Former Liverpool striker Michael Owen appears to have predicted Manchester City will finish fourth this season .
Last term, City won its fourth consecutive Premier League title, with Pep Guardiola's side on the hunt to a win a record breaking fifth this term in what could be the Spaniard's final season at the Etihad. Arsenal once again pushed City close, finishing second, while Liverpool finished third after its title charge collapsed down the stretch last season.
And in surprising fashion, Aston Villa rounded out the top four last season, beating out the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur to claim the fourth and final Champions League spot. So far this term, only City and Liverpool have perfect records, with both teams having won three games.
Despite this, Owen seemingly reckons City could finish behind Arsenal, Liverpool, and Villa this season. Speaking to Danish outlet TVSporten, Owen was asked for his top four prediction, with the ex-Premier League naming last seasons quartet as his choices.
However, when he gave his answer, he elected to do so in an order that looks to have City finishing fourth. "Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and City," said Owen.
"Liverpool, Arsenal and City will get into most people's predictions and I’m still picking Aston Villa to get in there with them. My question mark is over how they cope with Champions League football and all that it will bring, because we have seen the likes of Newcastle last year and loads of teams in the past that have struggled with coping with both.
"But I like the manager. I think they've got a very good team. They've added one or two players so I've got no reason to change at the moment. Obviously they lost to Arsenal at the weekend, but I think most teams are going to lose to Arsenal the way they're playing. So I see no reason to change at the moment.
"However, teams like Newcastle, it wouldn't surprise me if they got into the top four. Tottenham, it also wouldn't surprise me if they got into the top four. So they're probably the two teams that I would be looking over my shoulder at, but for now I’m sticking with Villa."
Given how both City and Liverpool have started the new Premier League season, it would be quite a shock if the former ended up finishing fourth this season. The champion opened its season with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, which it followed up with a 4-1 victory over Ipswich in a game that saw Erling Haaland net a hat-trick.
And the Norwegian, who also scored against Chelsea, managed to net another hat-trick the following week against West Ham, taking him to seven goals in three games for the defending Premier League champion.
Liverpool.com says: Yeah, we're not really sure if that's definitively what Owen believes will happen, or whether he was just naming his four in no particular order. However, it does seem weird you wouldn't name who you think will win the Premier League first. City will at least finish above Aston Villa this season - if they don't, I'll eat my proverbial hat.
Most Popular
Comments / 0