These are the contenders for the Premier Title Race in 2023-24

The Premier League title race is always something to look forward to ahead of every campaign. The 2022/23 campaign gave a good story where Arsenal came rather close but eventually missed out and saw Manchester City claim the title for the third time in a row.

As the ongoing 2023/24 campaign starts to take shape, bookmakers like bet365 (find full review here), have already hinted at certain sides who are most likely to challenge for the title. After eight game weeks of action so far as at the time of writing, we take a look at the top contenders for the 2023/24 Premier League season.

Manchester City

The reigning champions, Man City, are once again the clear favourites to retain their crown, as is always the case before the start of every Premier League campaign. However, early indications suggest it would not be as straightforward as in previous campaigns. As at the time of writing, City have already lost two consecutive league games to Wolves and Arsenal, while they were also dumped out of the EFL Cup by Newcastle.

To be fair, they are still only two points behind league leaders Tottenham but they have looked rather ordinary on several occasions this season. They are famous for turning invincible towards the second half of the season but maybe Guardiola’s charm is now starting to fade? Time will tell

Arsenal

The wait looked like it was going to be over in the 2022/23 season, for some time it seemed like the Gunners would end their long wait for the Premier League title — something they had failed to do since the invincibles season of 2003/04.

After staying top of the table for well over 200 days, Mikel Arteta’s men finished second in disappointing fashion. While many still claim last season was a fluke, Arsenal are already showing that they were indeed right to trust the process under Arteta – having started the current campaign on a solid note as well.

As at the time of writing after eight games played, the Gunners are one of two teams to remain unbeaten in the Premier League, winning six and recording two stalemates, including a victory over both Manchester United and reigning champions Manchester City.

Liverpool

Liverpool finished a staggering 22 points behind winners Man City last season, and struggled on several occasions, despite a late strong surge to finish just four points off the top four.

But it was highly unlikely they would struggle for two years in a row. After a stalemate against Chelsea on the opening day of the season, the Reds went on a five-game consecutive winning streak, beating Bournemouth, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Wolves and West Ham. That unbeaten start and winning run did come to an end in controversial fashion after they were beaten by Tottenham. Most recently, they played out to a 2-2 draw with Brighton in a result that seemed fair to both sides.

Liverpool’s resilience means they remain genuine contenders and will be waiting to capitalize should any side slip up.

Tottenham

The turnaround is looking rather authentic. Tottenham suffered a miserable 2022/23 despite Harry Kane pushing Erling Haaland hard for the Golden Boot. Spurs finished eighth, a staggering 29 points behind champions Man City, highlight by head coach Antonio Conte leaving even before the campaign was over.

In the summer, Ange Postecoglou was trusted to turn around the club’s fortunes, and there was some initial skepticism about if he was up to the task. So far, it is safe to say he has even exceeded expectations, especially considering a big hole was left after Kane departed for Bayern Munich in the summer. After eight games, Tottenham lead the way at the top of the table with six wins and two draws, including victory over Liverpool, Manchester United and avoiding defeat against fellow rivals Arsenal.

Manchester United

Manchester United may have claimed a top-four finish last season but it never really seemed like they found any form of consistency. Although they won the Carabao Cup, it was ultimately a tough first season for Erik ten Hag, with hopes that there would be more positive fortunes in the current campaign.

Unfortunately, that has been far from the case. The Red Devils are currently 10th with only four wins from their opening eight games, beating Wolves, Burnley, Nottingham Forest and Brentford all by just one goal. The most recent victory against Brentford was a last-gasp win, which saw them come from behind in the 90th minute to win 2-1. The other four games have all ended in defeat, with United losing to Tottenham, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Arsenal.