the acquisitions of Folarin Balogun and Sacha Boey were another reason why PSG as positioned themselves perfectly for a number of seasons moving forward. Whether that leads to hardware as soon as this season will be something to watch throughout the season.


      TOTTENHAM (27/2)
      Owner: Kawai
      Assistant Manager: Ange Postecoglou
      Captain: Luka Modrić
      Top Earner: Aleksandar Mitrović
      Lowest Earner: Illan Meslier
      Key Player: Luka Modrić
      Hot Prospect: Nathan Patterson
      Zizou’s Key Player: Son Heung-Min
      Oldest Player: Luka Modrić, 37
      Youngest Player:: Michael Olise, 21
      Average Age:: 27

      Last Season Prediction: 9th
      Last Season Finish: 11th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 11th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 14/1

      Key Categories led: Work Rate, Stamina, Corners, Crossing

      Zizou’s Thoughts: While Tottenham GM Kawai has made some impressive strides in the recruitment of players, success has still been hard to come by. And being predicted by Football Manager to finish in the same place they finished last season doesn’t bode well for their chances of improving, at least at the start. But it is not beyond the realm of possibility to see Tottenham fight back and cause a few surprises. Anthony Gordon, Jarrod Bowen, Michael Olise, Ezri Konsa and Dominic Solanke joined the club over the offseason and will certainly look to have a part to play. Spurs have consistently struggled to bridge the gap between themselves and the top half of the table. It’s hard to see how Tottenham will be able to overcome the odds but making the most of tactics and the ability to win individual battles in-game will have a much more determining factor if Spurs are to have a fighting chance for a top-half spot once again.


      BSC YOUNG BOYS (27/3)
      Owner: Ramer
      Assistant Manager: Jesse Marsch
      Captain: Antonio Rüdiger
      Top Earner: Cristiano Ronaldo
      Lowest Earner: Kevin Denkey
      Key Player: Jude Bellingham
      Hot Prospect: Kevin Denkey
      Zizou’s Key Player: Neymar
      Oldest Player: Cristiano Ronaldo, 38
      Youngest Player:: Jude Bellingham, 20
      Average Age:: 27

      Last Season Prediction: 13th
      Last Season Finish: 9th
      This Season Predicted Finish (FM): 7th
      Odds to win Championship (FM): 13/1

      Key Categories led: Finishing, Heading

      Zizou’s Thoughts: Although it will usually take longer for the Premiership, the moves made by Young Boys GM Ramer over the offseason has placed all three clubs in a better spot, and that from a second-year GM is impressive. To draw Jude Bellingham and Neymar onto a side desperately in need of top quality shows that he’s addressed a weakness and that forecasts a much brighter future for YB. And the addition of Serge Gnabry will benefit their already potent offense and should help produce a plethora of goal chances moving forward. Ramer also sought to improve the squad from within in his call-up of enigmatic forward Talisca, giving YB a much stronger offense than in the prior season. They will have to be strong on defense in order to make their goals count towards more success but they are certainly headed on the right track. And fast.

      Notes:
      • Bayer Leverkusen have the most amount of players (22) with Championship-level eligibility.

      • Kylian Mbappé (FC Bayern) & Erling Haaland (FC Barcelona) are the highest-rated players in the league.

      • Cristiano Ronaldo (Young Boys) is the highest-earning player in the league.

      • Thiago Silva (Bayer Leverkusen) is the oldest player in the league.

      • Noah Mbamba (Celtic) is the the youngest player in the league.

      • Internazionale lead the league with the most internationally capped players, with 21.

      • At 6’7” (2.00 m), Thibaut Courtois (Paris Saint-Germain) is the tallest player in the league. Bryan Zaragoza (Chelesa) is the shortest at 5’5″ (1.64 m).

      • Kurt Zouma (Chelesa) is the heaviest player in the league at 211 lbs (95.70kg).

      • Bayer Leverkusen is the oldest team in the league.

      • Celtic is the youngest team in the league.

      • PSG has the highest Average Player Transfer Value of any team in the league.

      • BSC Young Boys has the highest Average Player Salary of any team in the league.

      • Borussia Dortmund is the most diverse team in the league, representing 25 nationalities.

      FM Golden Boot Predictions from 90min.com:
      01. Haaland (Barcelona), 7-5
      02. Mbappé (Bayern), 9-1
      03. Ronaldo (Young Boys), 10-1
      04. Kane (PSG), 10-1
      05. Lewandowski (Dortmund), 12-1
      06. Messi (Inter), 14-1

      FM Golden Ball Predictions from The Athletic:
      01. Haaland (Barcelona), 10-3
      02. De Bruyne (Chelsea), 8-1
      03. Mbappé (Bayern), 9-1
      04. Vinícius (Barcelona), 10-1
      05. Messi (Inter), 11-1
      06. Kane (PSG), 12-1

      FM Young Player Award Predictions from Whoscored.com:
      01. Saka (Arsenal), 7-2
      02. Bellingham (Young Boys), 11-2
      03. Camavinga (Chelsea), 7-1
      04. Pedri (Barcelona), 9-1
      05. Musiala (PSG), 11-1
      06. Caicedo (PSG), 14-1

      FM Predicted XI of the season:
      GK: Courtois (PSG)
      RB: Kimmich (PSG)
      CB: Rodri (Inter)
      CB: Van Dijk (Bayer)
      LB: Camavinga (Chelsea)
      RM: B. Silva (Inter)
      CM: De Bruyne (Chelsea)
      CM: Bellingham (Young Boys)
      LM: Grealish (Tottenham)
      ST: Haaland (Barcelona)
      ST: Mbappé (Bayern)

      Zizou’s Predicted Table:
      01. FC Bayern
      02. Internazionale
      03. Paris Saint-Germain
      04. Manchester City
      05. Arsenal
      06. Chelsea
      07. Fenerbahçe
      08. FC Barcelona
      09. Manchester United
      10. Borussia Dortmund
      11. Tottenham Hotspur
      12. BSC Young Boys
      13. Celtic
      14. Bayer Leverkusen

      Zizou’s Predicted Golden Boot Winner: Kylian Mbappé

      • This topic was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by ZizouZizou.
      #17379
      Zooka7Zooka7
      Moderator

        Great read as always Z.

        I take it as a huge compliment that you didn’t put Celtic last in the predictions 😂 I think going into the season we are worse than most of the championship teams

        #17381
        Xavi4lifeXavi4life
        Moderator

          Eso! Can’t wait to get started!

          #17382
          eviloevilo
          Moderator

            Excited!
            Thanks Z as always!

            #17383
            jamesjames
            Keymaster

              One of my very favorite movies.

            Viewing 5 posts - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
            • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

            Dynasty Liga

            Season 23