Arsenal took four points from Manchester City last season, including a win at home.© AFP
Former Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has predicted Aston Villa to finish in the Premier League top four once again this season. Villa, under Spanish manager Unai Emery, finished fourth in the Premier League last season with 68 points, thus securing Champions League football after 32 years. Emery’s Villa made a winning return to the Champions League, winning 3-0 at BSC Young Boys in Switzerland earlier this week. Wright-Phillips, who is in India for Manchester City’s ‘Champions 4-in-a-row Trophy Tour’, feels there won’t be any changes, as far as the Champions League places are concerned.
Manchester City won an unprecedented fourth Premier League title on the trot, edging Arsenal out by two points (91:89), despite failing to beat the Gunners home and away. Liverpool were a close third with 82 points, in what was Jurgen Klopp’s final season in charge of The Reds.
Wright-Phillips also picked three teams that are likely to go down back to the Championship, the second division of English football league system.
Wright-Phillips, a Premier League winner with Chelsea, has backed Southampton and Ipswich Town, two of three promoted teams this season, to face the drop straight away. For his third and final pick, the 42-year-old reckoned that it would be either Leicester City or Crystal Palace.
“Bottom three is kinda hard. It is harder that what people think. Everton are down right now but if you watch most of their games, especially the last two, you would necessarily say they shouldn’t have lost them. Basically, they’ve given away six points. Unlike last season, they are actually scoring goals. So they are going to stay. Southampton are down. Leicester, they will always surprise you with Jamie Vardy. So, Southampton down. Ipswich, probably, only because they play well but don’t have enough (firepower). They will score less but concede a lot. The last one is between Crystal Palace and Leicester,” he added.
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