Premier League season preview: ‘Big Six’ floors and ceilings

I can neither speak for Joe Prince-Wright nor Andy Edwards, but predicting the 2022-23 Premier League table was a headache and a half.

While the identity of the top two and bottom two was relatively straight-forward, though maybe not in order, selecting who slid into the top four and who were legit candidates for the final relegation place was very difficult.

[ MORE: Premier League Week 1 predictions ]

The top four is the subject for this post because let’s face it: More attention is paid to the “Big Six” than most other clubs and there’s significant question as to whether their needs have been properly addressed so far in the transfer window (Making picks with the window still open, too, is quite fraught with peril).

And while there’s reason to like the depth builds at West Ham and Aston Villa as well as the unencumbered fixture lists of other clubs like Newcastle United, it does feel like there’s a gap in top-end talent from that group to the “Big Six” above them.

So what are the floors and ceilings for the Big Six this season, presuming of course that there are no historic runs of injuries for a single club?

Read on.

Ceiling: Premier League record breakers — For all the reasons you’ve read: The deepest attack in Premier League history added a Bundesliga- and Champions League-tested elite finisher in Erling Haaland, and their defense has been as strong as most this century.

Floor: Third place — If City is trailing Liverpool or another foe late in the season and still in the Champions League, you could see Pep Guardiola prioritizing the European Cup chase. And if City’s behind and out of the UCL, might the year-by-year grind of playing Guardiola’s system see the side peter out? Probably not and almost certainly not in a