The Premier League, which kicks off Friday afternoon, is often regarded as the most competitive league in the world, if not the best. In fact, both of those assumptions might be false: While the Premier League boasts four of the top 10 and six of the top 15 teams in the world according to our Soccer Power Index rankings, only one other team cracks the top 50. This imbalance shouldn’t come as a shock: Aside from Blackburn Rovers in 1994-95 and Leicester City in 2015-16, only four teams have won the Premier League since its inception in 1992-93. And if you look at the table for every Premier League season — especially for the past decade — the top six spots are more likely than not occupied by some or all of the same six teams currently ranked in the world top 15. If you’re hoping that the upcoming season will offer some vicissitude at the top of the table, don’t hold your breath: According to our Premier League predictions, Manchester City is a good bet to repeat as champions. And the five spaces below the Citizens will likely be occupied by — you guessed it! — Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. After we ran 20,000 simulated seasons, the closest any team got to the top six was Crystal Palace — still 16 points off the pace. The top six teams in the Premier League are among the richest sports franchises on earth. All that money means they can afford to pay often ludicrous fees to attract the world’s best players. Money turns into results in major competitions, and results in major competitions turn into more money. And that new money turns into the buying of yet more of the world’s best players, and the top six feedback loop endures. Let’s look at how each of the top six teams — and a few others — spent this summer, and what it means for their chances at winning the Premier League title. Who got better? Liverpool paid a then-record fee for 25-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who led the Italian Serie A in save percentage per 90 minutes during his first year as Roma’s No. 1. He wasn’t at his best during the World Cup, but Liverpool is hoping that if given the chance in a big situation, Alisson will perform better than Loris Karius did. Liverpool also added Guinean midfielder Naby Keita, Brazilian midfielder Fabinho and Swiss winger Xherdan Shaqiri, making its total spend the largest in England. Adding a defensive-minded midfielder like Fabinho and a world-class keeper like Alisson should help bolster a Liverpool defense that, at times, left something to be desired during the 2017-18 campaign — and it should give the Reds a real shot at challenging for the title. It seems impossible, but defending champion Manchester City also got better, finally landing longtime target Riyad Mahrez. It’s not clear where the former Leicester City maestro will play — Leroy Sané, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva did a pretty good job patrolling the wings last season, after all — but it never hurts to have a winger on your squad who’s proven he can score 15 goals and assist on 10 more. Not a bad pickup for a team that broke the all-time Premier League goal record a season ago. Despite the departure of longterm manager Arsene Wenger, hopes must be high in Highbury: Arsenal found a potential replacement for the aging Petr Cech in German keeper Bernd Leno, and the addition of Uruguayan holding midfielder Lucas Torreira should help shore up its defense, which conceded the most goals of any of the top six squads last season. Fan favorite Jack Wilshere departed for West Ham United, but injury issues have long relegated him to “could have been” status anyway. Everton hasn’t finished inside the top six since 2013-14, but Toffee fans will be pleased with their team’s transfer window successes. The club paid Watford a lot of money for the swift and tricky Brazilian winger Richarlison, and also added French wingback Lucas Digne. If Evertonians were displeased with the park-the-bus soccer employed by Big Sam Allardyce, they should be happy that this year’s squad will feature some players who like to go forward. Signing Colombian center back and World Cup standout Yerry Mina means they won’t suffer at the back, either. Everton will probably still finish between seventh and 10th, but it should look better doing so. Who stayed mostly the same? Manchester United is hoping to unseat rivals Manchester City and win its first title since 2013, but it faces one problem: The Red Devils didn’t do much during the transfer window. Portuguese right back Diogo Dalot might be the eventual heir apparent to captain Antonio Valencia, but at the tender age of 19 years old — and with just six first-team starts for Portuguese club Porto — he doesn’t transform United into champions from also-rans. Former Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder and Seleção member Fred should help in the center of the pitch — he is equally capable of going forward and dropping back behind his midfield partners to help in defense, and he can play with both feet — but his high price tag carries an intense weight of expectation. Ask Paul Pogba how that plays in Manchester. Who stayed mostly the same but feels worse? The boys from White Hart Lane spent zero dollars during the transfer window. Tottenham wanted midfielder Jack Grealish but ultimately couldn’t come to terms with Aston Villa. Spurs don’t really need Grealish — they had the second best possession rate per 90 minutes in the middle third in 2017-18 — but their depth may be a problem, particularly at the start of the season. Meanwhile, Chelsea experienced one of the most tumultuous summers in recent memory — which is saying a lot, given owner Roman Abramovich’s apparent penchant for drama. Manager Antonio Conte got the sack despite delivering a championship in 2016-17, and truant goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois forced a sale to Real Madrid. The Blues better hope that Kepa Arrizabalaga, for whom they paid a now-record fee for a keeper, is ready for the Premier League grind. Otherwise they may be forced to rely on this guy. Who got significantly worse? This will be the first season since 2012-13 that Leicester City will be without Mahrez, which means that the Foxes probaby stand little chance to repeat their unlikely 2015-16 run to the Premier League title. While Leicester still has goal poacher Jamie Vardy, it failed to re-sign Nigerian striker Ahmed Musa (who, by the way, had a very good World Cup). James Maddison is a nice signing and should make up for some of the offense lost with Mahrez’s departure, but don’t expect another Cinderella run from the Foxes. The woes of Newcastle United start and end with its agreement to a permanent deal that sent its best option at forward, Aleksandar Mitrovic, to newly promoted Fulham. The Magpies must be hoping that the strike trio of Matt Ritchie, Salomon Rondon and Ayoze Perez — who scored 18 goals combined last season — is enough to account for the potential production lost from the young Serbian hitman. Who could play Cinderella? Fulham can find the net — it scored 1.57 goals per 90 minutes last season, the second most in the English League Championship, exceeding its expected goals rate of 1.47. Teenage phenom Ryan Sessegnon scored on 37 percent of the shots he took last season and outperformed his expected goals tally by 5.5, while Mitrovic — who impressed at the World Cup — contributed 12 goals of his own. Adding Andre Schurrle on a two-season loan will only increase Fulham’s firepower. The club also went all in on midfielder Jean Michael Seri, a player who has been linked to seemingly every big club in Europe over the past few seasons. And let’s not forget about Crystal Palace, the world’s 48th best team according to our SPI rankings. The Eagles got off to a historically atrocious start last season before righting the ship and finishing in the middle of the table. Additions Max Meyer and Cheikhou Kouyaté should help stabilize a midfield that had the eighth worst possession rate per 90 minutes last season, while Manchester United castoff Wilfried Zaha’s return to Selhurst Park continues to bear fruit. Zaha has scored 22 goals from the wing in the past four seasons, and at 25 years old, he is entering the prime of his career. The Eagles will likely go as far as Zaha can take them. Check out our latest soccer predictions.<doc-sep>You can't beat (Fantasy Football) bargains. It is approaching crunch time for fantasy football Premier League enthusiasts as gameweek one's deadline is fast approaching. While many will have spent recent weeks assuring themselves this is the year they commit beyond week three and brainstorming ingenious team names, now is time to focus on the business end of the year and analyse the entire playing pool available. In an era dominated by players who are priced as high as £13.00, every penny counts and thus fantasy football bargain buys are a must. Thankfully, there are numerous shrew options available. Here are the Balls.ie Premier League 2018/19 Fantasy Football bargains. Goalkeeper: Matt Ryan Brighton were in the top eight for goals conceded last year and have strengthened their defense with the signing of defender Bernardo from RB Leipzig on a four-year deal. Thus, goalkeeper Matt Ryan represents marvelous business at just £4.5. Advertisement Alternatives: Kasper Schmeichel (£5.0) Jordan Pickford (£5.0) Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold - £5.0 An assured starter, the full-back is a Fantasy Football Bargain at just £5.0. Last season he played in 26 games, with six clean sheets, an assist and a goal. Harry Maguire - £5.5 Advertisement Fresh from a promising World Cup, 'Slabhead' is effective on both sides of the ball and has a good goalkeeper behind him to assist with clean sheets. Lewis Dunk - £4.5 Played in all 38 games last year; ten clean sheets, zero errors leading to goals, scored and assisted. An incredible bargain at just £4.5 this season. Ryan Bertrand - £5.0 Southampton endured a difficult season last year but improved under Mark Hughes towards the end while Bertrand was one of a few good performers. Advertisement Alternatives: Michael Keane (£5.0) Benjamin Mendy (£6.0) Midfielders Ruben Neves - £5.0 Wolves stormed through the Championship last season and were greatly assisted by Neves, who has a superb ability to score from long range. Ruben Neves wins April Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month for his stunning volley against Derby #wwfc https://t.co/x3oMxtEEf6 pic.twitter.com/TnaqgRTPwm — Jamie Brassington (@JamieB_Star) May 11, 2018 Advertisement Richarlison - £6.5 Everton's recent signing played every game in last year's season, scoring five goals and chipping in with five assists. Could be set for a terrific season under Marco Silva. Ryan Sessegnon - £6.5 The Championship player of the season last year looks set to continue his rise in the Premier League and is available at an extremely affordable price. Alternatives: Andros Townsend (£6.0) Pedro (£6.5) Advertisement Forwards Aleksandar Mitrovic - £6.5 Guaranteed to start given Fulham's lack of alternatives and if he kicks on from his World Cup form the former Newcastle man could be set for a promising campaign. Wilfred Zaha - £7.0 The Cyrstal Palace talisman collected 136 points last season and despite interest from Chelsea will stay at the club for another year at least. Glen Murray - £6.5 A familiar face for fantasy Premier League bargain-hunters. The Brighton target man finished with 111 points last season, including an outstanding final eight games. Alternatives: Marko Arnautovic (£7.5) Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.0)<doc-sep>
With the Premier League nearly upon us, it's that time again to assemble your fantasy football team in the hope of this year getting it right. With the desire to pump your team full of the big names, you inevitably have to pick some of the cheaper options in order to balance the books, and with that in mind here are some bargains that can be found in the league this season. Goalkeepers The initial desire is to go for David De Gea (£6m), who topped the points charts with 172 last season. Man City stopper Ederson is a slightly cheaper option at £5.5m. Beyond those two standout options, Lukasz Fabianski & Matt Ryan are solid choices at £4.5m each. Liverpool's Alisson comes in at £5.5m, but with Dejan Lovren now a mainstay of the Liverpool defence don't expect the Brazilian to keep too many clean sheets. Burnley's Nick Pope is another cheap option at £5m, but the stopper is currently out with a dislocated shoulder while England's World Cup hero Jordan Pickford is also available for the same price. Defenders Chelsea defenders Cesar Azpilicueta and Mikel Alonso topped the points charts for defenders last season, but with both valued at £6.5m you might want to dig deeper in the market for more value. Kieran Trippier (£6m) could be a decent shout after a very good World Cup campaign and if Trent Alexander Arnold nails down a starting berth this season then the youngster should be a good outlet for points, the defender has a wand of a right foot and has taken on dead ball duties on occasion. Everton's capture of Lucas Digne has also raised eyebrows, and at £5m is worth a punt. Also with his horror injury behind him Seamus Coleman looks a good price at £5.5m. Midfielders Fulham have made two very astute signings in midfield in the form of Jean Michel Seri and Andre Shurrle. Seri had been tracked by both Barcelona and Chelsea before being snapped up by the Cottagers and is available for £5.5m, with ex-Chelsea winger Schurrle only £6m. Ryan Sessegnon was undoubtedly Fulham's best player in their successful promotion campaign, though the 18-year-old is already valued at £6.5m so it might be worth waiting to see how he adapts to the top flight. Portugese midfielder Ruben Neves is definitely worth a punt at £5m, with the 21-year-old impressing for Wolves as they won the Championship last season and Ivan Cavaleiro (£5.5m) is another of Nuno Esprito's men that could come good in the top flight, and with signing of Joao Moutinho (£5.5m) there is a strong case to have at least one Wolves midfielder in your squad. Max Meyer's move to Crystal Palace surprised everyone and at £6m he could be 0ne to keep an eye on at Selhurst Park. Newcastle's on loan star Kenedy (£5m) is another to watch out for, with his performance at Tyneside catching the eye last season. Diogo Jota (£6.5m) also did well in the Championship last season, the Wolves midfielder notching 17 goals for Nuno Esprito's side. Forwards Wilfried Zaha (7m) had a very good season last term nine goals and three assists in 29 appearances crucial as Crystal Palace beat the drop. Bobby Reid (5.5m) got 19 goals last season for Bristol City in the Championship and following his move to Cardiff City, the 25-year-old will be looking to build upon the success of last season. Joshua King (6.5m) and Marko Arnautovic (£7m) are another two PL strikers coming off good seasons, scoring 110 and 142 points last season respectively. Rafael Benitez finally got his man in Saloman Rondon (£6m), and with the Venezuelan now the main man at St. James Park he could be a good pick as one of the cheaper options up front. Here's a look at my team heading into the new season: Winners, every last one. Even Norris.